
Frankenburg Technologies
Estonian missile-technology startup developing the Mark I strike missile.
Frankenburg Technologies is an Estonian defence startup building the Mark I, a mass-manufacturable guided interceptor missile, which raised a €30 million Series A in February 2026 to fund UK and German manufacturing capacity alongside its Riga assembly line.
Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Estonia's Mark I missile change the economics of drone interception for NATO?
Timeline for Frankenburg Technologies
Supplied precision missiles to the maritime system
Drones: Industry & Defence: Frankenburg compounds a UK interceptor winMilrem leaves Paris with intent only
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaBackground
Frankenburg Technologies is an Estonian deep-tech defence startup founded in 2024 and headquartered in Tallinn. Its flagship product, the Mark I, is pitched as the world's first cost-effective, mass-manufacturable guided interceptor missile, built from commercially available components and taken from concept to live-fire Intercept in 13 months. The company argues defenders must match the industrial logic of cheap mass-produced aerial threats rather than rely on legacy interceptors costing tens of times more per shot.
Co-founded by Taavi Madiberk and Marko Virkebau, with CEO Kusti Salm a former permanent secretary of Estonia's Ministry of Defence, Frankenburg draws on engineering experience spanning IRIS-T, SPEAR3, Storm Shadow and Brimstone programmes. A €30 million Series A led by Plural, closed in February 2026, is funding manufacturing capacity in the UK and Germany, adding to a Riga assembly facility already operational as Europe's claimed first affordable-missile factory. The company now operates across eight countries including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the UK, Denmark, Poland and Ukraine.
At Eurosatory 2026 Frankenburg signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Milrem Robotics to integrate the Mark I onto Milrem's unmanned ground platforms, targeting a mobile Counter-UAS capability that addresses the affordable, distributed short-range air defence gap Ukraine's experience has exposed. A €100 million Series B round is under discussion.
What is Frankenburg Technologies and what does the Mark I missile do?
Who founded Frankenburg Technologies?
How much funding has Frankenburg Technologies raised?
What did Frankenburg and Milrem Robotics agree at Eurosatory 2026?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 24 July 2026. Editorial standards.