Renault and Thales to build attack drone Toutatis from 2027

Armament Renault and Thales Build drones

2026-06-17 From Thomas Günnel | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

Renault and the defense company Thales will jointly build drones. Production could start as early as 2027.

The "4 Troop," based on the Rafale, is intended to serve as a mobile command station.(Source: Renault) — The "4 Troop," based on the Rafale, is intended to serve as a mobile command station.
(Source: Renault)

The Renault Group and Thales will jointly produce drones in the future. The companies agreed to develop and industrialize the mass production of Thales' remotely controlled attack drone "Toutatis." Previously, the companies had introduced the vehicle "4 TROOP"—a car based on the Rafale, designed primarily as a mobile command center for controlling unmanned drones.

The production of attack drones could begin as early as 2027. According to Renault, the initial capacity would then be 1,000 units per month. With this collaboration, Renault and Thales aim to "establish an independent, agile, and competitive drone industry in France that is fully aligned with the requirements of the war economy."

Mercedes-Benz aims to manufacture mobile systems for drone defense with Tytan Technologies. (Source: Tytan Technologies)

What Can the Drone Toutatis Do?

The short-range attack drone Toutatis can be deployed by infantry soldiers and launched from platforms, including combat vehicles, aircraft, and naval platforms. Toutatis is resistant to electromagnetic jamming and equipped with a mission-configurable warhead. The drone has an operational range of around 30 kilometers (approx. 18.6 miles) and can fly at speeds of up to 150 km/h (93 mph).

According to Thales, it can neutralize targets such as combat vehicles— with human operators remaining involved in the decision-making process. Toutatis can operate as part of a drone swarm and is a scalable system that can adapt to changing operational requirements.

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