As part of stage 5 of the SCCOA (command and control system for aerospace operations), the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) awarded Thales on December 27, 2022 of the “Detection 22” contract. Intended to renew several categories of radars for the Air and Space Force and the French Navy, the contract is worth 212.8 million euros. The SCCOA system of systems enables the Armed Forces to carry out airspace surveillance and control missions, coordination of ground-based air defenses, preparation and conduct of air operations, both on national territory and in external operations for 30 years.
In this context, the purpose of the “Detection 22” contract is to initiate the renewal of the first half of the fleet of approach radars for air and naval bases from 2025, to continue the modernization of the fleet of tactical radars surveillance with the supply of mobile tactical radars (acquisition of four GM200) and the acquisition of a low-altitude surveillance radar for the benefit of the Linès-Bégo launch complex (Morbihan). The contract will also make it possible to later award, under future program increments, the completion of the renovation of the high and medium altitude radars (TRAC2400).
This stage 5 of the SCCOA program is also marked by the order of a new air operations command and control system, the Air Command and Control System (ACCS). This subsystem, developed within the Alliance, will eventually allow France to be naturally interoperable with the NATO command structures. France has chosen ACCS to meet its national needs, and the “ACCS MSO France” contract, awarded to Thales on December 28, 2022, makes it possible to materialize this choice by the deployment of an initial C2 ACCS center to replace the national C2 on the Lyon Mont-Verdun site in 2026 for an amount of 139.8 million euros.
