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Raytheon unveiled its new TALON Laser Guided Rocket system at SOFEX 2016 31705161.
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Army Recognition
SOFEX 2016 Official Online Show Daily News & Official Web TV The Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference Amman, Jordan 9 - 12 May 2016 |
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Raytheon at SOFEX 2016
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| Raytheon unveiled its new TALON Laser Guided Rocket system at SOFEX 2016 | |||
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Raytheon was displaying its new TALON Laser Guided Rocket, a digital semi-active laser guidance and control kit during SOFEX 2016 being held in Amman, Jordan. TALON is approved for direct commercial sale and foreign military sale to more than 30 countries.
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 Raytheon exhibiting at SOFEX 2016 |
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When retired Col. John Lynch commanded a mixed helicopter flying unit in Afghanistan for a year, the pilots working for him often lamented about the need for a weapon that was more precise and better suited for guarding forces on the ground in the throes of close combat. “Our close combat forces operate in a very complex environment that leaves little room for unguided Hydra 70 rockets,” said Lynch, now a growth manager for Raytheon’s TALON Laser Guided Rocket program. “Unguided rockets were on the verge of extinction, but now they’ve been given another chance.” The second chance comes in the form of Raytheon’s TALON Laser Guided Rocket, a digital semi-active laser guidance and control kit that is mounted directly to the front of legacy Hydra 70 rockets. It’s a low-cost conversion that easily integrates onto any fixed or rotary-wing platform that fires Hydra-70s, giving the widely used helicopter-launched weapon something it’s never had before: precision. “Precision accuracy is no longer negotiable,” said Shawn Miller, Raytheon’s TALON LGR program director. “We’re seeing incredible effectiveness in testing against both moving and stationary targets.” |
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 TALON Laser Guided Rocket |
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Today, the most precise weapon helicopter aviators have in their arsenal is the Hellfire missile. “TALON is not meant to be a smaller version of Hellfire. It’s a cost-effective solution to defeat the majority of threats pilots face today,” said Miller. “The firepower increase a full loadout of TALON laser guided rockets can offer is substantial.” “TALON is the lowest cost laser guided rocket option in production on the global market,” said Miller. “It can be procured as a guidance kit or an all-up-round, and it’s available quickly since we’re already in full-rate production.” Customers across the globe are seizing the opportunity to gain this precision capability, because it immediately and dramatically reduces the risk of collateral damage. “Combat pilots are well integrated with ground forces and can support them at very close ranges, but that means the risk of collateral damage and fratricide is there,” said Lynch. “TALON gives pilots the confidence to precisely target enemy forces with an appropriate sized weapon.” Miller considers TALON’s small size as equally valuable to its precision. “Because TALON is a smaller round, it’s much lighter than heavy anti-tank guided missiles,” Lynch said. “The math is simple. You can carry a lot more.” |