Albania has contracted Thales to supply its Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) radar as part of the country’s air surveillance modernization efforts.
The agreement, signed in the presence of French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Albanian Defence Minister Pirro Vengu at the Paris Air Show, includes delivery within just 14 months.
“We are proud to support Albania with the rapid delivery of the combat-proven Ground Master 400 Alpha,” said Eric Huber, VP of Surface Radars at Thales.
“With our increased production capacity and support from our partner ecosystem, we are able to have fast turnaround times with regards to urgent operational requests,” he added.
Once Tirana has received the system, it will join other GM400α operators, such as the Netherlands and Malaysia.
Ground Master 400 Alpha
The GM400α is a software-defined 3D air surveillance radar with a 6-second refresh rate and elevation coverage of up to 40 degrees, enabling constant detection of high, medium, and low-altitude threats, including jets, missiles, helicopters, and tactical drones.
Equipped with artificial intelligence and with five times more processing power, the radar features the ability to simultaneously detect and track low-flying drones and high-altitude threats at ranges of up to 515 kilometers (320 miles).
It is available in both stationary and mobile versions, where operators can fit it into a 20-foot (6-meter) container, load it onto a truck, and redeploy it in under an hour.
