French automotive and defence companies will establish drone production facilities on Ukrainian soil, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on 6 June, describing the arrangement as a “win-win” partnership with Kyiv.

“We are launching a completely unprecedented partnership where a major French car manufacturing company – I won’t give the name because it’s up to them to announce it – will ally with a French defence SME to arm production lines in Ukraine to be capable of producing drones,” Lecornu told LCI television channel.

The minister did not specify the type of drones to be manufactured but confirmed they will serve Ukrainian forces while also benefiting French military units “to have permanent tactical, operational training that matches the reality” of the Ukraine war. Ukrainian forces will provide feedback on battlefield drone usage in return.

According to Lecornu, French citizens will not be required to work on the Ukrainian production line. He credited Ukrainian expertise, saying that Ukrainians “are better than us in the capacity to imagine drones and especially to develop the doctrine that goes around them.”

Ukraine plans to deploy over 4.5 million drones in 2025, with drones accounting for 70% of Russian equipment destruction at the front, Le Monde reports. The French military, which operates several thousand drones, seeks to close its capability gap in this domain.

The announcement follows discussions between Ukrainian and French defence ministers in Brussels on 5 June regarding joint weapons production for Ukrainian defence needs. At the 28th Ramstein meeting at NATO headquarters, Ukraine and partner states agreed to establish a defence production mechanism.

 Several European partners have recently invested in Ukraine’s drone production

Finland established a drone manufacturing factory in cooperation with Ukrainian partners to produce drones for both Ukraine and the EU, with mass production starting in early 2025. The Netherlands announced a €700 million ($798 mn) investment focused on advancing drone technology and supporting Ukraine’s defense industry. The UK is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars to scale up drone production for Ukraine in 2025. Norway has redirected funds to support Ukrainian-made drone production.