According to Agence France-Presse's April 14th report, a 3.5-ton antenna rotating once per second sits in the middle of a field near Paris: the final test of Thales' air defense radar. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, production of Thales' air defense radars has surged due to global demand.

  The antenna will be integrated into the latest generation 'Ground Fire' 300 radar, manufactured by the company in Limours, France. This radar can detect hostile targets within a 400km range, react to modern weapon threats ranging from drones to ballistic missiles, and guide missiles to destroy them.

  Eric Hubert, Vice President of Thales' Ground Radar business, summarized: "The growth trend in the radar business appeared several years ago, and since the war in Ukraine, this trend has accelerated."

  Since 2023, the company has provided Ukraine with two 'Ground Master' 200 radars to strengthen its air defense system.

  The war in the heart of Europe has led to a surge in demand for radars in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

  Hervé Damen, Deputy General Manager of Thales, emphasized: "Several European countries neglected their air defenses, and today we have a different view of threats... Twenty or thirty years ago, we had to deal with more traditional air threats, such as fighter jets." Regarding news of increased defense budgets in European countries following the emergence of US President Trump and Russia's proximity, he said: "We have a market in Europe, and we can expect its growth."

  Faced with a surge in orders, the production of radars with a lifespan of 25 to 30 years has also increased. In the huge integration workshop, the number of jobs has doubled in 18 months, and the assembly time of a radar has been reduced from 55 days in 2023 to 21 days.

  The company's radar production has more than tripled, increasing from 9 units in 2023 to 28 in 2024. This year, the company plans to produce 35 to 40.

  Technological advancements have improved the performance of the new radar. Eric Masso, Marketing and Strategy Director for Thales' Ground Radar business, explained: "The radar has only one antenna, but it can simultaneously emit multiple beams of electromagnetic waves and has multiple pairs of eyes: one eye watches for incoming missiles, another eye watches for the missiles that will intercept the former, then guides them to collide." The rotation time of this radar is reduced to one second, resulting in a faster image refresh rate, which helps to achieve "highly accurate guidance" of missiles to targets before they leave the radar's range.

  Eric Masso emphasized that due to today's digital technology's ability to process this massive amount of information, the 'Ground Fire' 300 radar can watch and analyze an amount of information equivalent to watching 4000 movies per second.

  In the final outdoor test, beacons are used to analyze radar signals, simulating reflections, echoes, and noise to verify its performance. Previously, the radar antenna spent a month in an environment resembling a contemporary art installation—walls lined with long, blue and pink pyramid-shaped foam—a place like a Faraday cage, blocking electric and electromagnetic fields.