At the Future Forces Forum in Prague earlier this month local company KBP International officially revealed its Gryf tactical UAS, designed to fill the long-endurance counter-UAS role.
A new name to some, KBP has a 30-year legacy in composite aircraft structures and engineering solutions behind it. Gryf, the development of which marks something of a departure for the company, has been designed for extended patrol missions and to respond actively to aerial threats as part of a layered air defence system. “Modern conflicts are fundamentally changing the requirements for air defence. Today, advanced technology alone is not enough. Cost efficiency, fast response and the ability to deploy systems on a larger scale are equally important. These are exactly the needs we aim to address with our solutions,” explained the company’s CEO, Katerina Fisova. “Europe needs more than just new defence technologies. It also needs the capacity to produce them in sufficient quantities. We see the combination of in-house development, modern manufacturing technologies and serial production capacity as one of our key competitive advantages,” she added.
The company claims 12 hour endurance for Gryf, which is able to carry payloads of up to 50kg and cruise at around 150 km/h. The example on display in Prague carried two Ukrainian Odin C-UAS interceptors and two missiles. DA understands the platform has already completed initial flight testing and additional tests are scheduled before year end.
KBP Group plans significant investment in manufacturing facilities to meet the growing demand for military technologies. In the mid-term future, those plans include quadrupling its production area from 15,000 to 60,000 m2. These facilities will service not just organic requirements but will also serve to bolster cooperation with other European defence and aerospace manufacturers, thus creating larger-scale opportunities.
Also at the show, KBP announced an agreement with Milkor of South Africa to market the Milkor 380 UAS in the Czech Republic. Fisova explained that “Our co-operation with Milkor has the potential to go beyond sales representation we want to combine the experience of an international UAV manufacturer with our own development and manufacturing capabilities”.
Main image shows the Gryf attracting considerable visitor attention at Future Forces Forum 2026 (KBP International)
