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European autonomous aerial systems developer CiS has unveiled the ORKA Dock, a fully automatic launch and recovery hangar designed for its ORKA long-range tactical Uncrewed Aerial System.
Designed and built in Germany using sovereign components, the self-contained and fully-enclosed deployment solution allows the drone to launch, return-to-home, and recharge completely without operator intervention. The system is engineered for integration across ships, uncrewed surface vessels, land vehicles, and expeditionary sites. Featuring a compact design, it integrates fast recharging, an optional tether capability, and battery-backup operation, ensuring continuous mission readiness with the capability to open and launch in under 30 seconds.
The accompanying ORKA drone serves as a long-range tactical platform developed for aerial surveillance, reconnaissance, and inspection missions over land and water. It delivers 75 minutes of operational endurance alongside a 5.0 kg mission payload capacity, providing operators with persistent awareness across a broad spectrum of operational scenarios.
The technology recently underwent operational validation during SeaSEC 2026, an international naval security exercise held in Rostock, Germany. Integrated onto the back deck of the Q-RECON 24, a high-speed, long-range uncrewed surface vessel developed by CiS’s strategic maritime partner FLANQ, the system underwent two weeks of daily testing. Operating in scenarios ranging from harbour security to offshore energy asset protection, the system validated its proprietary Precision Landing System by successfully executing automatic launches and recoveries while underway at platform speeds reaching 15 knots.
Speaking at the Combined Naval Event, Tom Kaufman, Founder and CEO of CiS, commented, “SeaSEC was a landmark moment for CiS and for autonomous naval aviation more broadly. Achieving fully autonomous launch and recovery from a moving USV in a live exercise environment – without any operator intervention – is something that has never been done before. We believe it to be a world first.”
Kaufman added, “The ORKA and ORKA Dock, working collaboratively with FLANQ USVs, give navies, coast guards, and maritime security operators the persistent aerial capability they need, deployable from virtually any surface asset. We’re excited to debut this technology at the Combined Naval Event and look forward to moving into full-scale production.”
