The AAROK combat drone is France's first entirely domestically developed medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, unveiled by Turgis and Gaillard at the 2023 Paris Air Show. Built from French-made components and assembled with in-country defence capabilities, the AAROK offers a 24-hour flight endurance, a payload capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes, and the ability to carry missiles, munitions, sensors, and reconnaissance systems simultaneously.
Turgis and Gaillard: Building France's Answer to the Reaper
Turgis and Gaillard was founded in 2011 by former French army intelligence officer Gaillard and his childhood friend Fanny Turgis. The company, headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris and employing around 300 people across nine sites, positioned the AAROK as a cost-effective sovereign alternative to imported MALE UAV platforms for the French armed forces and allied European nations. The AAROK made its debut at the Paris Air Show 2023 and completed its first flight at the Blois-Le Breuil airfield in September 2025, reaching 5,000 feet altitude during an initial one-hour test with a safety pilot onboard.
Technical Specifications
The AAROK has a maximum take-off weight of 5.5 tonnes and carries up to 3 tonnes of combined payload including fuel, mission equipment, and 1.5 tonnes of armaments. It is designed to cruise at 250 knots (463 km/h) and can operate at up to 30,000 feet for a maximum of 30 hours. The cost-efficient philosophy runs through every component decision: by specifying French-made subsystems throughout, Turgis and Gaillard can control quality, pricing, and supply chain security in a way that imported platforms cannot match.
Maritime and Strike Missions
The AAROK's combination of endurance and payload capacity makes it particularly well-suited to maritime patrol operations: its 30-hour flight range is enough to cover large sea areas on a single sortie, and its payload bay can be configured for anti-ship missiles, maritime surveillance radar, or ISR sensor packages. Turgis and Gaillard have specifically marketed the AAROK for naval operations, and in 2025 announced a partnership with Thales to integrate the AirMaster S airborne surveillance radar. More technical detail is available at airforce-technology.com and Breaking Defense.
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Photo: AAROK / Turgis and Gaillard
