EU Commission Backs Thales-Led AI Project for Land Forces’ Optronic Systems

EU Commission Backs Thales-Led AI Project for Land Forces’ Optronic Systems

(IN BRIEF) The European Commission has signed a Grant Agreement for the STORE (Shared daTabase for Optronics image Recognition and Evaluation) research project, led by Thales and funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF). Involving a consortium of 20 partners from 8 EU Member States and Norway, STORE aims to develop a shared image database secured by advanced technology and to create AI algorithms for analyzing data from ground platform imaging systems. The project, funded with an estimated total cost of 23.3 million euros over 36 months, seeks to enhance tactical situational awareness and improve survivability in land combat situations by integrating optronic sensors with AI-based analysis techniques. Thales, as project coordinator, will leverage its expertise in optronics and artificial intelligence to drive the project forward.

(PRESS RELEASE) LA DÉFENSE, 25-Apr-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — To address a complex and constantly changing threat environment, the European Defence Fund is supporting the European Union’s STORE collaborative project to accelerate the introduction of AI and associated shared database in the imaging systems for land forces.

As threats become increasingly sophisticated (hypersonic missiles, combat drones, drone swarms, etc), optronic sensors are more strategically important than ever and need to deliver the highest levels of performance in the field.

STORE will lay the foundations for Europe’s first shared, scalable database of defence imagery and explore different algorithm solutions for threats detection. In particular, it will address issues of data governance and the cost-effective development of sovereign technologies. The STORE project, by combining optronic sensors with AI-based analysis techniques, will set-up future functionalities related to augment war fighters’ perception of the battlefield, enhancing their tactical situational awareness, shortening the decision loop to accelerate reaction times and, consequently, improve survivability.

“We are proud that the EDF is financing this project which entrusts Thales as project lead and coordinator of this network of partners, European industrial and technological jewels. We will leverage all of our experience and expertise in optronics and artificial intelligence to offer high perception capacities, providing decisive tactic superiority on battlefields.Benoît Plantier, Vice-president of Optronics and Missile Electronics activity, Thales.

The publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Thales and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Thales on the STORE project

As STORE project leader, Thales will draw on its experience on the SCORPION programme and leverage its operational knowledge, technical expertise and experience in managing large-scale collaborative projects to coordinate the work and drive synergies between industry players and academic partners.

Media Contacts:

Camille Heck, Thales, Media Relations Land & Naval Defence
+33 (0)6 73 78 33 63
camille.heck@thalesgroup.com

Alice Pruvot
Head of Media Relations, Aeronautics & Defense
+33 7 70 27 11 37
alice.pruvot@thalesgroup.com

SOURCE: Thales