Thales to supply image intelligence system to Switzerland.

Thales signed a contract to supply the Swiss Armed Forces with an IMINT / GEOINT image intelligence system based on the company’s proprietary MINDS multi-sensor image interpretation and dissemination system (the export version of France’s SAIM system).

The contract, signed by the end of March 2019 by Thales and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) calls for supply of the elements of an IMINT image intelligence centre. Deliveries will begin in early 2020. (Picture source: Thales)

This intelligence system will enable the Swiss Armed Forces to optimally exploit still imagery and video feeds from current and future sensors. The system’s advanced functionality and innovative built-in artificial intelligence will enable operators to act faster at every decisive moment.

Built around the Thales MINDS / SAIM system, the platform will enable capture, analysis and optimal exploitation of all types of imagery data. It will be completely virtualised to facilitate integration with the customer’s existing infrastructure, and will incorporate the most advanced AI technologies to take image data analysis to a new level, thus enabling the most relevant intelligence to be distributed to the Swiss authorities, so they can make the right decisions.

Drawing on its expertise in the most advanced multi-source data analysis technologies, Thales is optimally positioned to support governments in their fight against constantly evolving threats.

Thales develops the systems that governments need to maintain surveillance and identify and assess the ever-expanding array of threats they face. In the race to anticipate threats before they happen, which is an inherent part of national security today, weak signals are a crucial part of decision support for operations. It calls for the ability to gather data, process it, extract operationally relevant information and then tie it all together to make it directly actionable by decisionmakers.

A key element in the intelligence chain that supports operations, the MINDS / SAIM platform is designed to digitally process real-time data feeds from all types of sensors. With the increasing number of sensors — satellite, airborne, deployed on the ground — image data analysis requirements continue to grow, calling for advanced processing tools to address issues arising from the volume of data and diversity of sources. In today’s world of ubiquitous information, MINDS / SAIM will enable the Swiss Armed Forces to precisely target the data they need to process and to identify threats, thanks to a set of highly sophisticated tools based on AI and other technologies.

“This latest export success confirms MINDS / SAIM’s positioning as the solution of choice for all armed forces involved in image intelligence,” says Gérard Herby, Vice President, Protection Systems Business Line, Thales.