Thales continues its development in India by announcing the launch of its Global Engineering Competence Centre (ECC) in Bengaluru. The centre aims to accelerate innovation and digital transformation to serve the needs of both the Indian market and the Group's global objectives.

On the occasion of Aero India 2019, Thales Executive Board Members will welcome dignitaries from the Indian industry and government bodies at the ECC for an inauguration ceremony on 22 February.

For years, the Indian government has pursued a proactive policy to develop R&D and create high value-added infrastructure. To meet these challenges, India trains hundreds of thousands of highly qualified engineers every year and is positioning itself as the largest engineering resource in the world.

Thales is constantly searching for high value-added solutions to help customers master their decisive moments in an increasingly complex world. With almost €3 billion invested in R&D every year, the Group is a powerhouse of innovation with operations in 56 countries.

With the ECC, Thales seeks to play a major role in job creation and skill development in India as it targets to hire 3,000 engineers in the next three-five years along with its partners. It is a first-of-its-kind Engineering Competence Centre in India focusing on software and hardware capabilities in the areas of civil as well as defence businesses, serving Thales's global needs. P Satish Menon has been appointed to head this Centre. He brings with him 30 years of expertise in the fields of engineering, R&D, and programme management.

Initially, the ECC will be dedicated to high value-added systems in the fields of Air Traffic Management, avionics, cockpit, flight management, in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems, radar software, airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance tactical management systems. The ECC will also concentrate on the creation of capabilities in advanced hardware technology such as Radio Frequency/designs for radars and communication equipment, high performance processing units and in airborne digital processing functions.