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United States discontinued QinetiQ
QinetiQ TALON SWORDS
A tracked, teleoperated armed variant of the TALON robot developed by QinetiQ North America (Foster-Miller); deployed to Iraq in 2007 but never authorized to fire in combat, and the program was later discontinued.
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-08-18
💲 ≈ $230,000, Mass-production unit cost separately cited as low as $150,000-180,000 depending on configuration.
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Operator data not public
Status: discontinued.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
Unit cost known; one-shot / small-arms class has no meaningful O&S tail to model.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
The QinetiQ TALON SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System) was a tracked, teleoperated armed variant of the Foster-Miller TALON unmanned ground vehicle, weighing under 45 kg and capable of mounting a range of interchangeable weapons: 5.56mm M16 and M249, 7.62mm M240, the .50 caliber M82 Barrett rifle, a six-barrel 40mm grenade launcher, or a quad 66mm M202A1 FLASH rocket launcher, controlled from up to about 1.2 km away. Three SWORDS units were deployed to Iraq in August 2007, the first armed ground robots sent into a combat zone by the US military, but the weapons were never authorized for live use due to safety and command-authorization concerns, and no shots were fired in combat. Program funding was subsequently stopped and the platform is now discontinued; a per-unit cost of roughly $230,000 has been cited, though mass-production unit costs as low as $150,000-180,000 have been separately reported depending on configuration.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the QinetiQ TALON SWORDS can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 45 kg |
|---|---|
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 0 |
Autonomy & control
How the platform moves, how much it does without an operator, and how far the control link reaches.
| Locomotion How the platform moves: tracked, wheeled or legged. Tracks suit soft ground and heavy payloads, wheels favor road speed and range, legs handle stairs and rubble. Not a ranking, a trade-off. | Tracked |
|---|---|
| Autonomy level How much the platform does without an operator, as the manufacturer describes it. Vendors do not use a common standard, so this is a coarse editorial bucket, not a certified rating. | Teleoperated |
| Control range Maximum published operator-to-vehicle control-link distance, normally line-of-sight radio. Higher keeps the operator further from the threat. This is NOT the vehicle's driving range. | 1.2 km |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $230,000 |
|---|
Specifications compiled from public QinetiQ and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-08-18.
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Roboneers Roboneers Ironclad Frequently asked questions
How much does the QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS weigh? +
The QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS has a combat weight of 45 kg.
How many crew does the QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS require? +
The QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS requires a crew of 0.
What is the QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS used for? +
The QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS is a ugv / combat robot typically used for infantry combat.
How much does the QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS cost? +
The QinetiQ QinetiQ TALON SWORDS has an approximate unit cost of 230,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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