Antonov State Enterprise and the French company Turgis & Gaillard have signed an agreement on the joint production of the Aarok MALE drone, RBC-Ukraine reports citing LaTribune.
It is about the production of a smaller and cheaper version of the drone. The agreement was signed last week during the visit of French defence minister Sebastian Lecorne to Kyiv.
The company's president and founder, Fanny Turgeon, said that the parties intend to launch the jointly produced drone in 2024.
Currently, the companies have to coordinate their next steps at the industrial and operational level to start producing drones. The parties must determine the place for the drone assembly and which French and Ukrainian equipment to choose for this UAV.
The French company emphasised that the Aarok MALE drones will not be exported - they will be produced only for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This drone was presented this year in June at the Paris Air Show. It is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone that carries various sensors and weapons depending on the mission. The maximum speed is 463 km/h. The drone can fly for 30 hours and does not require any prepared infrastructure.