Daher has been selected by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) as one of five companies to develop a MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone demonstrator. Announced at the Paris Air Show 2025, this partnership highlights Daher’s robust and sustainable industrial capabilities as a recognized French aircraft manufacturer, positioned to produce drones in significant volumes by the end of the decade. The success underscores Daher’s growing momentum in the strategic defense and the sovereignty sectors, which accounted for 15.5% of the company’s revenue in 2024, totaling €300 million.
An innovative project at the heart of technological sovereignty
As part of its call for proposals, the DGA sought responses from approximately 10 European industrial players to develop large MALE drones capable of conducting long-duration operations, including in hostile environments. The initiative aims to complement France’s current drone capabilities. The specifications require a remotely piloted flight demonstration and a full technical specification by the end of 2026, with a goal of achieving an operational sovereign capability by 2030. Leveraging its aircraft manufacturing expertise, Daher is partnering with Thales – which provides the ground station, the ground-to-air command and control data link, and the flight control systems – to deliver a credible and immediately operational “Plug & Fly” solution based on a certified CS 23 (light aviation) platform.
Fully compatible with defense electronics systems that are French and ITAR-free, this proven platform provides a robust, reliable, and adaptable foundation. Its versatility allows for both piloted and unmanned operation, ensuring a secure, certified, and gradual application in all types of airspace – including highly populated areas and in hostile environments. The remotely piloted flight demonstration could be achieved in just six months, significantly faster than the 18-month timeframe outlined in the call for proposals.
Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of Daher’s Aircraft Division, stated: “With more than 30 years of experience with our TBM and Kodiak products, Daher is now a key strategic player in the development and delivery of MALE drones. We provide a sovereign, mature, and agile response to today’s strategic challenges.”
Pascal Laguerre, the Chief Technology Officer at Daher, added: “With our Plug & Fly drone solution, an existing aircraft can be rapidly converted into an autonomous or remotely piloted platform without rethinking the entire architecture. This approach simplifies integration and accelerates deployment – elements that are perfectly aligned with the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ expectations for responsiveness, modularity, and technological sovereignty.”
Comprehensive expertise for the defense sector
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has been a long-standing partner of Daher across a wide range of areas, such as aircraft for liaison flights and training, maintenance of aircraft and helicopter fleets, and logistics.
For more than 40 years, Daher has been a recognized specialist in supply chain services for armed forces and the defense industry, providing door-to-door solutions that meet stringent security, flexibility, and confidentiality requirements. Its global network of specialized agents handles cargo inspections, import/export formalities, and all transport modes (road, rail, air, sea). Daher conducts sensitive equipment shipments worldwide for such major clients as Dassault, Thales, Safran, and MBDA, and manages complex deployment and repatriation operations for international organizations (United Nations, NATO) and sovereign states.
Didier Kayat, the Daher Chairman and CEO, stated: “Daher is a trusted strategic partner to both French and international armed forces. For many years, we have built strong partnerships across all sectors of defense. Our historical values – sovereignty, responsiveness, adaptability and robustness –have earned us trust, which now is reaffirmed by the DGA. We are fully committed to delivering a drone that meets the highest standards of the French government and its allies.”
