FFF 2026 – KBP unveils Gryf counter-UAS drone

At the Future Force Forum (FFF) in Prague, Czech company KBP International revealed a new counter-UAS carrier and announced an improved partnership with an international company

A new tactical UAV, the Gryf, was unveiled in Prague at FFF on October 21 in the presence of the Czech President Petr Pavel. According to a KBP spokesperson, the platform has been designed to meet the growing needs for an effective and cost-efficient solution to protecting air space. The company claims it has an endurance of 12 hours, offering a 50 kg payload and a cruising speed of 150 km/h. The airframe has a canard configuration and is powered by an internal combustion engine located at the rear, which is driving a two-bade propeller. The Gryf features a tricycle fixed landing gear, the front wheel being located behind the optronic gimbal.

The example on show was a prototype platform with two Ukrainian Odin counter-UAS interceptors and two missiles.

The spokesman told EDR On-Line that Gryf has passed initial flight tests and more will be conducted in the fourth quarter of this year.

On October 22, KBP signed an MoU with South African defence manufacturer Milkor to mark a new step in their existing co-operation. The agreement will focus on a joint sales effort of the large tactical medium altitude Milkor 380 UAV in the Czech Republic, opening opportunities in manufacturing, development, and other defence technologies.

“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,” says Katerina Fisova, CEO of KBP International.

The Milkor unmanned combat air vehicle made its first flight on September 19, 2023 in South Africa. A full scale model of the system which has a 30 hour endurance, 220kg payload and a range of over 4,000 km marked its international debut at Saudi’s World Defence Show in February 2024, armed with UAE company Edge’s Desert Sting 16 precision guided munitions (PGMs) alongsice Thales LMMs (Lightweight Multirole Missiles). The type of weapons however depends entirely on the customer. Milkor 380 boasts five hard points, one on the centre fuselage supporting heavier ordnance, two on the inner and two on the outer of the wings that can be equipped with wing racks. The Milkor 380 programme began in 2018 when research and development commenced, and the build of the platform started in 2021.

While the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) initially gave this large UAV the go ahead, serious underfunding meant no acquisition took place. The company has been looking at export opportunities in the Middle East which has seen the Milkor 380 appear at two World Defence Show exhibitions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2024 and 2026. There have been discussions for industrial localisation and full asembly production inside Saudi but its unclear how this has progressed.

KBP was also showing its Sabre high speed attack drone mounted on the Estonian Threod Cata launcher system. The kamikaze system can reach speeds of 400 km/h, with a 30 kg explosive payload and a 400 km range.

There were also two target drones at their stand, the larger Taron that can reach altitudes of 5,000 ft and the smaller Krattworks Dart-AT that has a radio range of 30 km.

Photo by A. Warnes