Qatar Armed Forces and French Thales Group on Sunday signed a contract for the execution of ground satellites project to provide infrastructure and communication equipment for satellites and broad capacity means of communications in order to enhance the armed forces command and control system.
The signing ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs Major General Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Attiyah, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Qatar Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General (Pilot) Ghanim bin Shaheen Al-Ghanim.
The contract was signed for Qatar Armed Forces by HE the Assistant Minister of State for Technical Affairs Brigadier Engineer Abdul Aziz bin Falah Al-Dossari and for Thales by its Vice President Pascale Sourisse.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) after the signing, Brigadier Al-Dossari expressed deep thanks to HH the Emir the Supreme Commander of Qatar Armed Forces Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for his ongoing support for the armed forces.
He also thanked HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs for his ongoing support for the technical projects to enhance Qatar Armed Forces' command and control system.
Brigadier Al-Dossari said the signing ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel comes as a culmination of a period of procedures that extended for more than 16 months and included tender, quotations and field examining of major equipment, saying engineers and officials in charge made tireless efforts to reach this stage.
He explained that the project aims to provide the infrastructure and satellite communications equipment, top secret and high capacity equipment to help the Armed Forces command and control system and to provide them with means of communications anywhere, noting that communications via satellite provide a broad coverage area in which the service can be delivered.
On the project's components, Brigadier Al-Dossari said it will provide command and control centres, satellite communications stations for boats, military machineries and fixed sites, adding that it also includes training, transfer of technology, maintenance and guarantee.
Qatar's launch of satellites through Es'hailSat and the armed forces ownership, operating and managing of the military aspect of Es'hailSat have promoted the use of communications via satellite as secure means of communications approved by armed forces.
Responding to a question on the selection of 'the French Thales Group to implement the project, Brigadier Al-Dossari said the company was chosen after international competition in which renowned international companies in the field of satellite took part, noting that field experiments continued for almost one year.
He added that Thales has a high experience in this field and is considered as one of the biggest defence companies, particularly in electronics and communications.
For her part, Thales Vice President Pascale Sourisse said the signing of this contract today is a great success for Thales and Qatar Armed Forces, adding that the company is very proud to have been awarded this responsibility which is a new sign of the confidence that Qatar Armed Forces are placing in Thales.
Cooperation between the two sides have extended for more than 30 years, Sourisse said explaining that Thales has a lot of experience in satellite ground segment solutions." We have the right competences to deliver this system to Qatar Armed Forces and the contract is a new opportunity to pursue this fruitful cooperation," Sourisse said.
Concluding, she said Thales has been delivering very sophisticated systems for the French armed forces and also working with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).