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]

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.

Design and development

The 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

In 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

In 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

In 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

Data 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

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Wikimedia Commons has media related to EADS Talarion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "CASSIDIAN and Alenia Aeronautica agree on UAS cooperation". Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 "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.
  3. ↑ "ILA: EADS still committed to Talarion UAV, says Zoller". Flight Global. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Saab to build Talarion computers". Flight Global. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "France's Next MALE UAV: Contenders". Defense Industry Daily. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Turkey signs up as Talarion partner". Flightglobal. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Turkey signs up as Talarion partner". Flight Global. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "Cassidian calls time on Talarion UAS". Flight Global. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Guhl, Jean-Michel (12 June 2012). "Beaucoup de projets de drones à l'appel". IHS. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "General Atomics, CAE partner for Canada UAV contest". Flight Global. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "US Will Sell Global Hawks—Will South Korea Buy?". Defense Industry Daily. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "BAE Systems-Dassault Aviation Telemos Revives France's UAV Wars". defense-aerospace.com. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "EADS Talarion".
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