Mr. Norman R.A. Smyth, President of Thales Systems Canada Inc. of Ottawa, Ontario, announced today that, on 7 October 1996, the company was awarded a four and one quarter million dollar contract by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PW∓GSC) to develop and deliver 24 Light Communication Terminals (LCTs) for the Canadian Army.

In describing Thales Systems’ role in the project, Mr. Smyth explained that "the LCTs will be delivered to the Canadian Army in the form of installation kits where they will be installed in mobile shelters by Army technicians. The complete installation in these "S-250" shelters will carry the AN/GRC-513 military nomenclature and, when deployed, they will form part of the Army’s tactical command, control, and communications system. The LCT terminals, which include high frequency radio communications, also involve the integration of highly-sensitive equipment - work which can only be performed by a few companies in Canada - such as Thales Systems."

"As the prime contractor for the LCT project, Thales Systems has overall design responsibility and is supported by two Ottawa-based companies - T E S limited who will be responsible for design details related to installation of the kits into the S-250 shelters, and Lanvista Corporation who will provide the computer-based messaging component for the terminals." Mr. Smyth also noted that, "although the LCT project is not quite as large as other projects undertaken by the company, it is of strategic importance to Thales Systems as the company strives to become a major supplier of systems to the Canadian Army." Furthermore, he stated that, "in spite of its short duration of approximately seven months, it will still provide significant industrial benefits and employment opportunities to the Ottawa defence community."

  Thales Systems, based in Ottawa, Ontario, is a systems integration company which designs, develops, and delivers defence, aerospace, and civil systems on a turnkey, full-supported basis. The primary business areas of Thales Systems are command, control, and communications (C³) and countermine systems. The company has extensive capabilities and expertise in C³ technologies including sensors, communications, weapons, navigation, robotics, software development, and integrated logistics support. Thales Systems is a subsidiary of Thales, the world's third largest defence/aerospace electronics company with 49,000 employees and revenues of $8.5 billion.