Israeli Startup Develops Affordable System to Intercept Hundreds of Drone Swarms Simultaneously

Israeli defense startup Skapion has unveiled plans to develop a groundbreaking system capable of intercepting hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) simultaneously at a cost below $10,000 per target. After raising $36 million from American and Israeli investors, the company is collaborating closely with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and is progressing toward live firing and interception trials.

Founded by veterans of Israel’s defense and high-tech sectors, including Pini Youngman, a former Rafael executive involved in the Iron Dome and David’s Sling projects, Skapion aims to address the growing threat posed by suicide drones. These drones have become a significant battlefield weapon, used extensively by Iran and its proxies, Russia and Ukraine, and Hezbollah, causing casualties and damage despite existing defense systems.

Skapion CEO Ido Bar-On highlighted the escalating scale of drone swarm attacks, citing recent events such as over 600 drones attacking Kyiv in one night and Iran’s repeated nighttime drone barrages on Gulf states and U.S. bases. He warned that current defense systems, designed for single threats, struggle to cope with the volume and frequency of these attacks, which can number in the thousands monthly.

The company’s system will integrate detection, classification, prioritization, and launch of small interceptors to neutralize drone swarms. Unlike current solutions, which are costly and limited in capacity, Skapion’s approach focuses on affordability and mass production, targeting a manufacturing scale of 10,000 interceptors annually across multiple countries. The system is designed to be mobile, protecting critical infrastructure, military bases, and maneuvering forces.

Skapion also plans to counter future threats, including faster and more sophisticated "dark" drones that operate without GPS or communication signals. The startup aims to deliver an operational system by 2027, potentially transforming defense against large-scale drone swarm attacks that existing systems cannot handle effectively.