Business
Safran : invests in Montluçon to accelerate the production of its high-tech HRG gyroscopes
Safran : invests in Montluçon to accelerate the production of its high-tech HRG
About this update from Safran Sa
Montluçon, France - June 8, 2026, Safran Electronics & Defense has announced a major investment of 120 million euros to expand and modernize its Montluçon facility. This project aims to triple the production capacity of its hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG). Recognized as the most advanced inertial sensor in the world, this high-precision device will see its production rate rise from 10,000 units annually today to 30,000 units by 2032. To support this scale-up, the industrial site will gain an additional 10,500 sqm (square meters), including 3,000 sqm of new cleanrooms equipped with the latest generation industrial machinery. To meet rapidly growing demand, the expansion will be carried out in two phases: an initial 2,500-square-meter extension scheduled for 2027, followed by an additional 8,000 sqm extension by 2030. Already the leading industrial employer in the Allier region with over 1,640 employees, Safran Electronics & Defense is reinforcing its local presence with the creation of 500 new jobs by 2030 to support this growth. Entirely developed and industrialized in Montluçon, this gyroscope is at the core of Safran Electronics & Defense's inertial navigation systems. Designed from the outset for mass production with an extremely limited number of components, the HRG is built for integration into modular architectures. Today, it serves a broad range of needs-from cost-effective, high-volume applications like munitions and drones, to advanced platforms including artillery, armored vehicles, military aircraft and helicopters, as well as ships, submarines, satellites, and space launchers. Its key advantage is its ability to provide absolute and 'resilient' navigation, remaining operational even in the most critical GPS-denied environments. Recently, demand for these sovereign technologies, including those used in the Hammer (modular air-to-ground weapon)-has surged at an unprecedented rate. "At Montluçon, we embody a unique level of technological and industrial excellence in the field of high-precision inertial systems," said Franck Saudo, President of Safran Electronics & Defense. "The HRG, which is at the heart of our Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions, has redefined the market through its large-scale, industrially focused design. This investment will enable us to further solidify our unique position in the navigati...