BAE Systems/Dassault Telemos

Lore & Background

The Telemos was being developed using the BAE Systems Mantis, which first flew in 2009, as its basis. Flying large UAVs in British airspace was a challenge. A mockup of Telemos was unveiled at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in 2011; by this time BAE and Dassault were cooperating closely, with BAE in the lead role. There was not yet a formal joint requirement for the UAV from the French and British armed forces, but requirements were firming up, including round-the-clock ISTAR capability. Any acquisition would be influenced by EU competition law. More agreements were planned at the Farnborough Airshow in 2012.

Telemos was expected to be a competitor with the EADS Talarion and American UAVs for a future order by the South Korean government. It could also have been a candidate for the Royal Air Force's 'Scavenger' project. There was an exclusive agreement between BAE Systems and Dassault; they would not cooperate with other partners to develop UAVs. Lacking serious rivals in the UK, this made the BAE/Dassault partnership much more likely to get contracts from the British government. The Telemos was likely to compete with the Talarion for various future European deals.

The Anglo-French Telemos programme was abandoned in July 2012, as the new French socialist government considered cooperating instead with other European partners on the EADS Talarion programme. Both turboprops and turbofans were considered for the initial design; the mockup shown at Le Bourget had turboprops, which would allow longer endurance at the cost of slower climbing.

Reader's Guide

The Telemos programme's significance lies in its brief attempt to create a joint Anglo-French unmanned military aircraft, leveraging the BAE Systems Mantis as a development basis. It was positioned to compete with the EADS Talarion and American UAVs for South Korean orders and the Royal Air Force's Scavenger project. The exclusive partnership between BAE and Dassault, which barred cooperation with other UAV developers, gave the Telemos a strong chance for British government contracts due to a lack of domestic rivals. However, the programme was abandoned in July 2012 when the new French socialist government shifted toward cooperating with other European partners on the Talarion. This decision highlights how political changes can derail international defense collaborations. The Telemos never progressed beyond a mockup stage, and its cancellation left the Talarion as a primary European competitor. The design consideration of turboprops versus turbofans reflected a trade-off between endurance and climb performance, but no production aircraft was ever built.

Did You Know?

• The programme was abandoned in July 2012 after the new French socialist government chose to cooperate on the EADS Talarion instead.
• There was an exclusive agreement between BAE Systems and Dassault not to cooperate with other partners on UAVs.