Babcock and Frankenburg Technologies have announced that they will work together on a low cost maritime counter drone system to protect ships, ports, and offshore assets against one way attack drones. The system is aimed at preventing Shahed drone strikes from reaching their target.
The system is a self-contained launcher inside a container that can fire Frankenburg’s low cost missiles. Babcock and Frankenburg, respectively based out of the UK and Estonia, say development work will take place in the UK. They point to export potential, but they did not disclose detailed specs for the full system.
“Defence has entered a new era with the rapid development of drone warfare and industry needs to respond to this growing threat,” said Babcock CEO David Lockwood.
Frankenburg most recently said it intercepted a Shahed-sized target moving up to 200 km per hour using its missile technology. This feat allows for military players to fire smaller, cheaper missiles at drones traveling at speed and, using Frankenburg’s specialised technology, in theory lets the user take down a threat before it meets its target.
“Frankenburg Technologies’ mission is clear: to bring affordability and scale to modern air defence. The drone threat has changed the character of warfare, and every layer of defence now needs to be designed for mass and speed from the outset,” said Frankenberg Technologies CEO Kusti Salm in a statement.
“Partnering with Babcock, a recognised leader in maritime defence, allows us to combine rapid innovation with proven naval and industrial expertise, accelerating the delivery of an operational maritime capability.”
