The prototype of a new French-manufactured drone dubbed the ‘Aarok’ has emerged ahead of the Paris Air Show. Conceived by the French defence contractor Turgis and Galliard (who have been developing the Aarok for three years), this new Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) is immediately distinctive on account of its size: weighing in at an estimated 5.4t maximum take-off weight and boasting a 72ft wingspan. Driven by a 1,200hp Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6 turpobrop powering a conventional front-mounted propeller, the Aarok project has been entirely self-funded thus far.

With an endurance of more than 24 hours, the Aarok is the latest addition to the Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) family of drones. It is intended to operate in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacities alongside strike missions, with its robust landing gear facilitating operations from rough fields.

The drone has a maximum payload of 6,000lb (including up to 3,000lb of weapons), including the precision-guided French-made AASM Hammer, with options to integrate various sizes of bombs. The Aarok will be capable of carrying out “high-intensity strikes even in congested areas” and will include “high-performance optronic and electromagnetic sensors”.

The manufacturers are working towards an initial flight before the end of the year, potentially aiming to enter service from mid-2025 subject to required authorizations being secured. According to a report in the French media, the Aarok will be displayed “a few metres from [the stand] of the Ministry of Armed Forces,” potentially symbolising Turgis and Galliard’s ambition to offer France a domestically-produced alternative to the MQ-9A Reaper drone.