Hanwha Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thales to cooperate on land-based long-range precision strike. Through the MOU, Hanwha will make its Chunmoo guided missiles compatible with Thales’ X-Fire launcher platforms, strengthening its cooperation with the French defense industry.
The MOU was signed on June 17 at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris Nord Villepinte. The signing was attended by Kyoung-hoon Kang, Head of the European Business Team at Hanwha Aerospace, and Julien Assoun, Vice-President Vehicles and Tactical Systems at Thales, along with representatives from both companies.
Under the agreement, the two companies will work to integrate Hanwha’s CGR-080, CTM-MR and CTM-290 with Thales launcher platforms. The CGR-080 is a 239 mm guided rocket with a range of up to about 80 km. The CTM-MR is a medium-range missile in the roughly 160 km class. The CTM-290 is a tactical ballistic missile reaching up to 290 km. Once integrated, they would give operators short-, medium- and long-range precision fires from Thales X-Fire launchers.
The MOU builds on Hanwha Aerospace’s growing cooperation with European defense companies. By working with Thales, one of France’s leading defense companies, Hanwha aims to strengthen its ties with French industry and to develop further joint opportunities in France and other European markets.
Julien Assoun, Vice-president Vehicles and Tactical Systems of Thales, said, “This MoU strengthens our partnership and enhances long-range precision strike capabilities to reinforce collaboration on the international market. Together, we will deliver flexible and interoperable solutions to meet the current operational needs in deep strike.”
Kyoung-hoon Kang, Head of the European Business Team at Hanwha Aerospace, said, “This MOU is a first step toward integrating Hanwha Aerospace’s guided missiles with Thales’s launchers. We are committed to expanding our cooperation with French and European defence companies and to building long-term relationships with local industry.”
Operator XR signs MOU with Thales Australia
xReality Group Limited (ASX: XRG) subsidiary Operator XR Pty Ltd (Operator XR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thales Australia Limited (Thales). The MOU sets a framework for the parties to jointly pursue training and simulation programs across the defence, security and law enforcement markets. The relationship is reciprocal in which either party can lead or support the other, depending on the opportunity, while leveraging Thales’s global reach and Operator XR’s market penetration. This collaboration reinforces Thales’s commitment to delivering next-generation training and simulation solutions that enhance armed forces’ operational readiness and safety across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Under the MOU, the parties may conduct joint business development, including tender responses, customer engagements and capability demonstrations, to develop competitive offerings for defence, security and law enforcement customers. The relationship is two-way. On Thales-led opportunities, Operator XR’s in-service training technology can reach programs of a scale beyond its current direct footprint. On Operator XR-led opportunities, Thales can contribute as a supplier or subcontractor. Each party may act as prime contractor or supplier to the other, depending on the opportunity.
“This is a genuine two-way collaboration with a global defence prime. It opens a path to programs of a scale that would be difficult to reach on our own and equally allows us to bring Thales’s capability into opportunities we lead. It is a strong endorsement of our technology, and we look forward to pursuing these opportunities together.,” said Ben Smith, Chief Commercial Officer, xReality Group.
“Teaming up with innovative Australian companies like Operator XR is central to how Thales Australia builds sovereign capability and competitive solutions for our customers. Operator XR’s immersive training technology is a strong complement to our Small Arms and Live training and simulation products and services, and we look forward to working together to pursue opportunities across the defence, security and law enforcement markets, in Australia and internationally,” said Michael Otero, General Manager, Training & Simulation / Avionics, Thales Australia.
Thales and Arquus sign MOU to integrate the SpinFire mortar range
Thales and Arquus announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate exploratory discussions on the integration of the SpinFire mortar family, including the 120 mm rifled mortar, onto vehicles across the Arquus range. At a time when land forces are seeking fire-support solutions that combine precision, robustness and adaptability, the availability of an intermediate system between the 120 RT (towed rifled mortar system) and the 2R2M, capable of being mounted on lighter vehicles, has become essential. To address this requirement, Thales is developing a generic portfolio based on its SpinFire range (120 RT, 120 MC and 2R2M), providing enhanced flexibility and modularity.
The 120 MC (120 Mortar Carrier) was launched in 2024 and recently successfully completed a demonstration and evaluation campaign conducted by the French Army. The system is based on a demonstrator originally developed in the Netherlands in cooperation with Spanish company Escribano and Dutch vehicle manufacturer Defenture. It provides enhanced mobility and rapid deployment capabilities. Developed by Thales since 1992, the 2R2M builds on the proven performance of the 120mm Towed Mortar. Designed for vehicle integration, the 2R2M combines precision, rapid emplacement and optimised mobility, meeting the current operational requirements of land forces.
In this partnership, Thales brings its expertise by supplying complete weapons system solutions:
- For the 120 MC system, Thales provides the Weapon Management System (WMS), the inertial navigation unit, the 120mm rifled barrel and the associated ammunition, while Arquus supplies the vehicles and Escribano the deployable arm.
- For the 2R2M system, Thales also provides the WMS, the inertial navigation unit, and the 2R2M weapon system together with its associated ammunition, while Arquus is responsible for vehicle integration.
This non-exclusive industrial partnership enables Thales and Arquus to leverage their respective technical and commercial expertise, particularly in export markets.
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