Czech Firm Unveils STORK LR Drone with Anti-Jam Navigation for Artillery Targeting.

Czech defense firm U&C UAS unveiled its STORK LR long-range tactical UAV at World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, highlighting its anti-jam navigation and artillery targeting capabilities. The platform reflects a growing demand among U.S. and NATO-aligned militaries for reconnaissance drones that can survive electronic warfare while feeding modern kill chains.

At the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, held from 8 to 12 February, Army Recognition was present on the exhibition floor as U&C UAS unveiled its STORK LR fixed-wing unmanned aerial system to regional and international delegations. Observed firsthand by our editorial team, the Czech-designed platform was positioned as a long-range, electronic-warfare-aware reconnaissance asset engineered to operate deep inside contested environments. The manufacturer emphasized its role in the modern artillery kill chain and its ability to serve as a relay node for loitering munitions, reflecting lessons from high-intensity conflicts in which spectrum dominance is increasingly decisive.
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STORK LR is a long-range fixed-wing tactical UAV with 5,5 jours endurance and up to 135 km range, equipped with stabilized day and night optics and automatic target tracking. Designed for artillery spotting and battlefield surveillance, it features encrypted communications and anti-jam navigation for operations in contested environments (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

STORK LR can be seen as a complete hardware-and-software reconnaissance complex rather than only an air vehicle. The platform is an electrically powered, composite fixed-wing UAV with a 3.4 m wingspan and 1.48 m length, optimized for catapult launch and austere recovery by belly landing, which keeps the field footprint low while still enabling repeatable sorties from dispersed sites. Its stated take-off weight is 14 kg, with maximum flight altitude of 4,500 m and cruise speed up to 19 m/s, figures that place it in the upper end of the tactical battalion to brigade ISR class rather than the short-range platoon drone segment. The endurance claim is up to 5 h 30 min at cruising airspeed, supported by a temperature operating window of -35 to +50 C and wind resistance up to 15 m/s, all of which signals an intent to fly routinely in harsh desert and winter conditions.

Where STORK LR tries to separate itself is in the sensor-to-network package. U&C UAS highlights a multi-sensory day and night vision module with gyroscopic stabilization on pitch and yaw, electronic stabilization on roll, and a headline 100x zoom plus target capture and automatic target tracking. The system enables simultaneous real-time video and telemetry control from multiple UAVs, suggesting a ground segment built for multi-orbit management rather than single-drone piloting. In practice, that matters because the most valuable tactical ISR today is not a static video feed, but a continuously refreshed picture that can be handed off to fires, maneuver, or strike drones without breaking operational tempo.

STORK LR is marketed with a dedicated anti-EW architecture intended to resist GPS and GLONASS jamming and spoofing, with an automatic switch to inertial navigation when satellite signals are degraded. It integrates a GNSS receiver using CRPA technology and secure communications with two-way encryption for telemetry and video, reportedly up to AES 128 or 256 level. The stated tactical range is up to 135 km, and U&C UAS describes mesh networking that allows another STORK LR to serve as a relay, extending coverage and providing a practical workaround for terrain masking and line-of-sight limits in complex environments.

The program’s development reflects the wartime acceleration of European and Ukrainian drone ecosystems. U&C UAS, headquartered in Prague, has framed its systems as combat-proven and oriented toward ISR, artillery fire adjustment, and sustained operations in EW conditions. The company has delivered large quantities of unmanned aerial systems under European assistance frameworks to Ukraine, where they are reported to have been used in live combat missions. In parallel, several NATO-aligned countries have evaluated or tested STORK LR in conjunction with loitering munitions, reflecting a broader trend toward integrated reconnaissance and strike architectures. In early 2026, U&C UAS also expanded its export push into Asia through an industrial partnership that includes deliveries of samples and training packages.

For a military customer, the most compelling way to employ STORK LR is as a persistent reconnaissance and targeting layer at brigade level, positioned to feed counter-battery, interdiction, and maneuver support. A country can deploy it to map and monitor approach routes, confirm targets before fires, and remain overhead to provide post-strike assessment and rapid re-attack cues. Its relay function is equally relevant. By using one aircraft to push connectivity forward, a force can extend the reach of loitering munitions or other tactical drones without moving the control station into enemy artillery range. Border forces can exploit the same endurance and stabilized day-night sensor for long patrol lines, where the combination of quiet electric propulsion, autonomous routing on satellite maps, and encrypted links improves discretion and reduces operator fatigue.

Against competitors, STORK LR occupies a distinctive niche between short-range tactical drones and heavier operational-class UAVs. Systems such as the Puma AE emphasize portability and company-level ISR with shorter control ranges, while more advanced vertical take-off ISR platforms focus on modular payloads and rapid deployment. On the battlefield, the most relevant conceptual comparator is Russia’s Orlan-10 family, often used in teams that include relay and electronic warfare roles to support artillery. STORK LR’s positioning seeks to deliver comparable tactical reach in a lighter, electrically powered configuration with a built-in anti-jam navigation and encrypted link stack. For mid-sized and emerging militaries rebuilding reconnaissance capabilities under the shadow of electronic warfare, that balance of endurance, survivability, and networked flexibility could prove decisive.