Reveal of French-made combat drone stirs up industry

PARIS — The reveal of a French-made unmanned aerial system at the Paris Air Show here has sparked a debate across the drone industry regarding the extent to which it will compete with same-category systems like the notional Eurodrone and the U.S.-made MQ-9 Reaper.

The Aarok is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) combat drone, designed and made in France by Turgis & Gaillard.

Its development began three years ago, although its capabilities were only disclosed for the first time over the last week. The system is envisioned to carry up to 6,000 lbs (3,000 kilograms) of payload and fly for up to 24 hours. It is powered by a PT6 turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada. According to the company, the Aarok is designed to carry out a wide range of missions, including strike operations, land and maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.

Because of its reported capabilities and size, the Aarok has earned several comparisons by the French press to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone that the French military already operates. The newcomer is 3 feet larger than the American system, with a 72-foot wingspan, but their differences seemingly do not stop there.

“It is clear that the Reaper has created a tremendous benchmark you have to meet for entry into a very competitive market,” C. Mark Brinkley, senior director of strategic communications at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), told Defense News. “If you’re coming in 20 years later with your own version, you have to earn your experience.”

Brinkley added that it is too early to tell what the Aarok drone can actually do or how it performs, as it has not yet flown. The French company has said that it is hopeful that the system will fly for the first time before the end of this year. In contrast, the MQ-9A Reaper has already logged more than four million flying hours, according to the manufacturer.

Marketed as the first European MALE drone at the show, the Aarok was shown next to four AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions produced by Safran, which can be the drone’s armament.

The arrival of the prototype has raised many questions regarding how it hopes to coexist with the multinational Eurodrone project. Last year, France re-stated its intention to acquire a total of six systems, four of which have already been ordered. The goal is that the French Eurodrones will gradually replace the Reapers currently in operation within the military and set to be retired after 2030.

Turgis & Gaillard declined to comment on which customers it hopes to sell the Aarok to.

The Eurodrone initiative has faced considerable delays over the years and is currently not supposed to enter into service before 2030. When contacted, an Airbus official said that there was no comment from their side on the Aarok at this time.

As for GA-ASI, Brinkley said that while the company sees new competition as a source of innovation and welcomes it, the company nonetheless “owns this category of platforms and isn’t going anywhere.”

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

巴黎——法国在巴黎航展上推出的一款无人机系统引发了整个无人机行业的辩论，争论的焦点在于它将在多大程度上与同类系统（如设想中的欧洲无人机和美国制造的MQ-9死神无人机）竞争。

Aarok 是一款中空长航时 (MALE) 战斗无人机，由法国 Turgis & Gaillard 公司设计和制造。

该系统的研发始于三年前，但其性能直到上周才首次公开。该系统预计可携带高达 6,000 磅（3,000 公斤）的有效载荷，并可飞行长达 24 小时。它由一台加拿大普惠公司生产的 PT6 涡轮螺旋桨发动机提供动力。据该公司称，Aarok 无人机旨在执行多种任务，包括打击行动、陆地和海上监视以及反潜作战。

由于其报道的性能和尺寸，法国媒体多次将Aarok无人机与法国军方目前使用的美国MQ-9“死神”无人机进行比较。这款新无人机比美国MQ-9“死神”长3英尺，翼展达72英尺，但它们之间的差异似乎远不止于此。

通用原子航空系统公司（GA-ASI）战略传播高级总监C·马克·布林克利告诉《防务新闻》：“很明显，‘死神’无人机树立了进入竞争激烈的市场必须达到的巨大标杆。如果你在20年后带着自己的版本进入市场，你就必须积累经验。”

布林克利补充说，现在判断Aarok无人机的实际功能和性能还为时尚早，因为它尚未进行过试飞。这家法国公司表示，希望该系统能在今年年底前完成首飞。相比之下，据制造商称，MQ-9A“死神”无人机的飞行时间已超过400万小时。

Aarok 无人机在展会上被宣传为欧洲首款中空长航时无人机，它与赛峰集团生产的四枚 AASM Hammer 精确制导武器一同展出，这些武器可以作为该无人机的武器装备。

原型机的到来引发了诸多疑问，人们关注它将如何与多国合作的“欧洲无人机”项目共存。去年，法国重申了采购共计六套系统的意向，其中四套已订购。法国的目标是让“欧洲无人机”逐步取代目前军方正在服役、计划于2030年后退役的“死神”无人机。

Turgis & Gaillard拒绝就其希望将Aarok出售给哪些客户发表评论。

欧洲无人机计划多年来遭遇了相当大的延误，目前预计要到2030年才能投入使用。记者联系到一位空客官员，该官员表示目前他们对此不予置评。

至于 GA-ASI，布林克利表示，虽然该公司将新的竞争视为创新的源泉并表示欢迎，但该公司仍然“拥有这一类平台，并且不会离开”。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。