Defense technology startup Skapion has unveiled a new air defense system designed to intercept large numbers of attacking drones simultaneously, addressing a growing challenge for militaries: stopping coordinated drone swarms without exhausting interceptor supplies or defense budgets.The company described its platform as the world’s first “Native Counter-Swarm” defense system, built from the outset to engage multiple aerial targets at once rather than treating each drone as a separate engagement. Skapion announced the system on October 14, as defense companies gathered for the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C.Skapion said the mobile, kinetic system is designed to engage more than 100 targets simultaneously, with an interception rate exceeding 97 percent. Those are company-reported performance targets, however, and the system has not yet publicly demonstrated those results in a live-fire test. Skapion plans to conduct its first live-fire test in the coming weeks.A different approach to drone swarmsConventional air defense systems can struggle when large numbers of relatively inexpensive drones arrive together. Even when defenders can detect and intercept individual threats, a coordinated attack can strain available interceptors and create more simultaneous engagements than a system was designed to handle.Skapion’s approach centers on what it calls a many-to-many architecture: multiple interceptors can be assigned to multiple targets at the same time. An AI-based command-and-control system is designed to combine information from the company’s own sensors or third-party detection systems, prioritize incoming threats, allocate interceptors, and manage engagements in real time.The system is intended to operate autonomously or with a human operator supervising engagements, depending on customer policy, according to the company. Its open architecture is also designed to integrate with existing command-and-control systems and other counter-unmanned aircraft systems.Skapion noted that its interceptors use a fully kinetic approach, meaning they physically engage targets rather than relying solely on electronic jamming. That could be relevant against drones that operate autonomously or don’t rely on communication links that can be disrupted.Vertical-launch architecture is designed to provide 360-degree engagement coverage. The company said it can deploy the system on ground and maritime platforms, although various reports indicate Skapion is not currently pursuing airborne deployment. Interceptors designed to cost lessCost is central to the system’s pitch. Militaries may end up using expensive air defense weapons against drones that cost far less to build, creating an unfavorable resource exchange during prolonged attacks.Skapion aims to bring the cost of each interceptor down to approximately $10,000 at scale. The outlet also reported that the interceptors are designed to engage drones at distances of roughly 1 to 7 kilometers (0.6 to 4.3 miles) and may use either electro-optical or radio-frequency seekers.The company envisions distributing launch systems across mobile vehicles and other platforms rather than concentrating all defensive capacity at a few fixed sites. Such a network could potentially protect military forces, critical infrastructure, and other installations against coordinated attacks. These applications remain prospective, rather than evidence of an established operational deployment.Live-fire testing is the next milestoneSkapion was founded by a team with experience in defense and engineering. Its founding architect, retired Brig. Gen. Pini Yungman, previously led Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Systems division and contributed to Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling programs. That background informs the company’s approach, but it alone does not establish the new system’s performance.The startup raised $36 million in seed funding earlier in 2026, with UP. Partners and Khosla Ventures led the round. The funding is intended to support engineering development, validation, and expansion of the company’s capabilities. The planned live-fire test is expected to involve up to 50 interceptors targeting small Class 2 and Class 3 drones, using a proximity-based kill mechanism. The company is also aiming for an operational test evaluation in 2027, with a hoped-for operational capability in the second half of that year.For now, Skapion’s unveiling presents a proposed answer to the economics and complexity of drone-swarm attacks, not a proven replacement for existing air defense systems. Live-fire results and subsequent evaluations will be important in determining whether its approach can deliver the scale, reliability, and cost advantages it promises.