NATO Nations Accelerate Purchases of US-Made Merops Drone Interceptor
At least six NATO members, mainly on the Eastern flank, are buying or planning to buy the US-built Merops counter-drone system after its success in Ukraine.
More than half a dozen NATO countries are either purchasing or negotiating for the American-made Merops counter-drone platform, a defense official said, citing its proven record of downing thousands of Russian UAVs in Ukraine. The system, built by Perennial Autonomy, costs about $15,000 per interceptor and uses AI to navigate electronic-warfare-heavy environments, allowing launch from mobile sites such as pickup trucks.
Poland and Romania have already fielded Merops after September 2025 airspace violations, and Lithuania announced a test batch in April. The US Army, an early adopter, has also sent Merops to the Middle East, where it destroyed an Iranian drone. NATO’s Eastern flank is expanding its drone-defense architecture with additional sensors, radars and effectors to avoid scrambling expensive fighter aircraft against low-cost threats.
Why it matters
The spread of Merops gives NATO a low-cost way to counter cheap drones, reducing reliance on expensive fighter jets.
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