MaXon Systems, a Ukrainian defence tech startup and portfolio company of Defence Builder Fund, has confirmed the first successful combat intercept of a Shahed drone in fully autonomous mode. The strike was carried out by the 12th Special Purpose Center in Kharkiv region. Video confirmation was published by Brave1.

The system automates 95% of the interception process — from launch to target destruction. A single button press initiates the sequence: the drone takes off, climbs to altitude, navigates to the target, locks on and strikes without operator input. Key specifications include up to 70 minutes of flight time, cruise speed of 200–250 km/h, a sprint capacity of 300 km/h, and an operational radius of 30 km.

MaXon's technology addresses the core dependencies of manual interception — operator skill, weather conditions, and crew availability — replacing them with hardware and software that perform consistently regardless of circumstances.

"Autonomy is one of the key directions in modern air defence development. These technologies enable faster response to mass attacks and more effective protection of Ukrainian cities," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

MaXon is now moving into early scaling, preparing to fulfill its first order from a combat unit. One interceptor is priced at approximately $3,500. The company's next R&D milestone is multi-target remote control — enabling a single operator to manage launch stations from multiple locations simultaneously, following the same command logic as Patriot air defence systems.

Defence Builder Fund was the first investor in MaXon, backing the team at the earliest stage. The pre-seed round was subsequently joined by Freedom Fund, Green Flag Ventures (USA), Hede Capital (Sweden), and Big Defence (Finland). The company is now preparing to raise a seed round of over $1 million.