Drones? Europe’s Automakers Are Taking Orders.

Renault to Begin Production of Chorus Military Drones at French Plants

May 27, 2026

French automaker Renault plans to start manufacturing the Chorus military drone in early 2027 at two of its existing industrial sites. The project involves a partnership with defense contractor Turgis Gaillard and forms part of France’s effort to expand domestic unmanned aerial systems capacity.

The Chorus is described by its developers as a drone with both reconnaissance and strike capabilities. According to reporting in L’Usine Nouvelle, it is designed to carry a 500-kilogram payload over an estimated range of 3,000 kilometers at a unit cost of €120,000. Production will use engines built at Renault’s Cléon plant near Rouen, with final assembly at the Le Mans facility, which normally produces chassis components. Full-rate output is projected at 600 units per month once production stabilizes.

Renault has stated that the agreement does not represent a strategic shift toward defense manufacturing. In a winter press release following approval by employee representatives, the company said it “does not aim to become a major actor in the defense sector.” The reported contract is a 10-year arrangement with the French government valued at €1 billion. For context, Renault recorded nearly €58 billion in global revenue in 2025. Monthly drone volumes remain small relative to the thousands of engines and chassis frames produced at the same sites.

The project aligns with French government efforts to increase national production of long-range drones. French officials have cited the need to diversify sources beyond current reliance on U.S.-supplied MQ-9 Reaper aircraft and to establish scalable domestic manufacturing lines. Defense procurement director Patrick Pailloux told a Senate hearing in February that the Renault arrangement is intended primarily to establish production infrastructure that could be expanded if required, rather than to acquire a specific system expected to remain in service indefinitely.

Other European automakers have also explored defense-related work. Volkswagen has held discussions with Israel’s Rafael on missile-defense components. Mercedes-Benz chief executive Ola Källenius stated in a May 15 interview with The Wall Street Journal that the company would consider contributing to European defense capacity if asked. Historically, several major European vehicle manufacturers maintained military divisions before divesting them in the 1990s and 2000s. Renault sold its Renault Trucks Defense unit in 2001; the business, later renamed Arquus, is now owned by Belgium’s John Cockerill group. Arquus and Renault have since collaborated on an unmanned ground vehicle project. Renault is also scheduled to display a mobile command post developed with Thales at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in June.

At Renault, employee representatives reached differing positions on the drone contract. The CGT union branch abstained in the February social council vote after issuing a statement that any weapons work should be limited to national defense needs, placed under public oversight, and not driven by commercial export considerations. Force Ouvrière, the only union to vote in favor, reported that a majority of workers at the affected sites viewed the project positively. Management confirmed that participation would be voluntary and that additional security protocols would apply at the production locations.

Employment at the Cléon engine plant has remained near 3,000 workers, down several hundred from late-2010s levels. The site was previously designated for electric-vehicle engine production. Renault is currently restructuring its Ampère electric-vehicle division while Stellantis, owner of Peugeot, Fiat, and other brands, has announced plans to reduce European output by an estimated 800,000 vehicles by 2030. European manufacturers have also obtained adjustments to the European Union’s 2035 internal-combustion-engine phase-out timeline.

The French state has framed the Renault arrangement as one element of a broader effort to maintain industrial surge capacity in the defense sector. Production of the Chorus is scheduled to begin at the two designated plants in 2027.