Many countries are testing different defense solutions against drones, such as China, Australia and even France. Most use laserslasersbut the Estonian manufacturer Frankenburg Technologies decided to take another approach, by building missilesmissiles miniatures. And the firm has the perfect place to test its technology: Ukraine.
After using numerous drones to defend itself from the start of Russia’s invasion of the country, Ukraine is now suffering more and more Russian drone attacks, even in its capital, Kyiv. Moscow deployed 2,576 drones in November, up from 2,023 in October, and Putin announced plans in September to increase drone production tenfold.
Missiles guided by artificial intelligence
The new Estonian missiles are guided by artificial intelligence, and can target drones autonomously at up to two kilometers altitude. The goal of the manufacturer is to create missiles that are “ ten times cheaper and a hundred times faster to produce » than anything that currently exists. Moscow mainly uses Shahed drones, originally from Iran, but now also manufactured in Russia.
-According to the media Defense Newsthese drones now fly at lower altitudes, between two and five kilometers, in order to avoid ground defense systems. Frankenburg Technologies is expected to test its Mark 1 missile early this year at an unspecified location in Ukraine, to confirm its performance in real combat conditions.
The manufacturer should begin production at a rate of several dozen missiles per week, then increase to several hundred by the third quarter of 2025. Frankenburg Technologies also announced that it would open a new office in the United Kingdom, where it plans to invest 50 million euros in research and development around engines rocketsrockets at low cost.
