- Renault and Thales unveil the 4 Troop tactical military prototype.
- The vehicle is based on the Renault Rafale flagship SUV.
- It features advanced drone control tech and a PHEV 4×4 setup.
A coupe SUV is the last place you’d expect to find a military command post, yet that is exactly where Renault Group has put one. The company pulled the wraps off the 4 Troop prototype at the Eurosatory 2026 defense show in Paris, working alongside French defense contractor Thales.
Despite what its name suggests, the 4 Troop is not based on the fully electric R4 but on the much larger Rafale. The prototype falls under the Civilian Multi-Role Vehicle (VCMR) banner, a cheaper answer to the purpose-built military trucks that drain defense budgets.
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From a distance it reads as a standard Rafale, then the details give it away: a matte beige wrap, covers shielding the headlights, a set of aggressive tires, and a custom roof rack loaded with hardware. The real change sits underneath the bodywork, where Thales has installed its Combat Digital Platform and turned the SUV into a drone mothership.
The 4 Troop can deploy and coordinate multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). It also features advanced sensors, secure tactical connectivity, “substantial” data processing capabilities, and AI-assisted decision support systems.
Renault 4 Troop
Renault calls the 4 Troop a “4×4 vehicle with a hybrid drivetrain to combine discrete operation with long-range capabilities,” and notes it carries a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function for running electrical equipment. That points to the Rafale E-Tech 4×4 as the donor, with a plug-in hybrid setup good for a combined 300 hp (221 kW / 305 PS), fed by a 22 kWh battery that delivers 62 miles (100 km) of electric-only range. The Rafale, for its part, shares the CMF-CD architecture with the Austral and Espace SUVs.
It Could Reach A Conflict Zone Near You
Eurosatory 2026 saw the 4 Troop in prototype form, though Renault says it is “possible to series-produce vehicles for rapid deployment at optimum cost.” The Thales gear backs that up, already meeting the operational and connectivity standards the armed forces require.
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The pitch from Renault is that a civilian platform slashes the military’s logistical and maintenance burden, since the fleet can plug straight into existing service and after-sales networks. Ford floated the same idea recently, pitching its F-Series and Ranger platforms for modern defense work.
