Ukraine conflict: Ukraine orders air-defence system from Thales

The GM200 tactical, medium-range air-defence radar operates in S band and provides 3D coverage from -7° to 70° in one rotation. (Thales)

French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov signed a contract with Thales for the delivery of a short-range air-defence system.

Under the contract, Thales will supply its Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar as well as a command-and-control (C2) centre, a radio communications system, and air target designators to Ukraine, the company announced on 1 February.

The system was financed from a French EUR200 million (USD214.61 million) Ukraine support fund that was approved at the end of 2022.

A Thales spokesperson informed Janes that along with the GM200 radar, the company would supply its HD VHF (very-high-frequency) radios, which “provide voice and data loop between the [C2] system and the Portable Weapon Terminal”.

According to the spokesperson, the Portable Weapon Terminal is based on a ruggedised electronic device, which allows the “C2 system to designate a 3D air target while sharing contextual air situational awareness to avoid friendly engagement”.