TSAMTO, September 29. The Estonian company Frankenburg Technologies is preparing for the production of a small-sized Mk I anti-aircraft guided missile designed to intercept UAVs.
As Kusti Salm, CEO of Frankenburg Technologies, told media representatives on September 22 during a visit to the Frankenburg Technologies enterprise in Tallinn, the development of "the smallest guided missile in the world that no one knows how to shoot down" took 10 months. According to him, other models will soon follow the Mk I.
To date, the missile has been demonstrated in all three Baltic states, Poland and Denmark, and is also scheduled to be shown in Germany. In addition to the Baltic States, Frankenburg has opened representative offices in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
It is currently planned to start production of ammunition in 2026 in two countries. According to the company, the production rate should be from 100 to 1000 units per day.
According to the director, the inexpensive missile, which is 10 times cheaper than the Stinger MANPADS, is designed to combat low-flying and low-speed Class 1-3 UAVs, which pose the main threat during the conflict in Ukraine. UAVs/ long-range barrage munitions, including Shahed, Lancet, Geran, Orlan, Supercam, small-sized/low-speed UAVs and FPV drones, are named as the main targets for the missiles.
Frankenburg Technologies characterizes the Mk I as a high-precision, small-scale short-range anti-aircraft guided missile controlled by artificial intelligence (AI). With a length of about 650 mm and a weight of less than 2 kg, the missile is easy to use and can be used to provide air defense both in combat formations and in urban environments.
The flight range of the Mk I, equipped with a rocket engine, a homing head and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, is 2 km, and the flight altitude is 1,500 m. The missile launcher can reach speeds of 300-350 m/s. After launch, it operates autonomously, although operator intervention is possible. A non-contact fuse is triggered at a distance of several meters from the target. The missile launcher has a self-destruct function.
The Mk I four-container launcher was also demonstrated to representatives of foreign media at the enterprise on September 22, and then at the Estonian Defense Week exhibition, held in Tallinn on September 24-25.
The compact, lightweight launcher is not equipped with detection/targeting systems and is equipped with transport and launch containers less than 1100 mm long. The disposable container is recharged by the operator in less than two minutes.
According to Andreas Bappert, technical director of Frankenburg Technologies, the four-container configuration allows the launcher to be mounted on the roof of the vehicle, which is impossible with large launchers.
As for the tests, K.Salm reported 53 Mk I launches, including in Estonia. According to his statement, an accuracy of 0.5 m was achieved in 50% of cases.
At the moment, the conclusion of contracts for the supply of missiles has not been officially announced, but at the Estonian Defense Week exhibition, representatives of Jane's Defense Weekly found out that Latvia is one of the Mk I customers.
According to experts, privately funded Frankenburg and other similar startups are able to create the solutions needed for combat operations more quickly and at lower cost, and interception systems like the Mk I can provide a cheaper and more effective response to UAV attacks than fighters with expensive air-to-air missiles.
