TDSI eyeing to supply tactical radios to PHL military
UNITED States-headquartered Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) is eyeing to supply tactical radios to the Philippine military as part of its business expansion in the country.
Ron Huther, TDSI director for international business, said the company currently has a local partner that provides tactical radios to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and is now eyeing to find a local distributor for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“We would love to get a footprint in with the military, the AFP,” he said at the sidelines of the Trade Winds ASEAN 2023 trade promotion program in Makati City organized by the US Embassy in the Philippines.
TDSI’s current local distributor is Scan Marine, Inc., which has supplied tactical radios to the police for five years.
“Scan Marine is a good company, but it is a complicated market. Maybe they are good with the PNP but somebody else might be good with the special forces. That is what we are going to look at, to see if there are other partners in this country that can help us,” Mr. Huther said.
TDSI’s primary customers include the US Army and US Special Forces, while the company’s main products include its handheld tactical radio, satellite communications, and battery chargers.
“We provide support primarily for the US Army, US Special Forces. Those are our primary customers. What we’ve done is we’ve taken this great product and we’ve made them exportable. We’ve exported radios to almost 40 countries around the world,” Mr. Huther said.
He claimed that TDSI’s products will allow the AFP to have “interoperability” with the US military.
“The AFP would have a degree of interoperability if there was a crisis in this part of the world, which it could be. There is a lot of tension in this part of the world. There would be a degree of interoperability with US forces, US special forces, and coalition forces,” he said.
The TDSI executive said they are advocating for open competition and the company is prepared for the bidding procedures in the Philippines.
TDSI, based in Clarksburg, Maryland, is a subsidiary of French multinational company Thales Group, which has business interests in aerospace, defense and security, and transportation. The Thales Group has presence across 68 countries and is based in Paris, France. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
