British company Babcock has started developing a naval launch system for the next-generation Estonian Mark 1 counter drone missile.
According to Defense News, Babcock and Frankenburg have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly study the development of a new, affordable naval air defense system aimed at countering drones.
Engineering work under the project is planned to be carried out in the United Kingdom.
According to the companies, the jointly developed air defense solutions are intended to provide “more affordable, scalable options” for protecting military forces and critical infrastructure facilities across Europe.
Babcock and Frankenburg also believe that this cooperation will open up new opportunities for entering global export markets.
The value of the agreement and the timeline for developing the new launcher have not yet been disclosed. There is also no information available on the platforms on which the system is planned to be integrated.
The successful tests of the missile were reported in December 2025.
The missile, designated Mark 1, was developed using commercially available components and progressed from concept to live-fire trials in just 13 months.
With a length of 60 centimeters, it is the smallest guided missile in Europe.
The development was carried out by engineers from the Estonian company Frankenburg, with contributions from specialists from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The company has not yet disclosed detailed tactical and technical characteristics or the external appearance of the system.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the missile is capable of intercepting aerial targets at altitudes of up to 2 kilometers.
It was expected that these missiles would be delivered to Ukraine for testing, an announcement that was made as early as November of last year.
However, whether such tests took place and what their results were remains unknown.
