Telemos | |
---|---|
Role | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) |
National origin | United Kingdom / France |
Manufacturer | BAE Systems / Dassault |
Status | Cancelled [1] |
Number built | 1 |
The BAE Systems/Dassault Telemos was an unmanned military aircraft being jointly developed by BAE Systems and Dassault. [2]
The BAE Systems Mantis, which first flew in 2009, was being used as the basis of development. However, flying large UAVs in British airspace was a challenge. [3]
A mockup of Telemos was unveiled at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in 2011; by this time BAE and Dassault were cooperating closely, with BAE in the lead role. There was not yet a formal joint requirement for the UAV from the French and British armed forces, but requirements were firming up, including round-the-clock ISTAR capability. Any acquisition would be influenced by EU competition law. [4]
More agreements were planned at the Farnborough Airshow in 2012.
Telemos was expected to be a competitor with the EADS Talarion and American UAVs for a future order by the South Korean government. [5] It could also have been a candidate for the Royal Air Force's "Scavenger" project.
There was an exclusive agreement between BAE Systems and Dassault; they would not cooperate with other partners to develop UAVs. Lacking serious rivals in the UK, this made the BAE/Dassault partnership much more likely to get contracts from the British government. The Telemos was likely to compete with the Talarion for various future European deals. [6]
The Anglo-French Telemos programme was abandoned in July 2012, as the new French socialist government considered cooperating instead with other European partners on the EADS Talarion programme. [1]
Both turboprops and turbofans were considered for the initial design; the mockup shown at Le Bourget had turboprops, which would allow longer endurance at the cost of slower climbing.
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