Renault works on a military and civilian drone project
Renault, the French car manufacturer, acknowledged on Monday, March 30 that they are working on “a ground drone project for military and civilian use” for reconnaissance on the battlefield. This confirms, in part, an article from L’Usine Nouvelle about a partnership between Renault and John Cockerill, the owner of military vehicle supplier Arquus.
The Renault R&D teams are testing and exploring various options, such as ground robots, which also have potential civilian applications. Renault stated that this is an exploratory study project, without confirming the name of the partner company.
At the beginning of the year, Renault was contacted by the Ministry of Armed Forces, interested in their rapid development and production capabilities. The R&D teams at Renault are working on various defense sector projects, always looking for civilian applications.
According to L’Usine Nouvelle, the ground drone prototype being developed by Renault and John Cockerill is about the size of a small car and is expected to be presented at the Eurosatory exhibition in June. This information has not been confirmed by Renault.
Designed for battlefield reconnaissance, the drone resembles a small lunar 4×4 equipped with several suspended cameras. It will be produced on a technological platform incorporating some modules and components from the Renault group.
This is a new defense project for Renault following the development of an airborne drone with defense company Turgis Gaillard, which is to be produced at the Le Mans plant at a rate of up to 600 units per month.
In the longer term, a second project between Renault and Arquus in light military vehicles could potentially militarize models derived from the Dacia range, as reported by L’Usine Nouvelle.
