The U.S.-made Merops counter-drone system is drawing interest from more NATO countries after being deployed in Ukraine, where it has downed thousands of Russian drones. A U.S. Defense Department official said at least six countries have bought or are in the process of buying the system, most of them on NATO's eastern flank. Rising demand for its relatively low-cost interceptors reflects allies' efforts to reduce their reliance on expensive fighter jets and missiles when responding to drone incursions.
At least six countries are buying or seeking Merops
Merops is produced by U.S. defense company Perennial Autonomy. A person familiar with the company said interest in the system was particularly strong among countries on NATO's eastern flank. In November 2025, three countries were publicly known to operate Merops. The disclosure that at least six countries are now buying or seeking the system points to a wider procurement effort.
Poland and Romania bought and deployed Merops after Russian drones entered NATO airspace in September 2025. Lithuania said in April this year that it planned to purchase a batch of systems for testing. The U.S. Defense Department official also said eastern-flank allies were buying counter-drone technologies beyond Merops, without identifying specific models.
A $15,000 interceptor designed for contested signals
The Merops system includes radar, launch equipment, a ground control station and interceptors. Each interceptor costs about $15,000 and travels at more than 175 miles per hour. It uses artificial intelligence to navigate in areas with heavy electronic-warfare interference, a condition frequently encountered on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The system can be launched from several types of positions, including the bed of a pickup truck. An interceptor destroys its target either by direct impact or by detonating nearby. The system requires only a small operating team, and personnel can be trained within days. Ukraine was its first deployment site, and the system has downed thousands of Russian drones there, including armed attack drones.
The U.S. Army is also using Merops in the Middle East
The U.S. Army was an early Merops customer and deployed the system to the Middle East when the war with Iran began. Dan Driscoll, who was Army secretary at the time, said earlier this year that the service had purchased thousands of interceptors. U.S. personnel have since used the system in the region to bring down at least one Iranian drone.
At roughly $15,000 per interceptor, Merops costs less than many other counter-drone systems held in U.S. military inventories. One design objective is to intercept drones valued at roughly twice the cost of the interceptor while preserving high-end missiles for more complex threats. The total cost of a deployment still depends on factors including operations, maintenance and supporting equipment; available information does not provide a full system procurement price.
Eastern-flank defenses will require multiple layers
Airspace incursions have increased on NATO's eastern flank in recent months. Western officials have repeatedly attributed drone entries into allied airspace to Russia, and some incidents have prompted allies to scramble costly fighter aircraft. Using crewed aircraft and air-to-air missiles against low-cost drones creates a significant cost mismatch, driving NATO countries to seek cheaper interception options.
NATO's eastern flank stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Allied measures to strengthen protection also include deploying sensors, radar and other technologies. Army Lt. Col. Adam Scheer, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department's interagency Joint Task Force 401, said the task force helps allies and partners obtain technologies needed to respond quickly to drone threats.
Scheer said there is no single solution for countering drones. Effective defenses require a combination of active and passive radar, cameras, and both soft-kill and hard-kill capabilities. The number of Merops deployments is growing as more countries place orders, but allies continue to procure other equipment as well. That mix underscores the need for coordinated, layered defenses rather than reliance on a single interceptor.