On February 13, 2015, Thales Alenia Space's plant in Cannes, on the French Riviera, was visited by Jean-Yves le Drian, the French Minister of Defense. He was welcomed by Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Thales, and Jean Loïc Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. The minister visited the clean rooms in the plant, where he saw ten satellites at various stages of integration, including the Sicral 2 military telecom satellite.

About Sicral 2

Sicral 2

Sicral 2 is a technology jewel, reflecting the sum total of French and Italian expertise in military communications. It is slated for launch in April from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. A geostationary satellite built by Thales Alenia Space, Sicral 2 will augment the military telecommunications capacity currently provided by the Sicral 1 and Sicral 1B satellites, as well as by France's own Syracuse system. The main objective of the Sicral 2 program is to provide satellite links for the armed forces of the two countries, with sufficient capacity to meet their evolving needs in the coming years. The satellite will also provide additional reserve capacity for the SHF-band telecommunications services now provided to NATO via the French Syracuse 3 system and the Sicral 1B satellite. The overall system is designed to be a perfect fit with current national and allied infrastructures.

During his visit, Jean-Yves Le Drian said:

"All of these achievements clearly reflect the outstanding expertise built up by Thales Alenia Space employees, especially here at Cannes, which has applied its talent and passion to technological masterpieces for over 40 years."

Thales Alenia Space, a proven track record in defense applications

• Prime contractor and exclusive supplier of France's spaceborne military telecommunications systems for the last 30 years (Syracuse 1, 2, 3).
• Industrial partner in the first European (French-Italian) collaboration on military and dual space telecommunications (Sicral 2, Athena-Fidus).
• Prime contractor for all very-high-resolution instruments on French intelligence satellites (Helios, Pleiades and CSO families).
• Prime contractor for the Spirale early warning satellites.
• In charge of the ground segments on the EGNOS and Galileo satellite navigation systems (security and signal integrity).
• The world leader in space altimetry (indispensable for France's submarine force).
• A leading player in export markets for defense and dual system applications (SAR Lupe, Comsat BW, Yahsat 1A and 1B, Koreasat 5, Star One C1 and C2).
  

All payloads on French and Italian defense satellites are built by Thales (telecommunications, observation, intelligence, early warning, altimetry).