TSAMTO, October 4. As the French newspaper La Tribune reported on October 2, an agreement was signed with the Ukrainian State Enterprise Antonov on the organization of production in Ukraine of the newly developed Aarok UAV.
The agreement of Antonov State Enterprise with the French company Turgis & Gaillard was signed within the framework of the visit to Kiev last week of the Minister of the Armed Forces of France Sebastien Lecorny, who was accompanied by a group of representatives of French defense companies.
First presented at the Paris Air Show in 2023, the Aarok belongs to medium-altitude UAVs of long flight duration (MALE) and, theoretically, can be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the near future.
The general directors of the French company Fanny Turgis and Patrick Gaillard stated that their cooperation with Antonov State Enterprise is aimed at facilitating the organization of production of the Aarok UAV in the basic version on the territory of Ukraine. Nevertheless, some key details concerning the cooperation between Turgis & Gaillard and Antonov in the field of production and operation have yet to be agreed. P. Gaillard stressed the need to determine the place of assembly and the choice of components of French and Ukrainian production for equipping UAVs. One of the confirmed aspects is that the Aarok UAV manufactured by Antonov will be used exclusively by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Despite the bold statements of French manufacturers, the project raises a lot of questions. After all, back in March at the Paris Air Show, representatives of Turgis & Gaillard announced their intention to begin flight tests of the device in September-December of this year, and in case of a customer, to achieve initial readiness for combat use by the end of 2025. In addition, the size and speed of the Aarok make it a fairly simple target for air defense in a high-intensity conflict. It seems that the French company is simply trying to test its development, using Ukraine as a testing ground, where it is not required to obtain permission to fly in civil airspace. Another version is a simple desire to attract attention to its development.
The Aarok UAV is designed for collecting information, surveillance and reconnaissance, relaying communications, striking, fighting submarines, etc. The wingspan of the device is 22 m, the length is 14 m, its own weight is about 2.5 tons, the maximum take–off weight is about 5.5 tons. It is assumed that the Aarok will be able to carry a payload weighing 2,722 tons, including fuel (up to two tons inside the fuselage and one ton in the wings), detection equipment and weapons (up to 1,497 kg). The duration of the UAV flight will be up to 30 hours at altitudes up to 30,000 feet (9144 m). The device will be equipped with a PT6 turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada with a capacity of 1200 hp with a pulling five-bladed propeller, will be able to reach speeds of up to 250 knots (463 km / h). The reinforced retractable landing gear will allow the UAV to take off and land from unpaved lanes.
Aarok will be able to simultaneously use an electron-optical station (probably Wescam MX25 or Euroflir 610), a multi-mode radar with a synthesized aperture and an electronic intelligence system (ELINT). Various air-to-surface ammunition and container reconnaissance systems can be placed on the underwing suspension units.
