Frankenburg Technologies

Frankenburg Technologies is an Estonian defence technology company, founded in January 2024, that develops and manufactures low-cost, mass-producible air defence systems to counter modern aerial threats like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company was established by serial deep-tech entrepreneurs Taavi Madiberk and Marko Virkebau to address the economic imbalance in modern warfare, where inexpensive drones are met with costly and slow-to-produce interceptors. The leadership team includes CEO Kusti Salm, the former Permanent Secretary of Estonia's Ministry of Defence, and CTO Andreas Bappert, a respected rocket engineer with three decades of experience.

The firm's business model centers on rapid innovation and scalable production, aiming to produce missile systems that are significantly more affordable and faster to manufacture than existing solutions. Frankenburg utilizes modular, containerized manufacturing systems and commercially available components to accelerate production and deployment. This strategy enables manufacturing to be localized where the systems are used, shortening supply chains and bolstering national economies. The company primarily serves military and national security clients, providing air defence for military installations and critical national infrastructure. It has secured a total of €40 million in funding, including a €30 million Series A round led by Plural with participation from the Estonian state-backed SmartCap Defence Fund, to scale its operations.

Frankenburg's flagship product is the Mark I, a short-range, fire-and-forget interceptor missile designed to counter mass-produced attack drones. The missile is engineered for mass production, using commercially available parts to reduce costs. The Mark I has a range of up to 2 kilometers, carries a 0.5 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, and is guided by an AI-powered electro-optic seeker. Its targets include long-range attack drones, reconnaissance drones, and loitering munitions. The company has moved from concept to successful testing in just 13 months and plans to establish mass production units in the EU with a target capacity of over 100 missiles per day at each site. With operations across eight countries including Estonia, Germany, the UK, and Ukraine, Frankenburg is also developing an air-to-air version of its missile.

Keywords: air defence systems, counter-UAV, interceptor missile, DefenceTech, mass production, low-cost interceptor, Mark I missile, drone neutralization, military technology, sovereign production, rocket science, AI-powered guidance, modular manufacturing, European defence, critical infrastructure protection, short-range air defence, Taavi Madiberk, Kusti Salm, C-UAS, anti-drone