The tiny Estonian-made 'Mark 1' has been heralded as a cheaper and game-changing munition designed specifically to aid Europe's response to Russian drone incursions
14:32, 10 Nov 2025Updated 14:36, 10 Nov 2025
One tiny rocket small enough to be carried by a single person is one of Europe's most effective weapons for fighting back Russian advances on the continent.
The "Mark 1", a small, less than metre-long missile made by Estonian firm Frankenburg Technology, is one of the smallest munitions on the market. The weapon measures in at 65cm - just over two feet - and has been developed to hunt prey of a similar size - Russian drones that have been making their way into European airspace in recent months.
Manufacturers have marketed the missiles, which are set to be delivered across the continent earlier next year, as purpose-built to repel the exact types of drones Putin has been flying into Ukraine.
Frankenburg has made the missile to utilise "solid rocket propellant and autonomous guidance", allowing them to hone in on unmanned aerial vehiles (UAVs) like those Russia is using in its years-long invasion. Some of the most widely used drones are the Iranian-made Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 models, which fly towards battlefield targets slowly and close to the ground.
They work by deteonating a warhead between one and two metres away from the target after being deployed within a range of around two kilometres.
Kusti Salm, Frankenburg Technology's chief executive, said the Estonian weapon would become the "most-needed capability in the Western world. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the unapologetic weapons manufacturer, added that they are being made to take down Russian drones - which operate several hundred kilometres inside the battlefield.
He said: "We are not apologetic about the fact we manufacture weapons. We are not afraid to say we are manufacturing them to take down Russian long-range drones.
"And we are not all apologetic about the fact that this will be the most-needed capability in the Western world in the next five to 10 years." European nations have recently been forced to repel unprecedented Russian territorial incursions, with drones and munitions crossing the border from Ukraine and into countries like Romania and Poland.
NATO has responded to these incursions using jets, making defence for the West expensive while Russia uses comparatively cheap munitions.
The last major incursion on European soil was on November 6, when drones were spotted nearby Brussels airport, forcing officials to close the site down. Not long after the incident, Sir Richard Knighton, the UK's Chief of the Defence Staff, said his Belgian counterpart had requested military assistance, to which he has agreed.
Sir Richard said during an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that the way forward for the continent would be in forging closer alliances. He said: "As hybrid threats grow, our strength lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and protect our critical infrastructure and airspace".