The Rafales are considered the aircraft that will usher the Aegean guards into a new era. Twin-engined, with much greater maneuverability, equipped with weapons that will give the Icarus an edge, the Rafales are a magnet for Top Gun Greek pilots and a terror to opponents.
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Ο πατέρας του είχε σώσει τον μικρό Ανδρέα στο σεισμό του Αιγίου και τώρα ο ίδιος σώζει ζωές στην Τουρκία
Greece would like to boost the capacity of the Rafale fleet. Along these lines, the country would like to acquire the Talios (Targeting Long-range Identification Optronic System) pod. The Ministry of National Defense published an official announcement. According to this, Greek representatives met with the administrators of the Thales company. The purpose of the negotiations appears to be the IRST system and the Talios pod for the Rafale fleet of the Hellenic Air Force.
"On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, occurred a meeting of Thales company representatives, Mr. Elsa Travaillard (Sales Manager), Mr. Michel Blanquart (Product Line Manager), Mr. Cyril Lavenu (Bid Manager) Mr. Samuel Pignet (Rafale Project Manager) and Mr. Athanasios Georgiadis (Key Account Manager & Business Development Manager, Defense and Security), with relevant GEA staff.
The purpose of the meeting was the company's presentation of the capabilities of the IRST system and the TALIOS gyro for Rafale aircraft," the statement said.
This meeting, and the intention to purchase the TALIOS shuttle, made sense to Turkey with the Turkish media reporting extensively, acknowledging the dominance of the Greek Air Force over the Turkish counterpart.
"It is known that Rafale aircraft can use many weapons in the Greek inventory. Athens has long invested heavily in military systems. One of the most important procurements is the Rafale jets. The Hellenic Air Force wishes to strengthen its air power and consolidate its supremacy in the Aegean Region over Turkey", they report.
Targeting Long-range Identification Optronic System (TALIOS)
Talios can be used for targeting and reconnaissance. The system can detect and provide engagement capability for both air and surface targets. The system's autonomous targeting capability offers moving elements and can guide smart weapons. Talios offers different scanning functions for revaluation tasks.
The Targeting Long-range Identification Optronic System (TALIOS), is an advanced sensor designed to provide target information acquisition and target tracking in support of the Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft.
The Talios pod, which has a two-way data link, is designed by Thales to operate alongside the Damocles targeting pod on the Rafale aircraft.
The high resolution sensor system is able to scan a wide area to search for targets in reconnaissance mode and then switch to target acquisition and tracking modes. It is able to create a 3D mapping.
The system is equipped with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to enable automatic target recognition and acquisition. In addition, the pod supports deep strike with long-range bombs and missiles, air-to-air target recognition, close air support (CAS), and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR).
The Rafale's big asset, apart from its electronics, is the number of weapons it can launch, first of course being the Meteor air-to-air missile. It is state of the art, even the French Air Force has received it in the last year and a half. It goes very far, at high speed and engages targets at multiple distances than common missiles.
Another important point is that the Rafales will be fully interoperable with the F-16s being upgraded to the Viper, as well as the future acquisition of the F-35s. The addition of this aircraft to the Hellenic Air Force provides it with unprecedented strategic capabilities. This is due to their extended range, which reaches 920 nautical miles (1700 km) with full internal fuel (4,750 kg) and three external fuel tanks with a capacity of 2000 liters each.
The combination of upgrading the existing fleet of Greek F-16s (according to Lockheed Martin, Greece will then have the most advanced F-16s in Europe) combined with the acquisition of French Rafales, will give Greece a significant quality advantage and ensure the dominance of the Air Force in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
With the completion of the F-16 upgrade program to the VIPER level and the strengthened 332 Falcon Squadron with 24 Rafale F3Rs, the fighters that will exchange network-centric data via Link 16 and the AESA radar will be 108 in total. A significant power with many additional assets offered by the multitude of sensors they carry.
