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A single Spike launcher holds up to 48 of the Seeker interceptors and reloads in less than a minute, with each Seeker capable of engaging targets out to roughly one mile, per Mara's published specs. In an exclusive interview, CEO Daniel Kofman told the outlet Tectonic Defense how FPV crews operate on the frontline. "They launch from anywhere at anything, and they never attack one at a time. They always attack four to six at a time in waves, doing pincer strikes in rapid succession or simultaneously."
The system's Spotter targeting unit fuses electro-optical and acoustic sensors with an optional low-emission W-band radar, and Mara says it detects and tracks fiber-optic and fully autonomous drones in all weather, day or night. Radio-frequency jammers and RF-based detectors can't touch either drone type, since neither emits a control signal to find or break.
Kofman says that the Seekers are built to trade at a "one-to-one" or a "worst case, two-to-one" cost ratio against the drones they intercept, with Mara claiming that the interceptor costs 20 times less than the next-cheapest alternative. Fully autonomous, Mara claims the Seekers respond much faster than a human can react to a 100 mph quadcopter, though a human stays in the loop at all times to set rules of engagement and abort launches.
Mara’s system is substantially cheaper than systems like Lockheed Martin's reusable Morfius X-Rotor , which downs swarms with high-power microwaves, but close to the $1,000 3D-printed interceptors Ukraine builds against Shahed-type drones, though those target larger, slower threats than FPV quadcopters.
China unveils man-portable anti-drone laser that can burn through a drone 1,600 feet away in four seconds
Lockheed Martin unveils counter-drone system that can ‘neutralize up to 50 enemy drones in a single mission’
Ukraine built a $48,000 long-range drone after covertly snapping Chinese factory photos
Mara joined NATO's DIANA accelerator 2026 cohort and holds cooperative research agreements with three unnamed U.S. defense organizations. The company is also running a civilian pilot at a South Korean commercial port. Ukrainian forces have operated Spotter near the front line, where the company says it tracked multiple FPV drones from 40km (~25 miles) back, and Mara has its first paid order from a European NATO partner for an undisclosed exercise.
Ground-mounted Spike units are due to be in customers' hands by the end of 2026, with vehicle-mounted and man-portable variants and scaled production planned for 2027.
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Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/drones/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/drones/startup-raises-usd7-million-to-build-backpack-portable-8-8-ounce-drone-interceptors-mara-claims-20x-cost-advantage-over-other-interceptors-priced-one-for-one-against-attack-drones#main
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