Skapion Raises $36 Million to Develop Counter-Drone Swarm Systems
Israeli defense technology company Skapion has raised $36 million in seed funding to advance systems designed to counter coordinated drone swarm attacks. The company is targeting a growing air defense gap as low-cost unmanned systems challenge existing interception models.
Israeli defense technology startup Skapion has secured $36 million in seed funding to support development of a mobile counter-drone swarm system aimed at military forces, bases, and critical infrastructure.
The round was co-led by UP Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC, and q Fund, according to CTech.
Skapion is focusing on the growing challenge posed by large numbers of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles and one-way attack drones. Recent conflicts have shown that while individual drones can often be intercepted, mass attacks can strain conventional air defense networks and create unfavorable cost ratios when expensive interceptors are used against cheaper threats.
The company says its system is being designed for simultaneous engagements rather than single-drone interception. The mobile platform is intended to detect, engage, and neutralize multiple UAVs in contested or communications-limited environments, including alongside maneuver forces and around fixed sites.
Skapion’s founding team includes personnel with experience in Israel’s air defense sector. Brig. Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman, a founding architect and co-founder, previously led Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Systems division, where he was involved in programs including Iron Dome and David’s Sling. Co-founder and CEO Ido Bar-On previously led defense and government business at XTEND and served as a reserve lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces.
The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with research and development activities in Ramat Gan, Israel. Skapion said the funding will support engineering work, system validation, recruitment, and engagement with government and defense customers in Israel, the United States, and allied markets.
For NATO and European defense planners, the investment reflects growing private-sector activity around counter-UAS and layered short-range air defense. The operational use of drones in Ukraine and the Middle East has increased demand for systems that can manage larger volumes of aerial threats at lower engagement costs.
