TUCSON, Ariz. - Under a $117 million contract awarded to Raytheon Co, Raytheon Missile Systems has begun production of the TALON Laser Guided Rocket. In 2013, the Armed Forces General Headquarters of the United Arab Emirates awarded Tawazun a contract to procure the TALON Laser Guided Rocket.
"Full rate production of the TALON LGR is a significant milestone for Raytheon and the program," said Darryl Kreitman, Raytheon TALON program director. "UAE defense manufacturing industry participated in development of this revolutionary system and the end user can now benefit from this laser guided precision capability."
Under the contract, Raytheon will maintain full integration of the TALON system into the UAE Armed Forces to include logistics, training and warranty support. Raytheon is also exploring options to integrate TALON onto NIMR armored vehicles which are now serving in different units of the UAE Armed Forces.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army awarded TALON Air Worthiness Certification on the Apache attack helicopter. During TALON's development and test program, Raytheon completed more than 35 TALON firings from the AH-64D Apache, resulting in a solution that is ready for international direct commercial sales customers today.