TALOS (Tactical Advanced Laser Optical System), a major collaborative defence research project launched under the European Commission’s Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), has been successfully completed. 

According to a relevant announcement, the final event took place online on 23 May 2023, with the participation of the members of the consortium, representatives of the European Defence Agency, Ministries of Defence, industry, and academia.

The TALOS project aimed to develop a compact laser design able to quickly and precisely neutralize an agile target (i.e. Rocket Artillery and Mortar – RAM, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – UAV), while significantly minimizing collateral damage.

The main results obtained addressed the following areas: CONOPS (Concept of Operations), target vulnerability, laser developments at 2 m, laser combining technology, ethics and safety, and roadmap for European LDEW (Laser Directed Energy Weapon) systems.

The project implementation culminated in the development of two demonstrators: a high-power amplifier at eye-safer wavelength and an innovative propagation demonstrator allowing highly efficient coherent combining on target. The results of the project will contribute significantly to enhancing EU Member-States’ defence capabilities in critical laser effector technologies.

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TALOS brings together 16 beneficiaries from 9 European countries. Led by CILAS (France), it also includes TNO (Netherlands), Leonardo (Italy), DLR, Airbus Defence and Space, Stelar (Germany), MBDA France, Erdyn Consultants, Université de Limoges, ONERA (France), Ustav Fotoniky a Elektroniky (Czech Republic), Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna, AMS Technologies (Poland), QinetiQ (UK), John Cockerill Defense (Belgium) and AERTEC Solutions (Spain).

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