Ukraine is set to become a major hub for arms production in Europe. French automaker Renault is preparing to invest in the country to manufacture large quantities of drones intended for use on the front lines—and by the French military, which hopes to benefit from Ukraine’s frontline experience.
According to Ukrainian media, France and Ukraine will collaborate to produce drones on Ukrainian soil, with Renault playing a central role. French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that Renault will team up with a French defence SME to establish production lines just dozens—or a few hundred—kilometres from the battlefield.
“It marks a turning point, more than three years into the war in Ukraine, and stands as a symbol of Europe’s rearmament and the wave of massive investment in the defence industry,” FranceInfo reports.
The drones will be designed for use by both the Ukrainian and French armies, with Ukraine providing real-time feedback based on combat experience. “There will be no need to ask French citizens to work on production lines in Ukraine,” Mr. Lecornu clarified. The aim is to ramp up production to several thousand drones within a few months.
Ukrainian economists say the timing for launching such a co-production venture is ideal, especially after the Verkhovna Rada recently exempted optical fibre—crucial for drone manufacturing—from customs duties and VAT. Ukraine brings to the table tactical knowledge honed on the front lines, along with expertise in electronic warfare and other specialised operations, allowing the French military to benefit from practical insights grounded in the realities of modern warfare.
“We have combat experience, and France has a powerful industry. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership,” stressed Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. He added that both countries are also exploring joint production of air defence systems and other weapons, with plans to manufacture in both Ukraine and France.
In 2025, Ukraine plans to deploy more than 4.5 million drones. Both Ukraine and Russia are aggressively advancing attack drone technologies that rely on fibre-optic command systems, with Russia receiving support from China in this area. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, estimates that the range of these drones could soon extend to 30 to 50 kilometres—and is likely to grow even further.
“NATO armies currently lack effective countermeasure technology,” Mr. Kovalenko noted. “Some of the high-tech weapons that gave the West an advantage from the 1980s until 2022 no longer provide that edge on the battlefield when faced with large numbers of troops and drones.” Against this backdrop, the new Franco-Ukrainian collaboration is not only promising but vital for the security of all Europe.
Fibre-optically guided drones are becoming increasingly important in the war, particularly in environments where electronic warfare systems—which jam communications and GPS—are widespread. Unlike traditional drones, these transmit signals and receive commands not through radio, but via a thin fibre-optic cable that unspools from a reel at the rear of the device.
Beyond drones, all CAESAR self-propelled howitzers produced in France in 2025 are slated for delivery to the Ukrainian armed forces. Ukraine is also set to receive a new batch of demining robots funded by France in the near future.
