Renault Group, in partnership with French aerospace firm Turgis et Gaillard Groupe, is set to begin producing long-range attack drones at its Le Mans and Cléon factories, marking a major shift from automotive to defense manufacturing.
The French multinational automaker announced plans to manufacture around 600 drones per month, reallocating personnel and machinery from its traditional car production lines to support the effort. The move signals Renault’s entry into the growing European defense industry amid rising security concerns across the region.
The drones, named Chorus, are being developed as reverse-engineered variants of the Russian and Iranian “Shahed-131/136” one-way attack drones, which have been extensively deployed in Ukraine and the Middle East. Turgis et Gaillard will oversee technical development and defense compliance, while Renault will provide large-scale production capabilities across its established industrial sites.
While Renault has not formally disclosed a production launch date, industry observers view this partnership as a pivotal moment in France’s push to strengthen domestic defense manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign equipment.
