U.S. soldiers fly Ukrainian-designed Stork drone in Germany

A U.S. Army soldier has been spotted assembling a Stork reconnaissance drone, built by Czech-Ukrainian company U&C UAS, during a major training exercise in Germany, showing the battle-tested design in American hands. The U.S. Army released the image from Combined Resolve 27-01 at the Hohenfels Training Area, part of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Bavaria. It shows a soldier from the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment preparing the drone on Oct. 16, 2026. The battalion is based at Hohenfels and usually plays the opposing force for units training there, and the 7th Army Training Command runs the center to prepare formations for large-scale combat. The Stork family traces back to the Leleka, or “Stork” in Ukrainian, reconnaissance drones made by Ukrainian manufacturer DeViRo and used widely by Ukraine’s military since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Co-owners of DeViRo founded U&C UAS in the Czech Republic in July 2022 to expand production, and the company now builds Stork drones and Mace strike drones at its plant in Kolín, east of Prague. The company’s main reconnaissance model, the Stork LR, is a fixed-wing electric drone with a 3.4 m (11 ft) wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight of 14 kg (31 pounds). It launches from a pneumatic catapult, lands on its belly, can stay airborne for up to five hours and sends live video over encrypted links up to 135 km (84 miles), using another Stork as a relay when needed. U&C UAS says it carries satellite navigation hardened against jamming and is designed for scouting, mapping and spotting targets for artillery. The appearance at Hohenfels follows a U.S. Army purchase. In May 2026, U&C UAS announced a contract to supply ISR drones to U.S. Army units in Europe for scouting and base protection, delivered in partnership with Illinois-based ATP Gov, after the systems were evaluated in exercises that included electronic warfare and degraded communications. The Stork is one of several Ukrainian-designed drones the U.S. Army has bought or tested this year. In September, the U.S. Army awarded Skyeton Inc., the American arm of Ukrainian drone maker Skyeton, a $10.6 million contract for Raybird long-endurance reconnaissance drones, which have flown more than 350,000 combat hours in Ukraine. During the Bayonet Quest 26 exercise in Michigan, which ended Oct. 6, soldiers from the 7th Infantry Division used Ukraine’s MV7 uncrewed surface vessels as floating launch pads for aerial drones. U&C UAS says it has delivered more than 7,500 drone systems and can build about 500 drones a month across two production sites, and that its drones are used by most Ukrainian brigades. It also signed a deal earlier this year to supply drones to India, with plans for technology transfer and joint production. Russia’s defense ministry listed the Kolín company in April 2026 among European firms it described as potential targets because of their drone production for Ukraine.