PIERRELATTE (France), April 3 -- In the heart of southeastern France, aerospace giant Airbus is drawing on its helicopter expertise to develop drones - a core element of modern warfare - and enable them to work in tandem with manned aircraft.

A small, isolated hangar at Pierrelatte airfield in France's Drome region bears the name Survey Copter, a French venture integrated into Airbus, which is expanding its facilities to prepare for a doubling of production rates by 2027.

"This is a key focus area" given "the lessons learnt from the war in Ukraine and the rearmament drive in Europe. In this context, there is a need for all kinds of drones," Emmanuel Huberdeau, spokesperson for Airbus Helicopters division, told AFP.

The division recentl...