Raytheon has successfully completed a series of firing tests in both hot and cold temperature extremes of the Talon laser-guided rocket for the UAE army’s AH-64D Longbow Apaches. The program, which Raytheon and Emirates Advanced Instruments (EAI) began developing together in May 2008, is moving toward the first airborne firings. Those firings are to be undertaken by a UAE army Apache helicopter here in the Emirates in the first quarter of next year.
The UAE has an initial requirement for 5,000 to 10,000 Talons. Initial batches are to be produced by Raytheon in the U.S. from the middle of next year, but technology will be transferred to EAI so that production can be continued in the UAE. For Raytheon this agreement helps increase the company’s footprint in the region and provides a model for possible future co-development programs. For EAI in particular, and the UAE in general, the deal furthers the drive to widen the technological and industrial capabilities in the Emirates. EAI is to build Talon for overseas customers.
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