Naval Group announced an agreement with Turgis Gaillard to develop a shipborne variant of the AAROK UCAV, setting France as a new player in shipborne UCAVs.
Naval Group announced a cooperation agreement with France’s new UCAV manufacturer Turgis Gaillard to develop a shipborne variant of the AAROK HALE UCAV and test it from an undisclosed ship.
It would not be wrong to say that the naval AAROK will have some core changes, including a larger wing area, reinforced landing gear, a more powerful engine, and folding wings. These changes, as a rule of thumb, are needed due to the need to reach takeoff conditions more quickly (Which demand more power and lift from wings) and higher forces being exerted on an airframe for carrier landing.
There are two possibilities for a shipborne AAROK: Mistral-class LHDs and Charles de Gaulle (R91) aircraft carrier.
While the Mistral-class comes as a surprise for some, it has been shown that STOL UCAVs can at least take off from a ship with similar deck dimensions. GA-ASI’s Mojave STOL UCAV took off from ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111) during a joint test. However, taking off from a flat-deck ship with a very short runway is sure to place limitations on payload and fuel. The stated goal for 20 hours of endurance, which is close to the baseline AAROK, points out the other way.
Charles de Gaulle would be the more likely option, as the usage of a catapult allows an aircraft to maximise its load. To integrate AAROK on Charles de Gaulle, extra modifications on the frontal landing gear and the addition of an arresting hook are required beyond the previously discussed changes.
Currently, Turkiye and the US have developed and tested shipborne UCAVs, and China is known to be working on the integration of its GJ-11 stealth UCAV on catapult-fitted ships.
Turkiye is close to fielding Bayraktar TB3 UCAV on its TCG Anadolu (L400) LHD with 100+ sorties from the ship, including weapon tests in different scenarios. The follow-up plan is to adapt the KIZILELMA unmanned fighter and TUSAŞ’s ANKA-III stealth UCAV for carrier-borne operations for fielding onboard the MUGEM aircraft carrier alongside Bayraktar TB3.
The US, on the other hand, tested the Mojave (Grey Eagle STOL) UCAV from the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier (R08) for F-35B STOVL fighters and ROKN’s ROKS Dokdo LHD. The plan of the US is to adapt MQ-9 for shipborne operations with the STOL kit, as well as develop the turbofan-powered CATOBAR Gambit 5 CCA with General Atomics at the forefront.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
