Paris Air Show 2025: Thales signs MOU with UAE's Edge Group

Screenshot from a Thales video showing Sophie Optima and Ultima Hand-Held Thermal Imagers and Target Locators. (Thales)

Thales has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Edge Group to increase co-operation on the production of Thales' electro-optic systems, Thales announced in a press release at the Paris Air Show 2025 on 18 June.

The systems include Thales' Hand-Held Thermal Imagers (HHTIs), weapon sights, and electro-optical vehicular cameras. Thales will be looking to create the capabilities with Edge's Electro-Optic Centre of Excellence (EOCE).

Collaboration on Thales' HHTI includes the maintenance of Thales' Sophie family of thermal imagers, according to the company's press release. Sophie Ultima is cooled infrared imaging technology with a spectral range of 3–5 micrometers, an image resolution of 640×512, continuous optical zoom, digital connectivity including STANAG 4609 video, and augmented reality through human-machine interface (HMI), according to Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems: Land. According to Thales website, it can “reliably identify a tank at distances of up to 6 km”.

Sophie Optima is uncooled tactical long-wave infrared (LWIR) technology. It has a spectral range of 8–12 micrometres and an image resolution of 1,280×1,024, according to Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems: Land. It can identify a tank at a range of 3 km, according to Thales. Both are embedded with a geolocation capability to locate targets in a global navigation satellite services (GNSS)-denied environment.