As part of the FLORAKO programme modernisation, armasuisse — the Swiss defence procurement agency — has awarded Thales a contract to upgrade Swiss Air Force Master surveillance radars. The €74m contract is intended to extend the lifespan of the radars and to ensure operational excellence until 2030.

The modernisation of all fixed long-range radars will be carried out at the Thales site in Limours near Paris in cooperation with RUAG defence, who will act as a Thales subcontractor. This upgrade will take around 60 months, including a 24-month development phase taking advantage of previous radar technologies.

According to Thales, the upgrade will optimise long-term performance support and ensure operational excellence for the full life-span of the radars within the existing infrastructure.

Engineering teams will develop improved radar signal and data processing and upgrade the antenna system, while integration teams will carry out testing and qualification phases. The upgraded radars will be delivered to the Swiss Air Force one by one as soon as their performance has been successfully verified.

The Swiss Air Force air defence command and control system has been fully operational since 2004. Designed by Thales in collaboration with other industrial partners, this system is claimed to be one of the most complete and high-performance air defence command and control systems currently in use in the world.