Thales is Quadrupling its Ammunition Production Capacity at its La Ferte Saint Aubin Site

June 17, 2024

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Thales has received a new order from the French Army and will ramp up production capacity to meet the capability requirements of the armed forces.

Less than two years after awarding Thales a contract for 120 mm munitions, with a firm order for 3,000 illuminating mortar rounds, France's Joint Munitions Command has signed a new contract with Thales to supply for tens of thousands of 120 mm rounds, completing the order for 15,000 rounds signed in 2023. High-explosive (HE) rounds make up two-thirds of the total order, with practice rounds accounting for the remaining third. The ordnance will be used by towed 120 mm rifled towed mortar systems, and in due course by the MEPAC variant of the Griffon multi-role armoured vehicle integrated with the ATLAS automated artillery fire control system.

Thales will provide the armed forces with technical assistance, support for integration of the mortar systems on board the vehicles, and maintenance services for the mortar systems and munitions.

The La Ferté Saint Aubin site near Orleans will increase its production rates, from an overall annual output of 20,000 rounds in 2023, to more than 80,000 rounds a year by 2026.

The munitions will be delivered between 2024 and 2029, with a first shipment scheduled for the last quarter of 2024.

In addition to the La Ferté Saint Aubin site, a number of Thales partner SMEs in the defence industrial and technological base, and in particular the companies manufacturing machined projectile bodies and mechanical components, will be involved in fulfilling the new order.

The rifled mortars manufactured by Thales are three times more accurate than smooth-bore mortars and the only mortars to match the performance of 155 mm artillery systems.

"We deeply value the continuing confidence of the French land forces. This order for 120 mm ordnance is an integral part of the broader policy to build capacity and we are fully mobilised to meet this requirement in terms of both production rates and product performance," said Hervé Dammann, Executive Vice-President, Land and Air Systems, Thales

Source : Thales