Narwhal took first place for strikes on airbases
The long-range strike system built on the basis of the Narwhal cruise missile, developed by the Czech company LPP Holding, won first place in NATO's 19th NATO Innovation Challenge.
Narwhal recognized as leader in striking airbases
At the competition held in Warsaw, the company demonstrated a family of autonomous strike platforms capable of navigating without a GPS signal and maintaining operational capability under conditions of intense electronic warfare.
The task before the competition was much more complex than simply targeting a regular airbase or runway. NATO was looking for low-cost and widely applicable systems that could not just damage an enemy airfield, but paralyze its operations for a long period.
The reason for this is that runways are repaired relatively quickly. Aircraft can also be dispersed to other areas, and fuel and ammunition reserves can be moved. Therefore, a single strike is likely to halt airbase operations only for a short time.
The NATO competition, however, required a comprehensive solution that would repeatedly disable several critical components of an airfield simultaneously — runways, fuel facilities, repair infrastructure, ammunition depots, air defense systems, and other elements.
One of the most important elements of the winning project is Narwhal. According to the source, it is the first cruise missile developed in the Czech Republic, which recently completed testing.
The ground-launched missile is approximately 4 meters long. It is equipped with a Czech-made jet engine and can fly at low altitudes at a speed of about 750 kilometers per hour.
The company has developed several variants of Narwhal, which differ in payload and flight range.
The main variant can carry up to 120 kilograms of explosives up to 680 kilometers. In the lighter variant with a 40-kilogram payload, the flight range increases to approximately 730 kilometers.
One of Narwhal's most important features for the NATO competition is its navigation system.
The missile uses visual navigation and terrain-following technology. This allows it to fly without depending on a continuous GPS signal.
Thus, it is intended that the missile will retain the ability to perform its mission even under conditions of intense electronic warfare, where GPS signals are jammed or spoofed.