France and Ukraine will jointly produce Aarok MALE drones in Ukraine

French company Turgis & Gaillard and Ukraine’s Antonov will produce Aarok MALE drones jointly. The state-owned company Antonov has signed an agreement with the French company Turgis & Gaillard.

An agreement was signed during last weekend’s visit to Kyiv by the French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, informs La Tribune.

This cooperation will enable the manufacture, directly from Ukraine, of a consumable drone based on the Aarok MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone. As a reminder, the Aarok was one of the stars of the Paris Air Show.

The French Aarok MALE drone can perform both reconnaissance and strike missions. Aarok MALE can deliver weapons and ammunition, adjust artillery strikes and intercept air targets.

The Aarok MALE can stay in the air for up to 30 hours and is comparable to the US MQ-9 Reaper.

This MALE (Medium Altitude Long Range) drone, in the category of a Reaper (5.5 tons), developed by this small French ETI with sales of 50 million euros, should take off in the Ukraine as early as next year.

Antonov is a well-known Ukrainian aeronautics company, having built numerous aircraft, particularly heavy transport aircraft, including the An-225 Mryia. However, in June 2023, it was reported that Antonov had made a drone centre.

It aims to support many small Ukrainian drone companies producing numerous UAVs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For obvious security reasons, the location of this centre is top secret.