All articles tagged with #merops
The United States is tapping Ukraine’s battlefield-tested drone expertise to counter Iran’s drone fleet, spotlighting Merops—an affordable anti-drone system developed with Ukrainian fighters after a meeting with Eric Schmidt—that uses inexpensive interceptor drones to shoot down long-range attack drones and save lives.
Iran’s sustained drone attacks are testing U.S. air defenses in the Middle East and prompting the Pentagon to broaden layered counter-drone defenses, combining short-range interceptors, electronic warfare, and emerging high-energy lasers. The UAE reported multiple missiles and drones launched by Iran, underscoring the cost advantage of cheaper drones over missiles and the need for scalable defenses. Systems like Merops are being deployed, and lessons from Ukraine are shaping U.S. planning as officials push to expand defensive depth across CENTCOM to protect bases and ships from mass drone waves.
The US is sending its Merops counter-drone system to the Middle East, featuring the Surveyor interceptor that has shot down over 1,000 Shahed drones in Ukraine. Interceptors cost about $15,000 each, and trained US and allied personnel will operate the system as a cheaper air-defense option against Iranian drones amid rising regional tensions.
The US will deploy Merops, a small AI-enabled anti-drone system proven against Russian drones in Ukraine, to the Middle East to bolster defenses against Iranian Shahed drones. The system is cheaper to operate than missiles, has already been used in Poland and Romania, and will be sent to locations beyond US bases in the Gulf as part of a broader push for faster counter-drone capabilities.