Defence Online

Thales Secures NSPA Contract for Deployable Air Navigation System in Demonstration of NATO Procurement Route

Air August 7, 2026

Thales has been selected by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency to supply a Deployable Tactical Air Navigation system to the Spanish Air and Space Force, in a contract that demonstrates the NSPA’s growing role as a direct procurement channel for sovereign defence capability across the alliance.

The D-TACAN system – based on Thales’ latest-generation Ground Based TACAN 553 platform – provides a fully autonomous, rapidly deployable air navigation capability transportable by air, sea, rail and road. Integrated into a 20-foot ISO shelter and designed for continuous 24/7 operations in challenging conditions, the system supports safe navigation, approach and landing operations from both permanent and temporary airfields, including in GNSS-denied or jammed environments where satellite-based navigation is unavailable or unreliable. The contract includes a comprehensive integrated logistics package covering spare parts, training and documentation to ensure long-term operational support.

The system will be manufactured by Thales in Italy at its Gorgonzola facility near Milan – the only site in the European Union producing TACAN navigation aids – and integrated and maintained by Thales in Spain. Thales is also the only company worldwide producing both ground-based TACAN beacons and airborne TACAN interrogators, giving it a unique sovereign position in a capability area that underpins military air operations across NATO airspace.

The NSPA procurement route carries significance beyond the specific contract. As a NATO framework, the agreement explicitly opens the D-TACAN system to other NATO member states and entities with similar requirements – meaning the Spain contract establishes a procurement vehicle that other allies can use to acquire the same capability without running separate competitive procurements. That is precisely the efficiency mechanism that NSPA is designed to provide, and it illustrates how the agency is functioning as an increasingly active contracting authority for allied capability development and acquisition.

Juan Tarazona, NSPA Communications, Air and Missile Defence Programme Manager, described the contract as enabling the Spanish Air and Space Force to rapidly acquire a critical air navigation capability while benefiting from the agency’s proven procurement and technical expertise – a framing that underlines NSPA’s value proposition for member state customers.

For the UK defence supply chain

The Thales D-TACAN contract is a practical illustration of NSPA operating as a procurement route that UK suppliers should understand and engage with. The agency’s ability to establish framework contracts accessible to multiple NATO member states – as demonstrated here – means that a single successful NSPA engagement can generate demand from across the alliance rather than from one customer alone. For UK businesses with NATO-standard navigation, communications, electronic systems or aeronautical CNS capability, the NSPA route deserves serious attention as part of an export strategy. How NSPA procurement actually works for UK suppliers, what proportion of contracting is genuinely accessible post-Brexit, and where the practical barriers lie are among the specific questions that will be addressed at the DPRTE UK National Defence Procurement and Supply Chain Summit’s Export Opportunity session on 22 October 2026 in Manchester.

Image: Thales’ next-generation Deployable Tactical Air Navigation (D-TACAN) system © Thales

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.