One of the buzz generators at this week's Paris Air Show was the public debut of French-based Turgis & Gaillard's AAROK self-funded medium altitude long endurance (MALE) combat Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) prototype.
AAROK was originally conceived of by the founders of Turgis & Gaillard as a drone that is based not only on off-the-shelf components, but French components to feed into the Gallic preference for relying as much as possible on domestic defense production. Instead of trying to sell the new vehicle, which is larger than the US Reaper, to an established aerospace company, they decided to develop the aircraft independently.
Aimed at the French and allied military forces, the prop-driven AAROK has a flight endurance of over 24 hours and can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes, which can include reconnaissance gear, signals intelligence pods, electro-optical sensors, multi-mode radar, precision guided munitions, and air-to-ground missiles.
According to Turgis & Gaillard, AAROK is suitable for maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region, operational dominance missions, and as a battlefield communication node. Its use of existing equipment and modular architecture will also speed up its certification.
"We are proud to introduce our first prototype of remotely piloted aircraft, the AAROK unmanned aerial vehicle," said Fanny Turgis, President of Turgis & Gaillard Group. "Produced in our French factories, this UAV will meet the requirements of French and allied forces at a reduced cost, both in purchase and use."
Source: AAROK
