The equivalent of Ukraine's "Flamingo": France has developed the Chorus drone with a range of 3,000 km
This is reported by Zone Militaire.
Chorus specifications
According to Payu, the 'Chorus' drone will have:
- a range of up to 3,000 km;
- a payload of 500 kg;
- speed – 400 km/h;
- cost per unit – around €100,000.
The developers are taking their cue from the Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile system, which has slightly better specifications (1,150 kg warhead, 850–900 km/h), but also uses a turbojet engine.
Will there be mass production?
Despite its ambitious specifications, there are no plans for mass production of the “Chorus”.
“We do not intend to procure large quantities of such systems, which will quickly become obsolete. However, this work ensures that Renault will be able to produce them in large volumes when the time comes,” explained Payu.
Context of the French OWE programme
In January 2026, the French Ministry of Defence ordered the first batch of long-range remotely piloted munitions (MTO) of the “One Way Effector” type from the MBDA and Aviation Design consortium.
That drone has a 40 kg warhead, a range of 500 km and a speed of 400 km/h. It is planned to be used for deep tactical strikes and to wear down the enemy’s air defences (similar to the Russian “Geran-2”).
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian company Fire Point, which developed the “Flamingo” cruise missile, has recently been actively expanding its presence in the defence market.
In particular, the manufacturer has announced the development of a new air defence system, which is set to become a cheaper alternative to the Patriot, and is in talks with European companies.
Furthermore, Fire Point is nearing completion of two supersonic ballistic missiles – the FP-7 and FP-9 – one of which will be capable of reaching Moscow.
