Fully integrated into SPECTRA, it therefore has detection capabilities similar to those of the F35's EODAS: 360° surveillance and perception of the environment (or almost, there is a gray area at the wings, see the photo above), threat location, classification and targeting, and participation in the development of air-to-air and air-to-ground firing solutions.
Not only DDM-NG is integrated into Spectra but also other IR/OPTICAL like MICA IR sensors even during rafale flight and not only when it is launched from the rafale, the Talios and RECCO NG pods are also already integrated, with F4 all other plateform will also provide other optical/IR stream.
EODAS/HMDS/CANOPY/PILOT is a system that work together ... The pilot can't look behind him and in fact must rely on its internal screen to have a picture of what happen behind him, exactly like the rafale pilot.
En mai 2022, et grâce à des ressources extrabudgétaires abondées par la cession de 12 avions Rafale à la Croatie, la Direction générale de l'armement a
www.opex360.com
In May 2022, thanks to extra-budgetary resources supplemented by the sale of 12 Rafale aircraft to Croatia, the French defense procurement agency (Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) ordered 21 TALIOS optronic pods from Thales for 100 million euros, with the aim of having 67 of these pods available for the needs of the French air force (Armée de l'Air & de l'Espace - AAE) and naval aviation.
This new order was eagerly awaited, as several parliamentary reports in recent years have deplored the lack of laser designation pods, and the low availability rate [34% by 2021] of the oldest ones, which are also ill-suited to current operational requirements.
The TALIOS [TArgeting Long-range Identification Optronic System] nacelle marks a quantum leap in capability, thanks to its high-performance, high-resolution electro-optical and infrared sensors. It enables long-range strikes to be carried out in parallel with reconnaissance missions, with the information it gathers transmitted in real time. Finally, its SmartFleet predictive maintenance system increases its availability rate.
"We will also have 51 Talios pods by 2026. No patrol will take off without a Talios pod, whereas today we're scrambling to get one in the right place at the right time", General Stéphane Mille, Chief of Staff of the French Air & Space Force [CEMAAE], recently told MPs.
He went on to explain: "Feedback has taught us just how important these pods are: originally designed to recognize a target for a ground attack, they have proved their worth for visual identification, for example. Our Rafales returning from Lithuania used them to visually identify the Sukhoi aircraft they were intercepting. During our missions in Iraq and Syria, we realized that this pod could be used for intelligence purposes. It wasn't at the heart of the mission, but we were watching and learning things... So we're building up to it as we go along.
That said, the Rafale is also equipped with the new-generation RECO NG strategic aerial reconnaissance pod. It can take photos at high and very low altitudes, day and night. And it can target a target - or even several targets - from different angles in a single flight, thanks to its 180°-rotating optical sensors.
But in future, the TALIOS and RECO NG gondolas will become one.
According to the activity report just published by the French Defense Innovation Agency [AID], Thales LAS has been commissioned to carry out studies as part of the "Pod TR" project, aimed at developing a new designation and reconnaissance pod for the Rafale F5. The aim is to carry out "architecture, maturity and debris removal work" in order to "prepare for development from 2026/2027".
The AID explains that this TR Pod will perform "detection, reconnaissance, identification and localization of targets in real time", and will therefore merge the capabilities of the TALIOS and RECO-NG pods.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
