Thales to be the 'eyes and ears' of the Royal Navy

The French defence contractor Thales has won a 10-year contract worth £600m to service the British Royal Navy's submarines and ships, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

Thales will provide maintenance and repairs for 17 sensor systems across the Royal Navy fleet, including the Astute, Trafalgar and Vanguard class of submarines, as well as Type 45 warships.

Sensor systems serve as the "eyes and ears" of these fleets. The contract will help the MoD save about £140m over the 10-year period. It will also sustain 530 defence jobs across the UK, it added.