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
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
