France, Sept. 17 -- The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €450 million loan to Thales to finance its research and development investment programme in aeronautics and radar technologies. This programme, is set to run until the end of 2027 and. aims to enhance the safety and efficiency of both civil and military flights, while those in radar will make it possible to modernise current equipment and develop a new generation of civil and military software and radar systems.As well as being Thales' first EIB loan, it is also one of the biggest corporate loans the EIB has ever granted in the security and defence sector. The loan is part of TechEU, the EIB's innovation programme launched in June with €70 billion in funding av...