Istres, France, 14 October 2016 — Developed to provide a major step over the earlier Damocles pod today in service in the French Air Force, the new-generation TALIOS (TArgeting Long-range Identification Optronic System) laser targeting pod has successfully completed its first flight on a Rafale during the past summer. Operated by Dassault Aviation as part of the on-going F3R programme, the prototype took off on 27 July, mounted on a single-seater aircraft, for a flight lasting over 2 hours. This test flight collected high-quality images taken using the “day” channel, and offered remarkable performances in pointing and telemetry.
The use of modern laser-guided bombs requires a « laser spot tracker » able to locate the dim pulses of laser light reflected by a designated target. This is the only way an airborne targeting system can home in on that specific target to deliver a bomb which will then strike it with surgical precision?
Conceived by Thales, TALIOS is said to be the first optronic targeting pod to cover the entire decision chain, from intelligence gathering through to neutralization. With the latest-generation high-resolution infrared and electro-optical sensors, line-of-sight stabilization, and high performance image processing its capabilities range from deep strike with precision-guided munition, to air-to-air target identification and close air support, both during the day and at night.
The integration of the TALIOS pod, which is due to equip by the end of this decade both the French Air Force and Navy Rafales, is a major part of the F3R standard development on the Rafale combat aircraft. The success of the first TALIOS flight on a Rafale is the second key event in its development programme for 2016, following on from the first flight on a Mirage 2000 test bench aircraft. The TALIOS pod development and Rafale integration programmes are run in parallel and the adjustment and performance measurement tests will continue throughout 2017. They should coincide with the qualification of this new equipment by mid-2018 with that of the new Rafale standard: the F3R.
The French Military Procurement Law 2014-2019 anticipates a total order of 45 pods for the Air Force and the Navy, 20 of which have already been ordered from Thales by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). Delivery of the mass-produced equipment will start in 2018.
