MD 530G helicopter fires TALON laser-guided rockets
Four TALON laser guided rockets (LGRs) have been fired from the MD 530G armed aerial scout (AAS) helicopter during tests at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Raytheon announced on 31 July that the firings were successful with direct hits reported for all events.
The test firings are part of work to demonstrate the maturity of the TALON LGR weapon system as a complement to MD's AAS platform.
TALON LGR is a digital semi-active laser guidance and control kit co-developed with the United Arab Emirates. TALON's guidance section integrates directly to the front of the legacy 2.75-inch Hydra-70 unguided rockets while its tail kit replaces the legacy Hydra-70 wraparound tail kit.
Darryl Kreitman, TALON program director, Raytheon, said: ‘In just a few months, Raytheon worked closely with MD to integrate TALON onto the MD 530G, subjecting the helicopter and rocket to number of realistic mission profiles. The successful testing once again demonstrated TALON's precision guidance capabilities.’
TALON LGR was certified in April for air worthiness release of the weapon on the Apache AH-64D/E attack helicopter. Raytheon completed more than 35 TALON firings from the AH-64D Apache during its development and test programme.
TALON requires no hardware or software modifications to the launcher or aircraft platform for any aircraft that fires 2.75-inch Hydra-70 unguided rockets using the standard M260/261 launchers. Fully compatible with existing airborne and ground laser designators, TALON provides a high-precision solution for missions in urban environments, as well as counter insurgency and swarming boat defence missions.
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