SOFINS 2025 – Thales unveils new details on its Toutatis loitering munition
Not a new product per se, the Toutatis loitering munition has been seen in Thales stands at many exhibitions in the past couple of years, at different stages of development. At SOFINS 2025 the company showcased the last development iteration, very close to what will soon be put into production
A tactical weapon system, the Toutatis is a loitering munition (LM) dedicated to the soldier, but which can be also installed and launched from land and air platforms. Easily transportable by a single soldier, its mass is around 5 kg, it is tube launched, as its wings and vertical stabilisers can be folded; the fuselage has a square section, the company looking for volume rather than aerodynamics, considering the 90 km/h cruise speed. The Toutatis features two sets of wings with an 850 mm span; the forward set of wings is hinged on the top of the fuselage, folding backwards, while the rear one is hinged on the bottom and folds forward. The two vertical stabilisers fold forward, the propeller blade also folding to allow the munition to be fitted in its launch canister.
Once he receives the mission, the operator switches on the tablet ground control station, links it up with the munition, insert mission data, and in less than two minutes the Toutatis is ready for launch. The munition is expulsed from the canister by a pneumatic system. Powered by an electric motor, the battery allows a 45 minutes flight time at cruise speed, the LM flies towards the target following the instructions received, for example via waypoints. The Toutatis guidance system is based on a GNSS receiver, an INS inertial platform, and a magnetic compass, the latter two allowing operating the munition even in GNSS-denied scenarios. In fact Thales skills in EW help considerably in reducing the vulnerability to jamming and spoofing; EDR On-Line understood that the algorithms used on board the Toutatis allow determining the jammed part of the signal, exploiting therefore the unjammed signal. In one-year time the Thales LM will be fitted with a vision-based navigation system, known as VisioNav, which leverages the experience acquired by the company with its VisioLoc system, which will definitely solve the navigation issue in contested areas.
In the terminal phase the guidance is purely based on visual sensors. The operator, who is always in the loop and who can abort the mission until the very last moment, fixes the target by clicking on it on his tablet, then the visual tracking system takes over and guides the munition, which by then has accelerated at the top speed of 150 km/h, towards the target, which can be reached at a maximum distance of 10 km.
The lethal package is made of a 1 kg warhead, developed by Thales. The current one is a high explosive fragmentation warhead, however a shaped charge one dedicated to armoured vehicles is being developed and should be available soon. The operator can install the warhead until the very last moment; the front of the munition opens up, the cover being hinged on the top, and the warhead is inserted in the cylindrical payload bay. Such a modular design allows maximum flexibility, and it is not excluded that in the future new types of warheads might be developed.
EDR On-Line understood that the model seen at SOFINS was representative of the sixth and final iteration of the Toutatis development process. Developed on company funds, the Thales munition should start low rate initial production in early 2026.
As said, the Toutatis is not dedicated to infantry. An option is to install it in a rocket launcher pod attached under a helicopter stub wings, while at SOFINS it was seen installed onto a PLFS (Poids Lourd Forces Spéciales – Special Forces Heavy Weight) Grizzly presented by Arquus. Thales is also considering installing its loitering munition on board naval vessels, to ensure protection against terrorist threats such as fast boats loaded with explosive. As the company defines the current Toutatis as a “short-range version”, new developments might be seen in the future.
Photos courtesy Thales and P. Valpolini
