Thales and Boeing Announce FRES Team

Thales UK and Boeing have agreed to form an exclusive team, led by Thales UK, to jointly bid to deliver the System of Systems Integrator (SOSI) role for the planned Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) program. FRES is the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) program to provide the British Army with a network-enabled and highly deployable medium-weight armored vehicle force, which will complement the UK's existing heavy and light forces and enable the UK to rapidly project warfighting capability world-wide.

The MoD recently announced its intention to form a Ministry of Defence / Industry Alliance for FRES. A key role in this Alliance is that of the SOSI.

If selected, Thales and Boeing will partner with the MoD to deliver a timely and coherent through-life capability to the British Army while generating a stronger UK industrial base and retaining key intellectual property rights for the MoD. A key factor in the development of a fully integrated solution will be an optimization of the through-life costs to maximize value for money throughout the life of the program.

"Thales has an excellent understanding of the Armored Fighting Vehicle domain and fully recognizes the importance of the SOSI role to the success of the FRES program, said Alex Dorrian, Thales UK Chief Executive Officer. "Our expertise in capability-based acquisition and strong track record in commercial innovation are underpinned by world-class systems integration skills and in-depth understanding of UK doctrine and concepts. We also have a strong partnering culture, which we consider essential to creating the industrial environment required to deliver FRES. With these qualities, combined with independence from FRES vehicle contenders, we believe we can offer an excellent technical and commercial solution to the MoD as the FRES SOSI contractor.

"We are delighted that Boeing has agreed to work with us on FRES," Dorrian continued. "Boeing will complement Thales' strengths by contributing world-class program management, system of systems integration and supply chain management skills to our team. In addition, Boeing will bring its expertise from the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems program to complement Thales UK capability in developing and delivering complex defense programs."

Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing vice president and general manager for Combat Systems, said, "We are very excited to team with Thales for the FRES program, which is vital to the UK's Armed Forces. We believe our proven experience and expertise in successfully executing system-of-systems integration programs will add significant value to the FRES program throughout its life cycle. Our recent establishment of facilities in Bristol and Farnborough reinforces our commitment to grow our in-country engineering capability through the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Boeing Defence UK, in support of the Defence Industrial Strategy."