A Czech defence company, LPP, has unveiled a new long-range cruise missile named Narwhal, designed with a reach of around 680 kilometres and the ability, on paper, to strike both Moscow and Russia’s Engels strategic bomber base. In a move that underlines deepening regional defence cooperation, serial production of the system is expected to take place in Poland, while Ukraine is due to receive the first missiles for combat testing in early 2026.
According to preliminary plans, Narwhal is to be handed over to Ukrainian forces for operational trials on the battlefield between January and February 2026. Full-scale production is then scheduled to begin in March. For Kyiv, this would mean access to a new European-made stand-off weapon capable of hitting high-value targets far beyond the front line. For Prague and Warsaw, the project signals growing industrial ambition and a willingness to push deeper into advanced missile technologies traditionally dominated by a handful of major powers.
Narwhal has been designed from the outset with the realities of modern electronic warfare in mind. In addition to standard GPS guidance, the missile employs visual navigation, enabling it to compare what its sensors “see” with stored terrain and target imagery. This dual-navigation approach is intended to ensure that Narwhal can stay on course even in heavily contested electromagnetic environments in which GPS signals are jammed, spoofed or degraded. In a war where both sides are aggressively using electronic warfare systems, such resilience is a critical advantage.
Equally important is the system’s launch flexibility. Narwhal can reportedly be fired from a simple catapult, a conventional runway, a suitable stretch of road or with the help of a rocket booster. This means it is not tied to a single type of platform and can be integrated with different aircraft, ground launchers or improvised sites. In practice, such flexibility makes the missile harder to predict and target: mobile launchers can disperse across a wider area, temporary sites can be established quickly, and forces are less dependent on a small number of vulnerable air bases.
With a range of 680 kilometres, Narwhal falls squarely into the category of long-range conventional strike weapons that are reshaping the battlefield in Ukraine. Distances of this order put not only front-line positions but also logistics hubs, command centres, air bases and critical infrastructure at risk. References to Moscow and the Engels bomber base underscore the theoretical reach of the missile if deployed near the Ukrainian–Russian border, although any actual target selection will depend on political decisions and export conditions agreed between Prague, Warsaw, Kyiv and their Western partners.
Placing production in Poland carries both practical and symbolic weight. Practically, it leverages Poland’s growing defence industrial base, which is already absorbing large orders for armoured vehicles, artillery systems and munitions. Locating manufacturing closer to Ukraine reduces supply timelines and eases logistics for any future deliveries. Symbolically, it signals a tight defence-industrial axis between Czechia and Poland at a time when both countries are positioning themselves as front-line contributors to NATO’s security posture on the eastern flank.
For LPP, Narwhal represents a significant technological step, moving the company into a highly demanding segment of the defence market. For Ukraine, if the planned combat testing goes ahead, the missile could provide another tool in its effort to hold at risk the rear-area infrastructure that underpins Russia’s war effort. And for Central Europe as a whole, the project illustrates how the region is evolving from a customer of foreign weapons into an increasingly active developer and producer of advanced systems designed with its own security conditions in mind.
How widely Narwhal will eventually be exported, and under what political constraints, remains an open question. But even before the first missile is fired in combat, the programme has already sent a clear message: Central European defence industries are no longer content to limit themselves to support roles. They intend to design, build and deploy long-range precision weapons that can shape the strategic balance in their neighbourhood—and beyond.
