Renault will manufacture military attack drones at its French automobile factories, the company confirmed Monday to Reuters, converting car assembly lines to produce up to 600 strike-capable unmanned aircraft monthly under a partnership potentially worth €1 billion.
“At the request of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Renault Group has been invited to contribute its expertise to the development of a French drone industry,” a Renault spokesperson said.
The partnership with defense contractor Turgis Gaillard centers on Project Chorus, a long-range remotely operated munition designed for strike missions and intelligence gathering, according to French industrial magazine L’Usine Nouvelle, which first reported details of the collaboration Sunday.
Renault’s Le Mans plant would handle drone airframe assembly while the Cléon facility would manufacture engines, employing between 100 and 200 workers from existing automotive chassis production lines. The company declined to officially confirm specific locations.
The project began in early 2025 when France’s Directorate General of Armaments invited Renault to participate in the Drone Pact initiative. A 30-person Renault engineering team redesigned the drone using automotive materials and assembly techniques to reduce costs and enable mass production.
The partnership could generate contracts worth approximately €1 billion over 10 years with the French defense ministry if the drone meets performance requirements, L’Usine Nouvelle reported.
Turgis Gaillard, a 400-employee defense firm with €75 million in annual revenue, specializes in niche military applications. “Our flexibility and responsiveness come from making things that are truly simple, easy to produce and rapidly deployable,” CEO Fanny Turgis told L’Usine Nouvelle in June 2025.
Former Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu revealed in June that a major French automaker would collaborate with a defense company on drone production, though he did not name Renault at the time.
The shift has generated controversy among some Renault workers. Union representatives told French media in mid-2025 that employees had signed contracts to build vehicles, not military equipment.
Fabrice Cambolive, Renault’s chief growth officer, confirmed Tuesday on BFM TV that the project remains in development. “We have been contacted for our industrial expertise in production and design. This project is currently underway,” he said.
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