Renault, one of France's oldest and most successful automakers, has announced a strategic alliance with defense technology firm Thales to manufacture "Toutatis" loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) at one of its plants. Production is expected to reach 1,000 units per month by next year, targeting international markets.
"What does a THAAD air defense missile have in common with a Corvette (the iconic American sports car from General Motors)?" asked Frank St. John, Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin. "Both are products of high engineering, both are manufactured with precision processes, both have broad and multi-dimensional supply chains, and both are produced at mass rates." With these words, Lockheed Martin announced the official entry of the American giant General Motors into the war industry.
On the other side of the Atlantic, a similar scene of terror is unfolding in Europe, where Renault, one of France's oldest and most successful automakers, announced a strategic alliance with defense technology firm Thales. Renault will undertake the construction of Thales’ "Toutatis" loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) at one of its plants. Production is expected to reach 1,000 units per month by as early as next year, with the main goal being foreign markets. The simultaneous return of these two automotive giants to the defense sector awakens nightmarish memories from World War II, when the world's largest car manufacturers converted their production lines into factories for tanks, armored vehicles, and shells.
The dark history of the war industry
Automakers have a long history in arms production. During World War II, global giants like Mitsubishi and Toyota in Japan, Volkswagen and Daimler-Benz in Germany, Renault in France, Rolls-Royce in the UK, Fiat in Italy, as well as Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler in the US, were deeply involved in wartime production, building everything from aircraft engines to ammunition and military trucks. After the war ended, most returned to civilian production. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the recent catastrophic war between the US and Iran brought the West face-to-face with a harsh and raw reality: post-Cold War stockpiles are tragically insufficient to sustain a prolonged, high-intensity conflict.
The 40-day shock: How US warehouses were emptied
The US-Iran war, which lasted just 40 days, literally depleted the American arsenal. According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), before the start of "Operation Epic Fury" on February 28, 2026, the US possessed:
3,100 Tomahawk (TLAM) missiles, of which over 1,000 were launched (nearly one-third of the stock);
400 THAAD interceptors, with 190–290 used;
2,500 Patriot interceptors, with 1,060–1,430 fired;
SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, which suffered heavy losses;
over 1,100 JASSM cruise missiles out of a total of 4,000;
and 40–70 PrSM (Precision Strike Missile) units lost out of fewer than 100 available.
The nightmare question is this: if the world's greatest military power exhausted one-third to one-half of its critical guided missiles in just 40 days—in a war without even a land invasion—how will Washington manage to endure a prolonged conflict with an equal adversary like China or Russia?
(Thaad system)
Industrial mobilization by Donald Trump
On June 16, Lockheed Martin and GM Defense announced their partnership to bolster the US defense industrial base under the auspices of the American Department of War (DoW). The deal was announced on the exact same day that President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act (1950) to address dramatic shortages. "I find that conditions exist that pose an immediate threat to national defense. Systemic constraints in ammunition production, fragile supply chains, and bottlenecks may undermine the ability of the US to produce and expand the availability of the missiles and equipment required," stated Donald Trump’s presidential decree. General Motors will undertake the production of mass-use components to help Lockheed Martin triple or even quadruple production rates of PAC-3 MSE (Patriot) and THAAD missiles in the coming years, through the Munitions Acceleration Council established in 2025.
(Patriot (PAC-3))
French barrage: 1,000 Kamikaze drones per month from Renault
In Europe, Renault and Thales are proceeding with the joint development and large-scale industrialization of the "Toutatis" kamikaze drone. "This strategic partnership combines Thales' cutting-edge defense technology with the industrial might of Group Renault, with the goal of creating a sovereign and competitive drone industry in France, fully aligned with the requirements of a war economy," Renault stated. To date, Thales produced just 100 "Toutatis" drones per year (fewer than 10 per month). The goal now is to skyrocket production to 1,000 drones per month by 2027. "Toutatis" is a short-range drone, resistant to electronic interference (jamming), capable of neutralizing armored vehicles. Simultaneously, Renault is working on the "Chorus" program to develop a long-range drone, aiming for the production of 600 units per month starting next year. Russia's special operation in Ukraine shook European countries from their lethargy, revealing their tragic shortcomings. The mobilization of automakers is a clear revival of the WWII model, but it remains to be seen if this experiment will succeed in fortifying the West while the planet burns on multiple fronts.
(Toutatis drone)
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