French car giant Renault is entering into a partnership with defense technology company Thales to produce military drones. Under the agreement, Renault will manufacture the Toutatis kamikaze drones developed by Thales at one of its plants.
According to the report, production is planned to reach 1,000 units per month from 2027. The drones will be mainly exported to foreign markets.
The agreement was announced at the Eurosatory international defense exhibition near Paris. This is the second major defense cooperation between Renault and Thales. The parties are also currently working together on the development of a military vehicle.
Thales CEO Patrice Kane said that the project was developed taking into account the military needs observed in various conflict zones in recent years, especially in the Ukrainian war. According to him, kamikaze drones that circle over a target and strike have become one of the main elements of modern warfare.
Renault CEO Francois Provost noted that the company's industrial and manufacturing experience will allow drones to be produced faster and at a lower cost. Thales currently produces about 100 Toutatis drones per year. The new partnership will significantly increase production.
The companies say that the production process will switch from 3D printing technology to a larger-scale plastic molding method. At the same time, changes will be made to the drone's design, reducing the number of parts by about 40%, which will help reduce costs.
Although France has not yet announced plans for large-scale purchases of these drones, the companies emphasize that there is serious demand in international markets.
Renault is also working on other defense projects in parallel. The company is developing a long-range drone with Turgis Gaillard and is expected to present the first prototype by the end of the year. After that, the plant in Le Mans plans to produce 600 drones per month.
In addition, Renault is also collaborating with the Belgian company John Cockerill on the development of ground-based unmanned military platforms.
Experts believe that, against the backdrop of Russia's war against Ukraine and the rapid increase in defense spending in Europe, the entry of automakers into the military industry will expand further in the coming years.
