Thales to Acquire RUAG S&T

Thales and RUAG International are entering into exclusive negotiations on the acquisition of RUAG International's Simulation & Training business (RUAG S&T).

RUAG S&T’s footprint is highly complementary to Thales T&S’s, with operations in Switzerland, France, Germany and the UAE and therefore will strengthen Thales’ international presence in these markets. Together RUAG International and Thales aim to build long-term success through the complementarity of Thales's synthetic training background with RUAG International's live training background. The combination of these two activities will accelerate the deployment of the next generation of hybrid solutions to encompass the three key dimensions of live, virtual and constructive training. The new entity will also boost Thales’ capacity to accompany the digitization of land forces’ training.

Thales’s Training & Simulation business (Thales T&S) designs and delivers training capabilities for armed forces, civil and government helicopter operators worldwide. With 1,000 employees, the business has industrial sites in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia as well as joint ventures and training sites in the USA, Middle East and Europe.

RUAG International’s Simulation & Training business develops sophisticated training technologies for Land Forces. It is engaged in significant contracts including with ARMASUISSE and other key customers and employs more than 500 people in four countries and is expected to generate sales of 100 million Swiss francs in 2021 (86 million euros).

Employee representative bodies of both Thales and RUAG International will be consulted as part of the project. The closing of the transaction is expected in 2022 upon completion of regulatory clearances process.