Thales Expands Footprint in India, Opens New Office in Bengaluru

Thales, a global leader in Defence, Aerospace, and Digital Identity & Security, launched its new office in Bengaluru yesterday. Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice President, Avionics, Thales officiated the ceremony, accompanied by Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for Thales in India.

The new building will serve as an extension of Thales' Engineering Competence Centre (ECC) in Bengaluru, inaugurated in 2019, in support of the Group’s ambitious ramp-up plans in the region and country. This ECC is a first-of-its-kind Centre in India focusing on software and hardware capabilities in civil and defence businesses serving Thales’s global needs. Since its launch, the centre has played a significant role in job creation and skill development in India, growing to over 500 in staff.

Thales invests close to €4 billion globally in R&D every year. This ECC, along with an additional center based in Noida, form one of the Group’s three major engineering competency center hubs.

Thales’ engineering teams in Bengaluru are contributing to high-value-added systems in the fields of aerospace and defence, including Air Traffic Management, complex avionics systems, cockpit, flight management and connectivity systems, radar software, airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance tactical management systems, among others.

The state-of-the-art facility will provide a modern, sustainable and open office work environment. Drawing inspiration from Dravidian architectural forms and Brahmi script, the site is a fusion of contemporary design and traditional aesthetics. The new office is designed to be a disabled-friendly facility, with smart working spaces, abundant greenery and power-saving features, in line with Thales' global societal and environmental commitments.

"We are proud to mark yet another expansion of our footprint in India with this new facility in Bengaluru. As we grow our engineering set-up in Bengaluru together with that in Noida, we continue to develop in-country capabilities by leveraging our global expertise and local talent, fostering new opportunities and innovations for Indian and global customers,” said Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.

Thales is a global enabler in advanced technologies within three domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Digital Identity & Security. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

The Group invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key areas such as quantum technologies, Edge computing, 6G and cybersecurity.

Thales has 77,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2022, the Group generated sales of €17.6 billion.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2,000 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport, Aerospace and Digital Identity and Security markets.

Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Noida focused on digital identity and security business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs.