The car manufacturer Renault wants to build drones for Ukraine together with the French defense company Turgis Gaillard. The car manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it would work with Turgis Gaillard to produce drones at two locations. The project is supported, according to the French business newspaper “Les Echoes”
A separate company called Chorus is to be founded by the French Ministry of Defense, it was said.
The company did not provide information on the contract value, the number of drones to be manufactured and whether they would be used offensively, defensively or for surveillance purposes. The Defense Ministry and Turgis Gaillard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the branch newspaper “usine nouvelle”, the first reported on the project
, the drones are to be produced in series at the Renault factories in Cléon and Le Mans. Information that Renault did not want to confirm. According to the publication, the aim is to develop a “remotely controlled long-range munition” that can also be used for observation and reconnaissance missions. The goal is to be able to produce around 600 copies per month, the paper reported, although without official confirmation.
“We were contacted because of our production and industrial development expertise,” it quoted “Financial Times”
on Tuesday Renault director Fabrice Cambolive from a conversation with the broadcaster BFM Business. “This project is currently ongoing and is led by the Ministry of Defense. We confirm our participation in this project upon request from the State.”
In June, the French government called on auto and defense companies to work together on drone production lines. Renault had already produced military equipment in the past, including tanks that were used in the First and Second World Wars.
Turgis Gaillard is a French defense company founded in 2011 with around 400 employees and a turnover of 80 million euros. Its products include various drones, some of which can carry nearly three tons of fuel, weapons or equipment.
The French initiative comes at a time when developments in Europe’s automotive and defense industries are diverging. Arms makers’ orders are booming as the continent increases defense spending, while the automotive sector struggles with the transition from traditional combustion engines to electric vehicles and competition from China.
The partnership was well received by investors. Renault shares, which also announced increasing sales figures on Tuesday, temporarily rose by more than 3 percent.