Czech STV Group develops China-free FPV-NG drone for strikes and reconnaissance under electronic warfare.

Czech defense manufacturer STV Group unveiled its FPV-NG multirotor drone at the Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague, expanding its unmanned product ecosystem across five distinct operational roles. The development targets growing European military demand for multi-mission aerial platforms that combine high payload capacity with jamming resistance and autonomous flight functions. By eliminating Chinese components from its construction, the platform directly addresses European defense supply chain vulnerabilities and tightening export controls on critical drone subsystems.

Czech company STV Group introduced its China-free FPV-NG drone at Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague, offering five configurations for strike, reconnaissance, communications relay, electronic warfare, and combined missions. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

On October 22, 2026, Czech manufacturer STV Group introduced its FPV-NG drone at Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague, expanding its Skevin, Skevin+, and Demon-FPV families with a multirotor designed for five configurations: strike, reconnaissance, communications relay, electronic warfare, and combined missions. The 10- to 13-inch FPV drone weighs 2.5 kg, carries up to 6 kg, reaches 150 km/h, and offers at least 30 minutes of flight with a 2 kg payload. STV also emphasizes autonomous functions, resistance to jamming and spoofing, and China-free construction, while allowing mission-specific adjustments through a manufacturer-provided web interface. The project follows STV's September 2026 announcement of a Western-component drone expected to reach its basic configuration in the first quarter of 2027, although production readiness, unit price, and military adoption remain unconfirmed. 

The FPV-NG's 10- to 13-inch classification corresponds to propeller diameters of 254 to 330.2 mm, while its overall dimensions and battery capacity remain undisclosed. Its 6 kg maximum payload is 2.4 times its 2.5 kg aircraft weight, producing a nominal takeoff mass of 8.5 kg if the weight includes the battery. Increasing the payload from the endurance-tested 2 kg to 6 kg raises total mass from 4.5 to 8.5 kg, an 88.9% increase, making the unpublished full-payload endurance particularly important. STV specifies 150 km/h maximum speed, 60 km/h at 40% power, an altitude of 3,000 m with 2 kg, 10 m/s crosswind resistance, and operation between -10°C and +45°C. However, the manufacturer has not established whether 40% refers to electrical power or throttle input, nor provided climb performance, weather protection, or the flight conditions necessary to calculate a reliable operational radius.

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The most relevant international comparison is the MOEMS FPV-13, a heavy-payload multirotor carrying 3 to 6 kg with a 593 mm wheelbase and reaching 140 km/h, giving the FPV-NG a 7.1% advertised speed advantage but identical maximum payload. The Ukrainian-Polish UMO Hydra 13/15 carries 2 to 2.5 kg, flies for 25 to 30 minutes, and supports 25 to 30 km fiber-optic links, while the Ukrainian WARMAX RONNI-13-O carries a 1.5 kg warhead with a 20 km fiber spool weighing 1.75 kg. Germany's Helsing HX-2 carries 4 kg within a 12 kg total mass, reaches 220 km/h, and offers up to 100 km range, although its aerodynamic configuration differs. Reconnaissance-oriented drones prioritize other characteristics: the Skydio X10 weighs 2.11 kg, reaches 72 km/h, and flies for up to 40 minutes, while the DJI Matrice 4T weighs 1.229 kg, carries an additional 200 g, and offers up to 49 minutes.

The FPV-NG's 6 kg payload is 30 times the Matrice 4T's accessory capacity, but its control range and full-payload endurance remain unknown. Electronic warfare resistance is central to the FPV-NG's intended use, particularly after Polish research cited estimates that jamming accounted for up to 75% of drone neutralizations during 2024, a figure that varies by aircraft and battlefield sector. Conventional FPV drones depend on radio commands and video transmission, while satellite-navigation spoofing can corrupt positioning data. Fiber-optic alternatives eliminate radio-control jamming but impose weight penalties, as illustrated by WARMAX's 1.75 kg spool for 20 km operation and UMO Hydra's 25 to 30 km links.

Helsing's HX-2 instead incorporates AI-supported target searching and mission continuity without constant external connectivity, while Skydio's X10 uses NVIDIA Jetson Orin processing, 360-degree obstacle avoidance, and vision-based positioning. STV has not disclosed the FPV-NG's radio frequencies, encryption, navigation sensors, autonomous functions, or quantified interference tolerance, preventing a measurable comparison with either approach. STV's five configurations involve distinct payload and power requirements. Its strike variant could potentially carry munitions from the company's PG-7, PG-26, S-60-derived fragmentation, thermobaric, and 90 mm or 100 mm UAV weapon families, although compatibility remains unconfirmed.

Reconnaissance requires optical or thermal sensors and video transmission, relay missions require compatible radios and network capacity, and electronic warfare requires specialized receivers or transmitters; STV has published no corresponding sensor, bandwidth, frequency, or power figures. Combined missions must share the 6 kg payload ceiling and available battery energy, while the web interface's configuration functions remain unspecified. STV previously worked with Britain's Post-Quantum to test Classic McEliece cryptography for protecting UAV video, imagery, and flight metadata, but integration into the FPV-NG has not been confirmed. Ukraine's drone industry establishes the production scale against which the FPV-NG's procurement prospects must be assessed. In January 2026, Ukraine reported annual capacity exceeding 8 million FPV drones across more than 160 manufacturers, compared with its target of 4.5 million UAVs of all categories in 2025.

Ukrainian authorities attributed 60% of Russian military losses to FPV drones, although this remains a national assessment rather than an independently verified proportion. CSIS assessed in July 2026 that drone-contested areas extended up to 30 km from the front line in some sectors, affecting logistics, armored movements, and casualty evacuation. Ukraine signed UAH 333.6 billion in drone contracts during the first half of 2026, twice the corresponding 2025 value, while DOT-Chain Defence reported average deliveries of nine days for in-stock equipment. STV's heavier 10- to 13-inch design fits this evolution, but its undisclosed unit price, production capacity, and repair requirements prevent a cost-per-aircraft comparison. China-free construction addresses a different constraint: European access to drone components during prolonged military procurement.

January 2026 European Parliament figures attributed 85% of global lithium battery manufacturing capacity and 98% of rare-earth refining to China, while DJI held an estimated 74% commercial drone market share. China's October 19, 2026 export measures cover selected brushless motors, electronic speed controllers, and carbon-fiber propellers, with implementation scheduled for November 18. Ukrainian manufacturer TAF Industries estimated that replacing Chinese components entirely could increase manufacturing costs by up to 60% and reduce output by a comparable proportion. Odd Systems estimated European annual thermal sensor production at 600,000 against Ukrainian demand of 4 million, a 3.4 million-unit shortfall.

The EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, launched July 17, and the 27-country DECODER initiative, approved September 28 with estimated financing requirements of €3.5 billion to €5 billion through 2033, address parts of this industrial dependence. STV has not established whether its China-free claim includes battery cells, semiconductors, magnets, optical sensors, and upstream materials. For European armed forces, the FPV-NG's China-free design could become increasingly important because export restrictions can interrupt drone production even when final assembly takes place domestically. Motors, electronic speed controllers, propellers, batteries, and sensors are individually necessary for drone completion, making supplier continuity a determinant of operational inventory availability.

The Czech Republic's planned acquisition of 3,000 drones by 2028 illustrates national procurement requirements, while Ukraine's capacity exceeding 8 million FPV aircraft annually demonstrates the industrial scale associated with sustained attrition. However, TAF Industries' estimate of up to 60% higher manufacturing costs indicates that substituting Chinese components could reduce purchasing quantities under fixed budgets. The FPV-NG's actual contribution will therefore depend on verified component origins, European supplier capacity, monthly production volumes, unit costs, and access to replacement parts. A sustainable non-Chinese supply chain could reduce exposure to Beijing's export licensing decisions and improve the predictability of wartime replenishment, but STV has not yet established the manufacturing scale or procurement commitments needed to demonstrate that advantage.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.