French automaker Renault has struck a deal with French defense company Turgis Gaillard to produce drones for Ukraine. Renault has experience in manufacturing defense products, including tanks used in World Wars I and II.
The Financial Times writes about this.
The contract comes after the French government called on automotive and defense companies to jointly create drone production lines by June 2025. The initiative comes amid diverging trends in the European automotive and defense sectors: orders for arms manufacturers have increased sharply, while the automotive industry is struggling due to the shift to electric vehicles and competition from China.
Renault said the drones will be manufactured at two of the companyʼs sites, which have not yet been specifically identified. However, it declined to comment on the value of the contract or the number of drones planned to be manufactured. It also declined to specify what types of drones are involved — strike, reconnaissance or other.
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