Overview
- Poland and Romania received initial Merops systems this month and trained with U.S. troops in southeastern Poland following recent drone incursions, including as part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry effort.
- The system launches Surveyor interceptors from truck beds or ground stations and can operate by remote control or autonomously using thermal, radio-frequency or radar sensors with resistance to jamming.
- Each interceptor costs about $15,000, offering a lower-cost response than scrambling fighters or firing high-priced air-to-air missiles at low-cost drones.
- U.S. Brig. Gen. Curtis King credited Merops with up to 40% of Shahed shootdowns in Ukraine, though NATO forces have not yet used the system in combat.
- Commanders describe Merops as a short-term gap-filler to protect critical sites given limited numbers, with broader national and EU air-defense architectures still under development.