Thales invests €55M to advance resilient navigation in France

Thales, a European leader in resilient navigation, announced a €55 million ($63 million) investment to expand its industrial sites in Châtellerault and Valence, France. The investment, scheduled between 2025 and 2028, aims to address increasing demand for advanced navigation solutions in both civilian and military sectors and to reinforce the company’s sovereign industrial base.

The company is responding to rising threats such as GNSS jamming and spoofing by deploying a suite of resilient navigation technologies. These solutions combine precision, autonomy and security, which are critical for maintaining operational continuity in military missions and civil aviation. Thales integrates inertial navigation systems with GNSS signal reception, enabling reliable navigation even in contested environments. The TopAxyz inertial navigation system ensures autonomous capability, while the TopStar-M receiver and TopShield anti-jamming technology protect signal integrity. These advancements are supported by France’s Directorate General of Armaments under the OMEGA program for the modernization of GNSS equipment for the armed forces.

At the Châtellerault site, Thales plans to quadruple production capacity for inertial navigation systems by 2028. With six decades of expertise in laser gyroscopes, this facility is the only European supplier equipping civil aircraft and will expand its offerings for aircraft, land vehicles, ships and munitions. In Valence, mass production of TopStar-M receivers and TopShield systems is set to begin in 2026. The site will also introduce a new production line for inertial MEMS sensors, a technology that combines compact design with high performance, positioning Valence as a leader in France’s MEMS technology sector for defense. The launch will be accelerated with support from Tronics Microsystems for specialized industrial expertise.

Currently, more than 800 employees work at the two sites, with plans to hire 150 additional staff by 2028. The investment seeks to strengthen Thales’ regional presence and contribute to France’s position in the industry.