In something of a surprise development, a new French-made drone, the Aarok, has emerged in prototype form ahead of the Paris Air Show trade exhibition next week. The Aarok uncrewed aircraft system, or UAS, is a new addition to the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) segment and is intended to fly intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), as well as strike missions.
Meanwhile, weapons for strike missions would include the AASM Hammer, which is available with a range of guidance options, inertial and GPS, laser, and infrared. Warheads can be of different sizes, too, with options to mate the AASM with 276-pound, 550-pound, 1,100-pound, and 2,200-pound bomb bodies.
The drone is planned to have an endurance of more than 24 hours. Equipped with a PT6 turboprop engine. Developed secretly, the Aarok medium-altitude, long-endurance drone is planned to take to the air before the end of the year.
#COMBATUAV #Aarok #Drone #Aarokdrone #AarokUnmannedAircraft
#Turgis&Gaillard #French
