San Francisco startup raises $7M to launch backpack-sized drone interceptor system

Mara, a San Francisco-based defence startup, announced a $7 million financing round headed by Khosla Ventures to bring its Spike counter-drone system to market. Spike combines a Spotter detection unit, which fuses electro-optical, acoustic and optional low-signature radar sensors, with Seeker kinetic interceptors that weigh roughly 250 g, reach speeds of about 200 km/h and are launched from a tube. A launcher can carry as many as 48 interceptors and be reloaded in less than a minute, allowing configurations from a single backpack kit for a squad to a vehicle-mounted or perimeter-scale deployment.

The system has been field-tested with US Army platforms in Texas and on an armored vehicle in Europe, while Ukrainian troops have operated Spotter near the front line. Mara claims the approach offers a cheap, distributed defence against swarms of small FPV quad-copter drones that have been used in recent conflicts. The company is also pursuing research agreements with three US defence organisations and early talks with partners in the UK, Czech Republic and Ukraine.