By Pierre Tran

Paris – The armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, visited Feb. 27 Turgis Gaillard, a private company developing and building a low-cost medium-altitude, long-endurance combat drone, dubbed Aarok, at Blois, central France.   

“Turgis Gaillard had the honor to welcome the armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on its site at the Blois-Le Breuil aerodrome,” the company said in a Feb. 27 statement. “At this visit, the teams were able to present the latest developments on the Aarok project, which stands as a symbol of innovation and French military sovereignty.”

That high-profile ministerial visit to the Aarok unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Blois, underscored a French switch in procurement policy of military drones, sparked by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

That Aarok drone made a bigger media splash when it went on display two years ago at the Paris air show, with the company pitching its prototype as an affordable UAV for combat, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, offered at a low price and speedy delivery.

The static display of the Aarok drone at the air show, right next to the French armed forces chalet, sparked doubts on the outlook for the European MALE UAV, dubbed Eurodrone, which carries a price tag of €7.1 billion. 

The Safran AASM powered smart-bomb and an unidentified anti-tank weapon were among the weapons displayed with the drone.

Blois is in the Loire valley, known for its elegant chateaux and rolling green countryside along the great Loire river. The defense ministry sees the work on the Aarok combat drone as creating jobs and regenerating the local economy.      

Game Changer

The war in Ukraine was nothing less than a “game changer” for drones in reconnaissance, tactical observation, and as lethal weapons, the private office of the defense minister told journalists. That conflict showed France needed to catch up in drone capability, and build a solid domestic industry building drones.

A financial effort worth €5 billion was earmarked in the French 2024-2030 military budget law for development and procurement of drones for all the services – land, sea, and air, the office said. Some €500 million was set aside for drones in the 2024 military budget. 

The importance of drones could be seen with the defense ministry signing at the Eurosatory trade show last June its pact with industry for building air drones for the military, indicating the pivot to pursuing development of a domestic drone industry. 

Keep It Simple 

A major change came in early 2024 with a simplification of procurement, ditching a detailed set of specifications for a more basic expression of requirement, with a number of companies informed of requirement for a low-end MALE drone, the office said.

That simpler approach sought to stimulate innovation, the office said, as the ministry was not launching a detailed procurement for a specific weapon, but was offering government funds for development of a low-end drone, with first flight in 2026 and delivery in 2027. 

It was up to companies to find a way to meet the requirement.

The first batch of government funding to companies proposing a low-cost UAV was due to be announced in June at the Paris air show, the office said. If the companies could fly their low-cost drones in 2026, contracts could be signed in 2027, with several suppliers being selected.

It was uncertain how much funding would be provided, as much depended on how many companies submitted bids. But there was a figure of some €10 million to be distributed to contractors offering to develop a low-cost UAV. 

The minister’s office declined to say which companies have shown interest in developing such a drone, other than to say there were some “large, historic companies” active in the field. 

Funding from Late Delivery

The source of government funding will stem from penalties charged for lateness on large arms programs, particularly the four-nation European MALE UAV. 

Airbus Defence and Space, based in Germany, is prime contractor on that drone program, which is under development and running late. The leading subcontractors are Dassault Aviation for France, Leonardo for Italy, and the Airbus DS unit for Spain. Germany is the lead nation. That twin-engined drone is due to fly in 2030. 

There are potential offers of low-cost UAVs from five to 10 or so companies, the office said, and the authorities will provide some government funding, although that will not cover full development costs. The companies will need to fund from their own resources. A mix of large and small companies have shown interest.            

Turgis Gaillard has not been selected to supply its UAV, but its Aarok prototype is considered to be “certifiable but not certified,” the minister’s office said. 

Aarok Works on Loitering Munition

The Aarok drone completed tests on the runway a couple of weeks ago, and the UAV is due for maiden flight with a pilot onboard in May, the office said. The DGAC civil aviation authority has held up first flight of the Aarok, but that authorization is expected for May or June, the office said.

Turgis Gaillard previously expected first flight in early 2024, entering into service two years later, Patrick Gaillard, chief executive and co-founder of the company has previously said.

Turgis et Gaillard was also developing a long-range loitering munition, seen by the French authorities as one of the top priority weapons in the war economy, the office said. 

The €500 million funds for 2024 earmarked for French drones included development of loitering munitions – or “kamikaze drones.” 

The war in Ukraine showed the deadly effectiveness of loitering munitions, leading Paris to order an emergency shipment of short-range loitering munitions built by Delair and KNDS France, under the Colibri project. The French authorities are also shipping a munition from MBDA, and its project partner, Novadem. 

Procurement of low-cost UAVs is seen as “complementary” to the Eurodrone and Safran Patroller tactical UAV, the office said. 

“It is definitely not a substitute,” the office said.

There was interest in the car industry in building a low-cost drone, the office said, as there was experience in mass production, which helped drive down costs.

Turgis Gaillard was looking closely at the car industry in their work on developing a long-range loitering munition, the office said. 

The company was offering a drone which would be “ITAR-free,” the office said, referring to equipment which would avoid authorization for shipment from the U.S. international traffic in arms regulations.

Electric motors, most of which are built in China, will not be used on the low-cost drones, which will be powered by turboprop, with expectations a Safran engine will be used, the office said.

There were no French companies with a MALE drone available on the shelf, the office said. The task was to innovate, develop those drones, fly them in 2026, and deliver in 2027.  

The ministerial visit to Blois underlined the political significance of “re-industrialization” of the regions and creation of jobs, the office said. A planned opening of a factory for Aarok at Blois would create 50 or so jobs, adding to the 30 staff working there, up from the eight in 2020. There were also some 100 engineers working in the Var region in the south.  

The Aarok has a take-off weight of 5.5 tons, and is powered by a turboprop engine. The drone has empty weight of 2.5 tons, and can carry almost 3 tons of fuel, weapons and mission kit.

The UAV can fly more than 20 hours, with cruising speed of some 450 km/h and at 15,000 meter altitude.

Meanwhile across the Channel, the U.K. is reported to complete the early retirement of the British army’s Watchkeeper drone in March, following the November announcement by the secretary of defense, John Healey, of cuts in military spending. 

The British unit of Thales, a French electronics company, won that Watchkeeper contract, worth some £800 million, with an offer based on the Hermes 450 drone from Elbit Systems, an Israeli company. That Watchkeeper drone entered service in 2010 and had a troubled life.

An Update on European Drones: February 2024

AAROK MALE UAV