This article needs to be updated. (July 2020) |
The EADS Talarion is a twinjet Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV), designed by EADS, to meet future European military needs for aerial reconnaissance, military intelligence, and aerial surveillance.[2] EADS has run a preliminary design review, and is awaiting orders.[3] The source of the name is the Talaria—the winged sandals of the Greek Messenger god Hermes.
| Talarion | |
|---|---|
| |
| A mock-up of the EADS Talarion at the Paris Airshow in 2009 | |
| Role | MALE UAV |
| Manufacturer | EADS and TAI |
| First flight | 2015 (planned)[1] |
| Introduction | 2018 (planned)[1] |
Design and development
editThe development of the Talarion was revealed with a mockup displayed at the 2009 Paris Airshow. This vehicle is a twin jet engined UAV with a wingspan of approximately 28 m. Avionics will be built by Saab.[4]
French parliamentary estimates place Talarion's total programme costs at around EUR 2.9 billion, including around 12–15 systems of three UAVs each.[5]
Partnership with Turkish Aerospace Industries
editIn May 2011, a group of Turkish suppliers, led by Turkish Aerospace Industries, joined the project by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EADS Cassidian for the Talarion UAV programme.[2][6] Turkey (Turkish Aerospace Industries) has developed and successfully produced MALE UAVs of its own and has subsequently gained significant experience with the development of larger long endurance UAV platforms. A very similar Turkish project, the TAI Anka, made its debut at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow and was scheduled to enter service with the Turkish Air Force in early 2012,[7] but was eventually introduced in 2013.
Partnership with Alenia
editIn December 2011, Cassidian and Alenia announced that they would cooperate on MALE UAVs—including the Talarion.[1]
In February 2012, Cassidian announced plans to wind down the Talarion programme, after failing to secure financial backing from potential future buyers;[8] the European market for UAVs now has stronger competition, and budgets are under pressure.[9]
Customers
editIn 2010, EADS expressed frustration that the home nations—France, Germany, Spain, and the UK—were not committed to buying the Talarion. However, other countries' armed forces might also buy it; apart from an expected order from Turkey, the Talarion may also be a candidate in a Canadian competition to acquire unmanned surveillance systems,[10] and in January 2013 it was suggested that the South Korean government might consider the Talarion, or the BAE Telemos (now cancelled), as an alternative to the RQ-4 Global Hawk.[11]
The Telemos had also been considered likely to compete with for Talarion for various future European deals.[12]
Specifications
editData from Military Factory[13]
General characteristics
- Crew: none
- Length: 10 m (32 ft 9.7 in)
- Wingspan: 28 m (91 ft 10.3 in)
- Height: 3.45 m (11 ft 3.8 in)
- Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
- Gross weight: 10,000 kg (22,046 lb)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 630 km/h (391 mph, 340 kn)
- Range: 1,700 km (1,056 mi, 918 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,213 ft)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Denel Dynamics Bateleur
- General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
- IAI Eitan
- Piaggio-Selex P.1HH Hammerhead
- TAI Anka
References
edit- ^ a b c "CASSIDIAN and Alenia Aeronautica agree on UAS cooperation". Retrieved 18 December 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "EADS Global Website - Cassidian and Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) agree on cooperation in the Talarion programme". Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "ILA: EADS still committed to Talarion UAV, says Zoller". Flight Global. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Saab to build Talarion computers". Flight Global. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "France's Next MALE UAV: Contenders". Defense Industry Daily. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ "Turkey signs up as Talarion partner". Flightglobal. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ "Turkey signs up as Talarion partner". Flight Global. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Cassidian calls time on Talarion UAS". Flight Global. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Guhl, Jean-Michel (12 June 2012). "Beaucoup de projets de drones à l'appel". IHS. Retrieved 26 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "General Atomics, CAE partner for Canada UAV contest". Flight Global. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "US Will Sell Global Hawks—Will South Korea Buy?". Defense Industry Daily. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ "BAE Systems-Dassault Aviation Telemos Revives France's UAV Wars". defense-aerospace.com. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ "EADS Talarion".