► RUAG International enters into exclusive negotiations on the sale of its Simulation & Training business to Thales

Zurich, 16. November 2021. RUAG International has entered exclusive negotiations with Thales to sell all business activities in the field of Simulation & Training (RUAG S&T). Thales has the strong intention to take over the entire business activities as well as all 500 employees of RUAG S&T.

RUAG S&T is a leading provider of simulation and training systems for security organizations and armed forces. The company employs around 500 people at various locations in Switzerland, France, Germany and the UAE. In connection with the realignment of RUAG International, the Group has decided to sell RUAG S&T. The business activities earmarked for sale are grouped within RUAG International in the RUAG MRO International Division.

The acquisition of the RUAG S&T business by Thales would mean another important step for RUAG International on its way to becoming a space company says André Wall, CEO RUAG International: “This is an exciting step not only for the RUAG S&T and all its employees and customers but for RUAG International as a whole. It brings us an important step closer to our goal of becoming a pure space company.” The sale of the business is in line with the divestment strategy approved by the Swiss Federal Council on March 15, 2019.

Thales’s Training & Simulation business (T&S) designs and delivers training capabilities for armed forces as well as civil and government helicopter operators worldwide. Thales T&S also acts as an industrial partner for the co-development of large-scale systems of systems for Defence programs. With 1,000 employees, the business has industrial sites in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia as well as joint ventures and training sites in the USA, Middle East and Europe.

Felix Ammann, Executive Vice President RUAG MRO International, says: “We are very pleased to have found a leading industry partner in this field in Thales. With its experience and global presence, it brings with it the very best prerequisites to continue and expand the business activities in the Simulation & Training area and leverage the existing skills of our highly specialised training experts.”

Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice President Avionics adds: “We are delighted to welcome RUAG Simulation & Training’s employees onboard. Together with Thales teams they will bring further expertise in the training and simulation field. With this acquisition Thales reaffirms the importance of its Simulation & Training activity to support our customers’ ambitions to face an ever more complex world.

Subject to approval

The acquisition is still subject to approval by the relevant authorities. The completion of the transaction is expected in 2022. Employee representative bodies of both Thales and RUAG International will also be consulted as part of the project. The parties have agreed not to disclose the contractual modalities.

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