Thales S.A., trading as Thales Group is a French multinational aerospace and defence corporation specialized in electronics. It designs, develops and manufactures a wide variety of aerospace and military systems, devices and equipment but also operates in the cybersecurity and formerly civil ground transportation sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris' business district, La Défense, and its stock is listed on Euronext Paris. Founded as Thomson-CSF in 1968, the group was rebranded Thales in 2000 after a communication audit highlighted Thomson-CSF's image deficit, particularly among the young French graduates it sought to recruit. The new name was thus meant to liven up its image and to better reflect the company's global expansion since the 1990s. Thales is partially owned by the French state and operates in more than 56 countries. In 2017, the company generated nearly €16 billion in revenue and was the 8th largest defence contractor in the world, with 55% of its total revenue generated from its military activities. Patrice Caine was appointed chairman and CEO in December 2014. Wikipedia