France Taps Automaker Renault to Produce New Shahed-Type Chorus Loitering Munition.

Renault is preparing to manufacture the Chorus long-range loitering munition in France, working with defense firm Turgis Gaillard under a program overseen by the DGA. The initiative highlights France’s push to use civilian industrial capacity to rapidly produce affordable strike and intelligence drones at scale.

French automaker Renault is positioning itself to manufacture a new long-range loitering munition known as Chorus on French soil, according to reporting by L’Usine Nouvelle and confirmation provided by the company to Agence France-Presse. Developed in partnership with French defense company Turgis Gaillard and supervised by the Direction générale de l’armement, the effort reflects the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ broader strategy to accelerate output of simple, attritable military systems by drawing on the production depth and efficiency of civilian industry.
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Concept illustration of the Chorus long-range loitering munition, a Shahed-type drone designed for deep-strike missions, featuring a simplified airframe optimized for mass production and powered by a piston engine adapted from civilian technology. (Picture source: Editing content from Army Recognition Group)

The concept did not emerge suddenly. As early as February 2025, Emmanuel Chiva, then head of the DGA, explained that France needed to learn how to produce large numbers of long-range loitering munitions, known in French as Munitions télé-opérées (MTO), comparable to those widely used in Ukraine since 2022. The automotive sector was explicitly identified as a source of industrial expertise capable of absorbing high production rates within a short timeframe. One year later, this reasoning took concrete form with Chorus, a program that remains discreet but is now structured enough to support an industrial rollout.

According to available information, Renault would adapt parts of its plants in Le Mans and Cléon to assemble the drone, without positioning itself as a defense company in its own right. The manufacturer would contribute production methods, assembly lines, and cost-control expertise, while Turgis Gaillard would retain responsibility for the military design and the integration of operational payloads. The mid-sized defense firm previously gained visibility with its MALE Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Aarok drone, whose flight tests began in 2025 but have not yet resulted in an order from the French government.

Chorus stands out for its size relative to typical loitering munitions. Data cited by several industrial sources point to an airframe approximately ten meters long with a wingspan of about eight meters. Propulsion would rely on a piston internal combustion engine adapted from civilian technologies, enabling speeds of roughly 400 kilometers per hour and an operating ceiling around 5,000 meters. Its range is expected to exceed 1,000 kilometers, placing Chorus in the category of deep-strike systems rather than frontline tactical drones.

The exact payload has not been disclosed, but the concept centers on an expendable platform designed to remain affordable, with a unit cost estimated between €20,000 and €50,000 depending on configuration. Beyond its strike role, Chorus could also be fitted with electro-optical sensors for intelligence missions, implying the presence of a data link for guidance and image transmission over long distances, with the usual exposure to electronic warfare and jamming constraints.

From an operational perspective, Chorus clearly follows the employment logic observed in Ukraine with Iranian-designed Shahed drones and their Russian Geran derivatives. The emphasis lies less on sophistication than on saturation, persistence, and reach. Such a system is intended to strike infrastructure, logistics hubs, or fixed targets far behind the front line, while complicating enemy air defense efforts through numbers and dispersed flight profiles. Used alongside other strike assets, it may also serve to exhaust opposing surface-to-air defenses by forcing the expenditure of costly interceptors against relatively simple drones.

The planned production rate, potentially reaching up to 600 units per month according to industrial sources cited by BFMTV, represents a shift for the French defense industrial base. Renault refers to a dedicated production line that could be activated based on DGA orders, employing between 100 and 200 volunteer workers. Around ten drones are expected to be delivered by summer 2026 for validation trials, a prerequisite for a potential contract estimated at approximately €1 billion over ten years if performance requirements are met.

Beyond the Chorus program itself, the initiative reflects a broader evolution in France’s industrial posture. By reviving a model already seen during the First World War, when Renault produced tanks and Michelin manufactured aircraft, the state is openly breaking down barriers between civilian industry and defense production. At the geopolitical level, the ability to rapidly produce large numbers of strike drones strengthens French and European strategic autonomy while sending a clear signal to partners and potential adversaries. It also fits into a context of growing militarization of dual-use technologies and industrial competition, where production speed is becoming as critical to military credibility as technical performance.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.