Estonian defence startup Frankenburg Technologies has signed a deal with Polish state-owned defence giant PGZ to produce up to 10,000 Mark I anti-drone missiles per year at a new facility.
DefenceTech innovations from Estonia are raking up export success stories. This week, Estonian defence technology company Frankenburg Technologies has signed a framework agreement with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), Poland’s state-owned defence giant, to establish local production of its Mark I short-range air defence missile system. Previously, Frankenburg has already secured a few high-stakes partnerships across Europe and Asia.
The new deal covers joint activities across selected technological projects and the development of new industrial competencies, building on an earlier agreement signed in November 2025 to integrate and jointly offer counter-UAS and air defence solutions.
The centrepiece of the partnership is a new manufacturing facility in Poland. Production capacity is planned at up to 10,000 Mark I missiles per year.
“Our partnership with Frankenburg also opens further opportunities. We are signing an agreement with a European entity, which means there may be an opportunity to seek project funding through SAFE. We are also considering the possibility of incorporating Frankenburg solutions into the SAN programme, as it has been an open‑architecture system from the very beginning,” – said Marcin Idzik, Vice President of the Management Board of PGZ.
The partnership also lays the groundwork for a Mark II system, expected to extend coverage to the 5–8-kilometre range, filling a gap in layered air defence above strategic sites and urban areas.
What is Frankenburg’s Mark I
The Mark I is designed as a more affordable “fire and forget” interceptor for attack drones. It features intelligent guidance that allows it to track targets without operator input, and its 500-gram warhead uses glass fragments — lighter and cheaper than metal, and better suited to penetrating lightweight drones such as Shaheds. The missile can engage targets up to two kilometres away and 1.5 kilometres high, powered by a solid-fuel motor for instant launch.
The economics are central to the pitch. PGZ president Adam Leszkiewicz says that countering cheap, mass-produced attack drones with expensive high-end air defence systems is both operationally and economically unjustified — the response must be cost-appropriate. Frankenburg claims Mark I reduces short-range intercept costs by more than 10–20 times compared to existing solutions.
The first Mark Is are set for combat testing in Ukraine this spring, with results expected to inform the Polish production run.
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