physics

Thales Optronics

Thales Optronics is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thales Optronics rather than just read about it. In short: Thales Optronics is a optronics manufacturer and a division of the French defence corporation Thales Group. It is headquartered in Paris.

Key takeaways

Thales Optronics belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thales Optronics to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thales Optronics from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thales Optronics is a optronics manufacturer and a division of the French defence corporation Thales Group. It is headquartered in Paris. The company has three main subsidiaries: Thales Optronique SA in France, Thales Optronics Limited in the United Kingdom and Thales Optronics B.V in the Netherlands.

History

France

United Kingdom Thales' optronics businesses in the UK trace their origins to Pilkington Optronics, which was formed by Pilkington plc in 1988 to take control of the company's optronics businesses: Pilkington PE located in North Wales (formed in 1966) and Barr and Stroud, which was based in Glasgow. Pilkington PE later became Thales Optics Ltd., which was divested from Thales in December 2005 as Qioptiq Ltd. In 1991, Thomson-CSF acquired 50% of Pilkington Optronics. In 1995 Pilkington Optronics acquired Thorn EMI Electro Optics which was renamed Pilkington Thorn Optronics. Three years later, Thomson-CSF purchased another 40% of Pilkington Optronics from Pilkington and the remainder in 2000 to make it a wholly owned subsidiary. In 2000 Thomson-CSF was renamed Thales and Pilkington Optronics Ltd. became Thales Optronics Ltd. Soon after, Thomson-CSF acquired W Vinten Ltd, a British reconnaissance equipment manufacturer, including the Joint Reconnaissance Pod. In November 2006, Thales Optronics Limited announced the closure of its manufacturing facility in Taunton, Somerset, with the loss of 180 jobs. In June 2007 Thales sold the beryllium mirrors (used for astronomy) and structures business of Thales Optronics Limited to GSI Group Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Thales Optronics Limited was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in June 2011.

Netherlands

Operations

France

United Kingdom Thales Optronics Limited has its headquarters and main production facility in Glasgow, Scotland, where it employs around 630 people. Its principal activity is the design, development and manufacture of infra-red cameras, laser range-finders, and cameras for use in airborne reconnaissance systems, armoured vehicle sighting systems, submarine periscopes and target locators. In 2011, Thales Optronics Limited generated total revenues of £229 million (2010 – £212 million) and profits of £24.4 million (2010 – £14 million).

Netherlands

Products

Search and track PIRATE (Passive Infra Red Airborne Tracking Equipment) for Eurofighter Typhoon Rafale FSO/OSF IRST systems IRST systems Self protection systems Laser Warning Receivers Laser countermeasures Laser range finders Sighting systems Reconnaissance systems Joint Reconnaissance Pod Submarine Sensor Systems including the latest non-hull penetrating Optronics Masts systems, which replace conventional periscopes in some of the most modern submarine classes. Electro-optic aircraft reconnaissance pods and image exploitation stations AFV Fire Control and Navigation systems

See also Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thales Optronics

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thales Optronics claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thales Optronics before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thales Optronics ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thales Optronics

In research: Thales Optronics appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thales Optronics in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thales Optronics is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Armoured fighting vehicle vision and sighting equipment, Defence companies of France, Defence companies of the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thales Optronics outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thales Optronics in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thales Optronics means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thales Optronics out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thales Optronics in simple terms?

Thales Optronics is a optronics manufacturer and a division of the French defence corporation Thales Group. It is headquartered in Paris.

Why does Thales Optronics matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thales Optronics?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thales Optronics.