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Navantia and Thales Partner to Modernise the Royal Thai Navy Fleet
- Three Thales Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems will be supplied for the modernisation of two Pattani-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) and the upgrade of the HTMS Chang Landing Platform Dock (LPD), to be carried out by Navantia.
- Thales' IFF interrogators provide rapid identification capabilities, providing real-time situational awareness to tackle the emergence of faster-moving threats.
- This marks the first cooperation between Navantia and Thales in Thailand, with the IFF systems providing seamless integration into existing surveillance radars and Combat Management Systems.
Navantia and Thales reinforced the partnership with an agreement signed during Defense & Security 2025 in Bangkok, underscoring both companies' commitment to supporting the RTN in the modernisation of its fleets.
IFF systems can be highly effective components of modern naval operations, helping to distinguish friendly forces from potential threats. The solution works with radar systems to securely identify detected objects, including civil aircraft, and provides cryptographic solutions for identifying targets, helping to prevent friendly fire incidents.
Thales will provide an IFF system with an interrogator for medium and long-range surveillance and identification, as well as a transponder, to be integrated into radars and surveillance systems. To-date, over 25,000 Thales IFF systems are in service on more than 100 platform types in over 70 countries.
During 2025 Navantia was awarded two contracts for the modernization of two Pattani-class OPVs and HTMS Chang LPD and this partnership with Thales "reaffirms Navantia's commitment to delivering state-of-the-art solutions and supporting the strategic needs of the RTN underscoring the excellence in these projects", assured Jose Ignacio Navas, Commercial Director for Asia, Navantia.
The collaboration strengthens Thales' 55-plus years of support to the RTN. In Thailand, over 80 per cent of the RTN's warships are equipped with Thales' equipment including radars, sonars, mine-hunting systems, fire control and Command & Control (C2) systems.
"Thales has a strong track record in naval modernisation in Thailand and through this contract, we aim to bring new life into the sensor suites of the HTMS Pattani, HTMS Narathiwat and the HTMS Chang – three of the RTN's formidable warships. Our IFF solutions ensure security, interoperability and discretion, making them the preferred choice of navies worldwide, and we are proud to partner Navantia in this project to ensure Thailand's maritime superiority." said Nicolas Bernardin, Country Director, Thales in Thailand.
About Thales Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems
The TSA3520 interrogator is ideally suited for medium- and long-range surveillance and identification due to its compact design and extensive feature set, as well as its proven integration capabilities with radar and surveillance systems.
The TSC4000, a versatile IFF transponder deployed on numerous ships and aircraft worldwide – including integration with demanding UAVs – complement the identification service.
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