LONDON (Reuters) – Britain announced on Friday that it had signed a 1.85 billion pound (2.17 billion euro) contract with Thales to ensure the maintenance over the next 15 years of ships’ sonars and sensors and submarines of the Royal Navy, the British navy.
The French defense group will use artificial intelligence, data management and virtual reality to predict breakdowns, reduce repair times and thus allow ships to operate longer at sea, said the British Ministry of Defense. defense.
“At this time of global instability, it is imperative that we minimize the amount of time our ships and submarines are down for maintenance,” Defense Minister Grant Shapps said after the meeting. ‘a visit to the naval base at Devonport, in the southwest of England.
The Royal Navy is currently working with the US Navy in the Gulf region to protect international shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
Great Britain estimates that this new contract will preserve 300 existing jobs and create 150 others.
(Reporting Sarah Young; French version Kate Entringer)
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