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European defense technology startup Stark has unveiled a tube-launched loitering munition and quadcopter for potential weaponization as it builds outs its weapons offering.
The Cascade loitering munition has a range up to 100 km (62 mi.), with shorter range configurations of 40 km and 60 km also options, the Berlin-headquartered company said June 8. It can carry a payload of up to 4.5 kg (10 lb.) and fly for up to 60 min.
The system is not reliant on easily jammed satellite navigation, the company said, and it uses object recognition and precision tracking.
Stark publicly unveiled the products following a visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at its UK facility in Swindon. The company said it partnered with Force Development Service, a British company, to develop a six-cell launcher for the system that can be fired from the ground or naval platforms. The company added it has demonstrated the Cascade launch from its Vanta uncrewed surface vessel.
Stark also said it has developed a 25-km-range, 6-kg quadcopter that it calls Gambit. The system for use by frontline troops can carry a 2-kg payload for either the intelligence collection role or in a weaponized setup.
In a statement, Stark Chief Technology Officer Johannes Schaback said the weapons reflect lessons from the war in Ukraine. “Armed forces need capabilities that can be produced quickly, adapted rapidly and fielded at scale. Cascade and Gambit were designed for exactly that challenge,” he said.
Like other tech startups, Stark is trying to link systems together with a unified command and control backbone. Both Cascade and Gambit would be tied into its Minerva software system, it said.
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