SESAR must be applicable globally

An interview with Luc Lallouette, SESAR Programme Director for the R&D phase at Thales. 

Luc Lallouette is SESAR Programme Director for the R&D phase of the programme, an appointment made after he became International Director for the Tactical Communications Business Line of Thales Group. Previously he has held other senior management positions in the Thales Group, including CEO of Thales Safare, a subsidiary specialised in naval communication products and solutions, and head of the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance Business Unit in Thales Communications. 

1. Mr Lallouette, Thales is the largest contributor to the SESAR programme after Eurocontrol. Why did Thales decide to be so heavily involved in the programme?

Thales has been a key player from the instigation of the programme. Even before the definition phase, Thales was active in promoting the concept.
Thales wants to remain a front runner in the ATM industry and to protect customers past investment. We want to actively participate in SESAR in such a way that realistic upgrade paths are defined for underlying systems and technologies. We are therefore fully committed to supporting the Single European Sky initiative and SESAR programme.