From February 19 to 23, 2017, Thales Alenia Space will be at the IDEX 2017 international exhibition, held each year in Abu Dhabi. Organized under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi, President of the United Arab Emirates and Commander in Chief of the UAE armed forces, this event showcases the latest land, sea, air and space defense technologies in the Middle East-North Africa region. Thales Alenia Space, a leading European space company, will be displaying its latest technologies for High Performance optical and radar observation systems, and its expertise in satellite telecommunications systems, both civil [TV, telephony, broadband] and military [secure telecom solutions]. The company’s cutting-edge Stratobus^TM stratospheric airship will also be in the spotlight during this international exhibition.

IDEX is a perfect opportunity for Thales Alenia Space to showcase its expertise in military satellite communications, or MilSatCom. For instance Thales Alenia Space is building the ComSat NG system for French defense procurement agency DGA. The system comprises two communications satellites for the French armed forces, to replace the Syracuse 3A and Syracuse 3B satellites launched in 2005 and 2006. The ComSat NG satellites will start operational service in 2021, giving France a higher performance MilSatCom system and new service capabilities.

Thales Alenia Space offers a state-of-the-art turnkey optical system designed for applications such as surveillance, agriculture, urban development and the management of risks and natural disasters. Offering global coverage, it features a service life of ten years. The solution is compatible with small launchers, and is highly competitive, with excellent image acquisition capacity, enabling it to address even the most demanding programming requirements. The overall solution can include an extended partnership arrangement, tailored to the needs of each country, with operational support as well as training. Thales Alenia Space clearly aims to support the local development of applications that meet the specific needs of each country, as well as business services.

Earth Observer Radar is a highly flexible satellite-based solution, using an active synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to offer high performance. It is capable of delivering products with different resolutions, from very-high to medium or low resolution, depending on user needs. It is perfectly adapted to dual use missions, for operators serving both the civil and defense markets.

Thales Alenia Space’s famous Stratobus^TM project, an autonomous stratospheric airship that perfectly complements satellite systems, will also be in the spotlight in Abu Dhabi. Marking a breakthrough in relation to current systems, since it can be implemented without a launch vehicle, Stratobus^TM addresses the needs of security and defense organizations, for example by providing a permanent surveillance solution in a given regional coverage zone.

Copyrights:
First artistic view: © Thales Alenia Space/Briot
Other artistics views: © Thales Alenia Space/Master Image Programmes