US Army’s Hohenfels Opposing Force Is Flying the Ukrainian-Designed Stork Drone

The US Army’s own enemy force at Hohenfels is flying a Ukrainian-designed reconnaissance drone. Official photos show the Stork LR being assembled and launched from a catapult during a major NATO-linked exercise in Germany.

That matters for anyone watching how Western armies absorb Ukraine’s drone experience. The aircraft is turning up first with the unit that trains Americans by fighting them, not with a brigade going home with new kit.

What do the Army photos show?

The Pentagon’s media hub, DVIDS, published photos of the launch. One caption, dated 16 October and posted on 17 October, says Spc. Alexander Walker and Pfc. Mathew Munoz of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 7th Army Training Command, launched a STORK LR during Exercise Combined Resolve at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels.

DroneXL reported that the Army published eight photos taken on 15 and 16 October, showing troops assembling the fixed-wing aircraft and firing it from a pneumatic catapult. Defence Blog first reported the sighting on 19 October.

Who is flying it?

The 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry is the resident opposing force at Hohenfels, DroneXL reported. Its job is to play the enemy for every brigade that rotates through the training area. It is not a line unit deploying with the Stork as its own reconnaissance asset.

The exercise is Combined Resolve 27-01, part of a series the Army describes as a warfighting and transformation laboratory.

What is the Stork LR?

The Stork is built by U&C UAS, a Czech company founded in July 2022 by co-owners of Ukrainian drone maker DeViRo. It descends from the Leleka, a reconnaissance drone used by Ukrainian artillery, according to DroneXL and Defence Blog.

How did the Army get it?

U&C announced a contract on 18 May 2026, through US contractor ATP Gov, to supply reconnaissance drones for scouting and base protection in Europe, DroneXL reported. The company disclosed no value, quantity or delivery date.

DroneXL, citing Forbes Česko, says the Kolín plant can turn out up to 300 Stork and Mace drones a month and booked more than €150 million in revenue last year. Those production and revenue figures are Forbes Česko’s reporting via DroneXL; TSN has not checked them at source.

Are line units flying it too?

The released photos show only the Hohenfels opposing force. They do not show a rotating brigade launching a Stork for its own side.

The Stork is one of several Ukrainian-linked designs the Army has bought or tested this autumn. DroneXL notes a $10.64 million Army contract for Skyeton’s Raybird reconnaissance drones announced on 18 September.

Our read

This is TSN’s analysis. Putting a battle-tested recon design into the opposing force is a fast way to train against it. It is not the same as fielding it across line units. Until the Army or U&C publishes numbers and photos of brigades flying Stork for themselves, the public record shows a training tool, not a fleet.

Sources

• DVIDS: 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment use a STORK LR drone during Combined Resolve, photo by Sgt. Addison Shinn, 16 October 2026 (posted 17 October)
• DroneXL: US Army’s Own Enemy Force Now Flies Ukrainian-Designed Stork Drone, 19 October 2026
• Defence Blog: U.S. soldiers fly Ukrainian-designed Stork drone in Germany, 19 October 2026

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