Israeli tech company seeks to construct world’s first Iron Dome for drone swarms

Israeli defense startup Skapion has raised $36 million to advance the development of Native Counter Swarm, what it says is the world's first Iron Dome-style defense system designed specifically to counter coordinated drone swarms.

The Washington, D.C.-based company, which operates a research center in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, announced Thursday that Khosla Ventures and UP.Partners co-led its seed funding round, with participation from TBD VC, Stratos Ventures, Fusion VC and q Fund.

The system is being developed as militaries confront a rapidly evolving battlefield threat. Swarms of low-cost drones have become increasingly prominent during the war in Ukraine and across the Middle East, challenging conventional air defense systems that were designed to intercept individual aerial targets.

Skapion's mobile defense platform is designed to detect, intercept and neutralize coordinated drone swarms while operating independently in challenging weather conditions.

Skapion has assessed that since the Ukraine war began in February 2022, low-cost drones have evolved from a "specialized tactical capability to a structural air-defense challenge for military forces, bases and critical infrastructure."

Iran acknowledged in late 2022 that it had supplied drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, and both countries have since expanded their drone capabilities. The threat has also grown closer to Israel, where Hezbollah drones have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers in recent months and targeted communities in northern Israel.

Addressing the growing challenge, Skapion co-founder Ido Bar-On said, "The question is no longer whether a single drone can be detected or hit. The question is whether modern militaries can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost required by today's battlefield."

"[Garnering $36 million, the round helped] accelerate development, expand the engineering organization and keep building the team required to solve one of the most urgent defense challenges of the coming decade," he added.

While several Israeli defense companies have unveiled new counter-drone platforms, Skapion argues existing systems are not designed to handle large drone swarms, increasing the likelihood that some enemy drones will penetrate defenses.

Ben Marcus, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, UP.Partners, said Skapion's technology is modeled on the success of Israel's Iron Dome air defense system.

"The Iron Dome changed the calculus for rockets and missiles. Skapion is doing the same for drone swarms. The threat has evolved from single, expensive projectiles to cheap drones attacking in numbers, and defense needs to evolve with it," Marcus assessed.

Although the startup is new, its leadership includes veteran Israeli defense officials. Co-founder Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman previously served as general manager of Rafael's Air and Missile Defense Systems division and helped develop both the Iron Dome and David's Sling air defense systems.

Hezbollah's first-person-view (FPV) drones have so far primarily threatened Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and civilian communities in northern Israel.

However, former IDF Menashe Brigade commander Col. (res.) Oren Zini warned in May that Hezbollah's drone capabilities pose a "real danger" to central Israel, including Tel Aviv, and urged Israel to rapidly develop an effective countermeasure.

Despite the growing threat, Zini expressed confidence that Israel would ultimately find a solution.

"This truly poses a real challenge to our forces. These explosives-laden drones – they appear out of nowhere; they surprise the forces. Let’s trust the Jewish mind, which will very quickly know how to provide a response to this, too, but unfortunately, at this stage, the prices are very heavy. We have lost quite a few soldiers, including the dear soldier last night in the Givati Brigade. Very heavy prices. I believe we will soon provide a solution to this as well," the former commander predicted.