The fire control system for air defense missiles aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is to be upgraded by Thales.

Thales said the upgrade will include a state-of-the-art open IT architecture and will facilitate subsequent maintenance work on the system and extend its service life.

Software used in the upgrade will be the latest developed by the company for its CONTROLView command-and-control system, which performs threat evaluation, weapon assignment and coordination of very short, short and medium-range engagements.

"This contract award is an endorsement of Thales's research efforts in system and software engineering and its continuing investment in air defense," the company said. "Based on the technology developed for the CONTROLView program, Thales can offer a mature, de-risked missile fire control solution for naval operations."

Work on the carrier's fire control system upgrade will be conducted as part of the carrier's refit, which is planned to begin in 2018.

Thales said the contract was awarded by Joint Armaments Cooperation Organization, or OCCAR, on behalf of the French military procurement agency.

OCCAR is an international organization for cooperation in defense procurement programs.