New Modes Included, Planned, for Recon and Targeting System
France’s defence procurement agency, the DGA, is to buy an additional 21 TALIOS pods from Thales, the company has announced.
The pods, which supply optical intelligence and are used to designate targets by Rafale aircraft, were first delivered in 2019. France initially ordered 46 systems to equip Air and Navy Rafales. This original order is due to be completed in 2024; the additional 21 units will be delivered after the original contract is fulfilled, with the 67th device due to be handed over in 2025.
The company has also developed a new mode for the pod. When using the Vision Permanent mode, aircrews can see real-time video superimposed on a 3D map of the operational environment. This will enable a greater understanding of the tactical situation to be obtained more quickly. The company intends to develop the pod’s capability further – including by incorporating artificial intelligence algorithms to assist with detection and recognition of targets – and says this capability will be of particular value to air crews in “high-intensity engagements.”
“The TALIOS pod’s new reconnaissance modes and automatic target detection and recognition algorithms will provide the French armed forces with an unprecedented level of operational superiority,” said Christophe Salomon, EVP of Thales’s land and air systems division. “Rafale pilots will be able to make better decisions with even greater speed at every decisive moment of their missions to detect, classify and safely engage a target and assess the results of a ground or surface strike.“
