British defense company Babcock has teamed up with Latvia-based Frankenburg Technologies to assess the development of a cost-effective maritime counter-drone capability.
The collaboration focuses on addressing the growing threat posed by one-way attack drones, a vulnerability highlighted by recent combat operations in Ukraine, where such systems have challenged Western air defense architectures.
According to a Babcock press release, the proposed solution is expected to feature a containerized launch system capable of firing Frankenburg’s newly developed low-cost missiles. The interceptors are designed for rapid, scalable manufacturing to meet the increasing demand for defenses against one-way attack drones.
Maritime counter-drone systems are intended to safeguard naval vessels, ports, and offshore infrastructure by integrating sensors that detect and track hostile unmanned aerial systems, before neutralizing them using electronic warfare, deception techniques, or kinetic effects such as directed-energy weapons or rapid-fire cannons.
While technical specifications of the system and interceptors remain undisclosed, development activities will be conducted in the United Kingdom, supporting skilled employment and positioning both companies for international export opportunities.
Frankenburg recently demonstrated its Mark 1 guided rocket by successfully intercepting a Shahed-class drone traveling at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. Developed in just 13 months using commercially available components, the interceptor offers a minimum engagement range of 2 kilometers and supports both fire-and-forget and Lock-On-After-Launch modes, enabling effective operation even in adverse weather conditions.
