The French Directorate General of Armaments (Direction générale de l’armement, DGA), the French defense procurement agency, conducted tests on the Targeting Long-range Identification Optronic System (TALIOS) optronic pod mounted on a renovated Mirage 2000D. As of now, the Ministry of Armed Forces has ordered sixty-seven multifunction TALIOS optronic pods from Thales, with a noteworthy addition of twenty-one units in April 2022, amounting to a substantial investment of 100 million euros. This financial boost was made possible by the sale of twelve Rafale jets to Croatia, drawn from the inventory of the French Air and Space Army.
The mid-life renovation of the Mirage 2000D includes the integration of a 30mm CC422 cannon pod and the installation of navigation software such as LION, LIANE, and SINGE. The human-machine interface relies on modernized avionics and touchscreen displays. Additionally, the self-defense air-to-air Magic II missiles will be replaced with MICA Infrared (IR) missiles. In total, the Air and Space Army will have 48 Mirage 2000 RMV, seven fewer than initially planned in the 2019-2025 Military Programming Law [LPM]. The current law in effect since August 1, 2024 (LPM 2024-30), suggesting that the fleets of Mirage 2000 RMV and Rafale F3R will share the thirty units delivered in 2022, as the remaining thirty-seven will be optimized for the Rafale F4.2.
Thirty Talios pods had already been delivered, coinciding with the induction of the first Rafale jets upgraded to the F3R standard in the Air and Space Army squadrons and naval aviation flotillas. However, the subsequent 37 units were set to undergo significant enhancements to fully exploit the capabilities promised by the Rafale F4.2 standard. While the TALIOS pod has been predominantly associated with the Rafale in the Ministry of Armed Forces’ communications, it has been revealed that the Mirage 2000 RMV (Renovated at Mid-Life) will also be equipped with this optronic system. Recent tests were conducted by the DGA Flight Test and Expertise Center at Cazaux.
It is important to note that the TALIOS pod, more precise than its predecessor Damocles, incorporates high-resolution electro-optical and infrared sensors, enabling the identification and tracking of mobile targets day and night, facilitating longer-range strikes. the TALIOS pod will enable aircraft to perform both air reconnaissance and ground/surface attack missions. The pod provides a wide-area search and target identification capability and can then switch instantly into target acquisition and tracking mode. With augmented reality capabilities, it possesses “Non-Traditional Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance” (NTISR) capabilities, allowing simultaneous strike and reconnaissance missions with real-time data transmission.
An impressive achievement by the French Directorate General Of Armaments! The successful testing of the Talios pod mounted on a Mirage 2000D RMV is a significant milestone in the development of advanced air-to-air combat capabilities. The integration of this pod with the Mirage 2000D RMV demonstrates the advanced technology and capabilities of the French defense industry. As a reader, I am eager to see how this technology will be utilized in future military operations.