Renault teams up with Thales to boost France's drone production

Renault will expand into defense manufacturing by partnering with Thales to produce the Toutatis remotely operated loitering munition at a Renault factory in France. The companies said at the Eurosatory defense fair outside Paris that production of 1,000 units per month could begin as early as next year, targeting mainly overseas markets. The agreement is the second defense partnership between the groups, after their work on a military vehicle. Thales CEO Patrice Caine linked the effort to operational lessons from Ukraine and shifting European priorities amid higher defense spending. Renault said it was asked by France’s armed forces ministry in February to help strengthen the country’s defense sector. Thales currently produces around 100 Toutatis units per year; Renault will help scale output using larger-scale plastic injection molding instead of 3D printing. Renault and Thales also said costs should fall through design and manufacturing changes, cutting parts and fasteners by about 40%.