On Wednesday, 28 January 2026, the French company Thales received an order from the Qatar Ministry of Defense for the delivery of an undisclosed number of radar stations: the long-range Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) and the multi-mission air-surveillance Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A).
Photo: Thales
The agreement with the command of the Qatari Emiri Air Force (Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Amiriyah Al-Qatariyah) was signed during the international defense exhibition Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2026), scheduled for 19–22 January in Doha, Qatar.
In addition to the radars, a national surveillance and operational support system will be delivered, along with a training program for operators and technicians.
Thales has been a trusted partner of Qatar for more than 40 years and supports the local economy and the country’s sovereignty through digital technologies, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 transformation program.
Thanks to the Secure Digital Integration Platform (SDIP), a true force multiplier, the GM200 MM/A and GM400α radars provide an excellent air situation picture and unmatched performance against challenging targets. This architecture also enables the maintenance of a high-quality air picture with immediate transmission through secure networking functions. The SDIP solution will allow the user to later integrate all operational sensors (excluding U.S.-made ones) into a single, unified air situation picture.
The Qatari Emiri Air Force will benefit from an experienced local Thales team, which will be responsible for day-to-day maintenance and operator training through 2036. With more than 200 Ground Master family radars sold worldwide, Thales once again demonstrates that this solution is widely recognized for its performance and high level of reliability.
“We are proud to contribute to Qatar’s airspace sovereignty with our integrated air surveillance system based on our advanced medium and long-range tactical radars. The GM200 MM/A and the GM400α will support the Qatar Emiri Air Force in maintaining sovereignty and protecting their airspace against drones and other threats. This contract further demonstrates the enduring partnership between Thales and Qatar,” – said Raphael Desi, Vice-President Integrated Airspace-protection Systems activities Thales.
The Ground Master family of 3D AESA air-surveillance radars includes the GM60, GM200, and GM400 variants, developed by Thales Raytheon Systems (TRS). The stations share approximately 80% of their components, as they are based on the SR3D platform. The export of GM200 radars is also handled by the Dutch branch Thales Nederland, which has recently received orders from Sweden, Lithuania, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. France, in turn, financed the purchase for Ukraine of two short-range Thales Air Defence air defense systems equipped with GM200 MM/A radars (previously ordered by Georgia together with GM403), and sold GM400α radars to Indonesia and Albania, as well as the GM403α variant to Estonia.
The GM400α made its debut on 15 November 2021. Compared with the earlier GM400, it features five times greater processing power through the use of machine-learning (artificial intelligence) algorithms, along with an increase of more than 10% in instrumented range.
This three-dimensional radar, equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna using gallium nitride (GaN) technology and operating in the S band, provides a detection range for aerodynamic targets of up to 515 km (278 nautical miles) and features enhanced cybersecurity protection.
It is designed to provide a real-time Recognized Air Picture (RAP) by detecting and identifying targets such as aircraft (including low-observable ones), missiles (including hypersonic and ballistic), helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The GM400α can also track low-flying targets at short ranges as well as high-altitude targets at the maximum extent of its instrumented range.
Compared with the GM400, coverage area has increased by more than 20% without any increase in electrical power required to supply the transmitter and receiver. The airspace scan interval is 6 seconds, and elevation coverage is 40%. The manufacturer states that the radar requires only 30 hours of maintenance per year, while the mean time between major failures exceeds 3,000 hours, ensuring operational availability of 98.5%. The 10-ton system can be transported in a standard 20-foot ISO container.
The GM200, also operating in the S band, can detect targets at ranges of up to 250 km, at altitudes of up to approximately 24,400 m, and track them at distances of up to 100 km. The system is housed in a 20-foot ISO container containing a PGU (Power Generator Unit) for autonomous 24-hour operation, as well as an operations cabin for two operators. Mounted on its roof is a raisable mast with a 3D AESA radar antenna using GaN technology. The entire system can be transported by truck, deployed for operation within 15 minutes, and secured in 10 minutes.
Production of the GM200 began in 2010 for an export customer that was undisclosed at the time. This variant was also offered to Poland at the MSPO 2017 defense exhibition in Kielce as part of support for the Narew short-range air defense program.
Qatar Emiri Air Force boosts air protection with the acquisition of GM400α and GM200 MM/A radars from Thales, including maintenance systems and training. More details 👉 https://t.co/9dmBL1RjQP pic.twitter.com/66z8kCZF3w
— Thales Group (@thalesgroup) January 28, 2026