European Defence Agency Completes TALOS Laser Weapon Project

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has completed a surface-to-air laser system developed under the Tactical Advanced Laser Optical System (TALOS) project.

The final event took place online on 23 May 2023, with the participation of the members of the consortium, representatives of the EDA, Ministries of Defence, industry and academia.

The TALOS project aimed to develop a compact design laser able to neutralise an agile target (i.e. Rocket Artillery and Mortar - RAM, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV), while minimising collateral damage.

“The TALOS project achieved its objectives and developed a compact laser technology for neutralisation of agile targets, while significantly minimising collateral damage,” EDA said in a release.

The main results obtained addressed the following areas: CONOPS (Concept of Operations), target vulnerability, laser developments at 2 μm, laser combining technology, ethics and safety, 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.