The dual-use facility underscores TEKEVER’s commitment to French and European sovereignty in AI-powered defence and civil security drones.
TEKEVER, Europe’s leading provider of AI-driven autonomous systems, has chosen Cahors as the location for its new Centre of Excellence for dual-use autonomous systems in France. This choice is the result of close collaboration with the Occitanie region, which played a major role in supporting the company at every stage of the process. This strategic site will enable TEKEVER to develop its production, integration, testing, and product development capacity, strengthening France’s defence industrial base and accelerating the deployment of drones for both defence and security applications.
Located within the “Mecanic Vallée” cluster, Cahors provides privileged access to a robust ecosystem of industrial partners, public institutions, and academic bodies. The area offers an additional advantage, the Cahors-Lalbenque aerodrome, located in the heart of the Cahors Sud business park, which will provide TEKEVER with access to a test site to conduct flight validation of its drones.
This new facility complements TEKEVER’s French headquarters in Toulouse, inaugurated in 2024 and dedicated to engineering, R&D, and support functions. Since its opening, the Toulouse site has built a highly skilled French team of engineers and scientists. Recruitment for the Cahors site is set to begin in the final quarter of this year.
By expanding its presence in Occitanie, TEKEVER is strengthening its footprint in a dynamic regional ecosystem. This enables the company to collaborate with partners of all sizes to develop, test, and industrialise advanced technologies supporting French and European capabilities in defence and security applications. The local environment will serve as a catalyst for TEKEVER’s continued innovation in AI-powered drones and space technologies.
Having emerged as a European unicorn, TEKEVER is accelerating its investments to drive global expansion and underpin its ambition to lead in autonomous defence and security systems. This strategic announcement represents a significant step forward in the company’s €100 million investment programme, unveiled at the Choose France summit in May 2025.
Ricardo Mendes, CEO of TEKEVER, said: “Building on our announcement at the Choose France summit in May, we are delighted to confirm the creation of this new industrial site in Cahors. This move reinforces TEKEVER’s long-term commitment to French and European sovereignty, and to supporting institutions in fulfilling both defence and security missions.”
Nadia Maaref, Director of TEKEVER France, added: “We are proud to launch this new phase of our development in France with the establishment of our Cahors site to reinforce our industrial capabilities, made possible by the invaluable support of the Occitanie region, its AD’OCC agency and Grand Cahors. This site represents an important step in anchoring TEKEVER within the regional fabric, where we see great potential to forge strong, long-lasting partnerships.”
Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Regional Council, commented: “I would like to thank TEKEVER for choosing Occitanie, and more specifically the Lot department, as the location for its drone manufacturing activities. The result will be the creation of 100 jobs over five years. This facility is aligned with our €200 million Sovereignty and Defence Industry Sector Contract. France must be able to rely on a solid industrial base, especially given the current geopolitical instability. This choice also demonstrates that reindustrialisation must involve the regions. We will work alongside TEKEVER to facilitate their arrival in the Lot department and support the development of the activity in Occitanie and France.”
Jean-Luc Marx, President of Grand Cahors and Mayor of Cahors, stated: “The representatives of Greater Cahors and Cahors Sud are delighted to have been able to attract TEKEVER. By welcoming this defence and security unicorn, the region is experiencing a real turning point in its history, becoming a key player in European industrial sovereignty. This new establishment in our labour market area is the first building block of a future ecosystem centred on drones and their diverse fields of application. This is the result of a successful cooperation launched a year ago between Aerospace Valley, the Occitanie region via its Ad’OCC Agency and local officials. We would like to thank the company and its leaders for their trust.”