Thales Wins Major UK MoD IT Contract

(April 8, 2008) -- Ministry of Defence (MoD) movers will enjoy for the first time, real-time access and management of flight bookings across the Royal Air Force (RAF) fleet wherever they are in the world, due to a new IT application developed by Thales UK.

The new 'Swift2Move' application meets the UK MoD's Air Movements Operation (AMO) requirement to give movements staff the ability to manage passenger and freight bookings, flight check-in and aircraft loadsheet calculations in both the UK and at any operational location around the world.

"Thanks to the Thales solution for our Air Movements Operations requirement we have an application that combines an easy to use system from the commercial world with the robustness and security needed for operating in a military environment," says Air Vice-Marshal Matthew Wiles, Director General Joint Supply Chain in the Defence Equipment & Support Organisation (DE&S).

"The Thales solution provides a step change in capability for defence by enabling a real-time, common picture air logistics solution from the foxhole to HQ," he adds.

The AMO contract is valued in excess of pound27 million over 10 years, including application support and training package provision, and will be in service by mid-2009.

Thales has partnered with sub-contractors Fujitsu Services and Mastek to develop a number of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) packages, ranging from aircraft scheduling and passenger and freight management software, to aircraft weight and balance, which Thales has upgraded and then coupled together under a common user interface to provide a fully integrated modern air movements management system.

"A partnering approach to the AMO solution between Thales, Fujitsu Services and Mastek has enabled the UK MoD to benefit from a COTS approach to technology and service without compromising security nor intellectual property," says Peter Batley, Managing Director for Thales' Security Solutions & Services business in the UK.

"It is a very good example of Thales using its civil and military expertise to provide fast and cost-effective solutions. And in the case of Swift2Move, the application can be scaled up for tri-service logistics and is also applicable for government agencies," he adds.

Source : Thales UK