Contributor - UK

David Donald

French aerospace and engineering group Turgis &amp; Gaillard unveiled a new medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV at the Paris Airshow. Known as the Gaillard ASA 1204 Aa’rok, the UAV is a 5.5-tonne platform for surveillance and attack missions. The company plans to fly the vehicle&nbsp;later this year.
Although a Pratt &amp; Whitney PT6A turboprop will power the prototype, the production Aa’rok would use a Safran Ardiden if the fixed-wing version of that engine gains qualification, or the GE Catalyst does not. The 22-meter-wingspan drone has underwing hardpoints for the carriage of four Safran AASM guided bombs&nbsp;or up to 16 Hellfire, Brimstone, and MBDA’s Akeron-LP anti-tank missiles. Payload totals&nbsp;3 tonnes and maximum endurance extends to&nbsp;about&nbsp; 24 hours, depending on loadout. With four AASMs carried on twin launchers from two heavy-duty pylons, it can fly for around 10 hours.
The Aa’rok can be fitted with a variety of sensors from a number of suppliers. The preferred electro-optic/infrared turret is the Safran Euroflir 610, which will be retractable to reduce drag during transit. The Searchmaster from Thales is a lead candidate for a search radar.
Aa’rok is being pitched to the French armed forces, offering a rapidly available all-French solution for a flexible armed surveillance UAV. The air force has encountered certain operational restrictions while using the U.S.-supplied Reaper, which would be removed by using a French sovereign system. Turgis &amp; Gaillard wants to point out that Aa’rok does not compete with the 11-tonne quadrinational Eurodrone program being pursued by Airbus, Dassault, and Leonardo to meet the needs of the French, German, Italian, and Spanish forces.

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

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