Antonov starts producing French combat drone Aarok MALE

Antonov Ukrainian state company and French company Turgis & Gaillard have signed an agreement on producing a version of the Aarok MALE combat drone at the state-owned companies' facilities.

Source: La Tribune.

Reportedly, the Aarok MALE (Medium Altitude Long Range) drone in the Reaper category (5.5 tonnes) was one of the surprises at the Paris Air Show in June.

The Aarok MALE website reports that the drone performs surveillance and reconnaissance tasks using highly efficient optical-electronic and electromagnetic sensors.

Thanks to its large payload capacity, the Aarok can deliver countermeasure weapons and perform tasks such as close air support, strike coordination and reconnaissance, and suppression of enemy air defences. Aarok can also be an integral element of anti-submarine operations and search and rescue operations.

It is said that the agreement on the drone production at Antonov's facilities was signed during the visit of Sébastien Lecornuto, the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, to Kyiv.

Background:

• Earlier, it was reported that France and Ukraine signed about a dozen agreements on cooperation in the defence industry during Lecornu’s visit to Kyiv.
• Turgis & Gaillard was founded in 2011 to develop Gerfaut, a system that integrates high-precision munitions under the wings of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to perform strike missions without modifying the aircraft. In twelve years, the Group has become a strategic partner of the Armed Forces of France and its allies, as well as the largest aerospace companies.
• Today, about 300 engineers and technicians work at the company's nine production sites in France; its annual turnover is about EUR 50 million.

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