Valeo will begin producing an electric motor for civilian and defense drones at the start of next year at its Sainte-Florine site in Haute-Loire, following the partnership it signed this summer with Harmattan AI. The project is backed financially by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional government and draws on technologies developed for the automotive industry.
The motor has been designed without critical rare earths, a point that aligns with broader efforts to reduce dependence on constrained strategic materials. By leveraging Valeo’s industrial know-how from automotive applications, the company is positioning the site to serve a new aerospace and defense-related market while extending the use of existing manufacturing expertise.