The investments cover major domains including air surveillance, air defence, effectors, sonars and military communications. Thales said they are being deployed across sites in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and beyond to expand capacity, modernise facilities, invest in engineering and information systems, and reduce delivery times.
The company said its Ground Master radar family continues to see strong international demand, with more than 285 radars sold in over 35 countries. To meet that demand, Thales has expanded defence radar output in France and the Netherlands, multiplying production capacity by four between 2021 and 2025.
In June 2026, Thales signed a strategic partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to expand radar production and test capacity in Hengelo. The company said this will enable antenna production to increase by a further 60% between 2025 and 2028.
In Germany, Thales is increasing production capacity for its Ground Observer 12 radars five-fold by the end of 2026. The ramp-up follows a June order from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support for 60 GO12 short-range battlefield radar systems.
The GO12 is a portable reconnaissance and artillery radar able to detect drones and vehicles through 360 degrees. It was developed in Germany, is manufactured in Ditzingen in Baden-Württemberg and is already in service in 20 countries.
At its Herstal site in Belgium, Thales has launched an investment programme to increase production of unguided rockets and 70mm guided munitions. Output of Laser Guided Rockets is set to rise five-fold between 2024 and 2026, followed by a further three-fold increase between 2026 and 2028.
The company said the rocket production ramp-up is supported by vertical integration of critical manufacturing activities, accelerated recruitment and increased local sourcing. Its initial phase benefited from EU funding under the ASAP programme.
At La Ferté-Saint-Aubin in France, Thales aims to quadruple munitions production between 2023 and 2026. The ramp-up is backed by investment to modernise the site, including a state-of-the-art automated foundry.
The La Ferté-Saint-Aubin site relies on a network of more than 400 suppliers across France. Thales said this represents an annual commitment of more than €120 million.
For the SAMP/T NG air defence system, Thales said it is targeting a two-fold increase in production to meet rising demand from European armed forces. The French variant of the system includes the Thales Ground Fire radar, which offers a range of up to 400 kilometres and panoramic coverage at 360 degrees and 90 degrees elevation.
Thales also acts as integrator of the fire control system, known as the ME-NG Next Generation Engagement Module, developed with MBDA. The company said SAMP/T NG is at the core of SkyDefender, the multi-layer, multi-domain Integrated Air and Missile Defence system launched by Thales this year.
In Belfast, production of the Lightweight Multi-role Missile increased fourfold between 2022 and 2025. Thales said it has further plans to support a seven-fold increase in missile production within four years.
In naval systems, Thales said CAPTAS naval sonar production in France increased 2.5-fold between 2024 and 2025. In mine countermeasure warfare, the company said the delivery lead time for its mine countermeasure sonar has been halved from 20 months to 10 months.
Thales also said its project to acquire Exail Technologies is intended to increase its scale in the underwater warfare market. The company said the acquisition would also expand its capabilities in inertial navigation systems through Exail’s complementary expertise.
In military communications, Thales inaugurated a new worldwide Centre of Excellence in Radiocommunications and a logistics hub in Cholet, France, in June 2025. The site is linked to systems including the PR4G radio, sold in more than 800,000 units in 50 countries, and the SYNAPS software-defined radio.
Thales said the Cholet site has also seen a fourfold increase in Eclipse jamming equipment output. By 2030, a major investment plan will consolidate the group’s French secure communications activities, including radio, cryptography, satcom, deployable networks and electronic warfare.
In Tubize, Belgium, Thales is extending its site alongside a new land systems joint venture with JCD and FN Herstal and a land vehicle conversion centre. In the Netherlands, SOTAS vehicle communication production has tripled since the end of 2023, while radio production is ready to scale up by 30% to 50%.
The group said it delivered 205 civil-military hybridisation kits in about one year for France and other NATO countries. It is also expanding its Romania competence centre for C4I, cloud and network infrastructure to up to 100 people by the end of 2026.
Pascale Sourisse, Senior Executive Vice-President, International Development, Thales, said the company’s industrial expansion was linked to defence readiness. ‘’Defence readiness starts with industrial readiness. Through our multi-domestic footprint in more than 20 European countries and steady investments in advanced technologies, industrial capacity, engineering talent and strategic cooperation between national champions, Thales is resolutely committed to serving the continent’s needs for interoperable and sovereign solutions, and to rapidly scaling up the EDTIB to support nations with trusted capabilities that underpin multi-domain operations.”
Thales said it is recruiting more than 9,000 employees worldwide in 2026 to support growth in its core markets, with 70% of those roles in European countries. Over the past five years, the group has recruited at least 8,000 people per year to support growth across its core business sectors.
The company said it has a long-standing tradition of partnerships across borders, including involvement in the SAMP/T NG, Scorpion/CAMO and MMCM programmes. It also cited joint ventures with Leonardo in Italy, Diehl Aviation, Junghans Microtech, Airbus, Navantia, John Cockerill and FN Herstal, as well as strategic partnerships in Poland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
Thales said it is also active in trusted cloud environments through a joint venture with Google Cloud in France and plans for a second joint venture in Germany. The group said its wider technology portfolio supports defence, aerospace, cyber and digital sectors, with €4.5 billion allocated annually to research and development.
Thales has more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries. The company generated sales of €22.1 billion in 2025.
