NOWA DĘBA, Poland — Proven in the skies above Ukraine, a cheap drone-killer that has logged nearly 2,000 Russian intercepts is now in the hands of Western troops.
Poland and Romania have purchased and are deploying the Merops system to better protect Eastern European airspace after a series of Russian drone incursions a couple of months ago, wake-up calls that left NATO allies scrambling to field low-cost air defenses.
This week, Business Insider observed US, Polish, and Romanian forces training on the American-made counter-drone system, which launches an interceptor drone called the “Surveyor” to take down enemy threats by slamming into them or exploding nearby.
At a training range in southeastern Poland, US military officials said that Merops is designed to intercept both reconnaissance and strike drones, including the newer and faster variants powered by jet engines.
“This system right here is very reliable,” American Army Sgt. Riley Hiner, an interceptor pilot who has helped train the NATO soldiers, told Business Insider.
However, while the Merops system has a record of success in combat, it’s not without its limitations.
What is Merops?
Interceptor drones have emerged as one of Ukraine’s top air defense tools in recent months, allowing it to hunt and destroy large numbers of cheap Russian Shahed-style drones at a relatively low cost per engagement.
Merops, developed by the American initiative Project Eagle, is one of many counter-drone systems that Ukraine has been using.
Ukraine’s defense industry is producing hundreds of interceptor drones each month, and Western military leaders seeking to procure cheaper air defense systems to match the growing threat that drones pose to Europe are taking note of their success.
Interest turned to urgency in September after Russian drones violated Polish airspace. NATO fighter jets fired expensive air-to-air missiles to shoot down weapons worth a fraction of their cost.
Poland and Romania, the latter of which faced its own Russian drone incursion just a few days later, decided to procure and deploy Merops as part of a new NATO initiative to defend the alliance’s Eastern edge against potential future attacks.
US Army Brig. Gen. Curtis King, the head of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, described the counter-drone system as “very lethal,” “very effective,” and also “cost-effective.”
Merops consists of a ground control station, the Surveyor interceptor, and launch platforms. Operated by a four-person crew consisting of a commander, a pilot, and two technicians, it can be deployed at a fixed location or on the move, making it a flexible asset.
Business Insider watched Polish, Romanian, and American troops work with the Merops system on Tuesday as the soldiers were nearing the end of their two-week training course. King, speaking to reporters, said the system is user-friendly, so soldiers can quickly learn how to operate it.
US Army Europe and Africa said the Merops training reflects efforts by Poland and Romania to quickly field proven battlefield systems and strengthen NATO’s new Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, which aims to protect the alliance with a mix of low-cost drones and layered defenses.
What threats can it hit?
During a demonstration, Polish soldiers launched the Surveyor from the bed of a pickup truck. The interceptor drone attempted to score a direct hit on its target — a drone mimicking a Shahed — but after several attempts and near misses, it deployed a parachute and floated down to the ground.
The parachute feature allows troops to reuse the Surveyor, ultimately saving money in the training cycle.
US military officials said that the Surveyor drone was unarmed during Tuesday’s demonstrations, but under real combat conditions, it would carry a small warhead that could destroy a hostile drone by exploding next to it rather than needing to score a direct hit.
The propeller-powered Surveyor interceptor drone can be piloted remotely or operate autonomously, using radio frequencies, thermal signatures, or radar sensors to track its target. It is capable of reaching speeds over 175 miles per hour and is resistant to electronic warfare, which has become an ever-present threat to drone operations in Ukraine.
Military officials said the Surveyor is designed to defeat high-flying one-way attack drones, such as the notorious Iranian-designed Shahed, as well as reconnaissance drones. Ukraine has already used it to record more than 1,900 successful intercepts in combat.
They emphasized that the Surveyor interceptor can also take down jet-powered drones, which travel faster than those powered by propellers. Russia began fielding these advanced variants in combat earlier this year.
Hiner, the American pilot, said that Merops has about a 95% success rate, especially when intercepting Shahed-type drones. “I think as mobile as it is, and as versatile as it is, it’s very easy to use,” he added.
What are the limitations?
Merops isn’t the end-all counter-drone defense. It’s built for a specific threat, not all drone threats. For instance, it would likely struggle against low-flying first-person-view (FPV) drones given their size and profile, Hiner said.
Most FPV drones are small quadcopters connected to pilots via radio frequency signal or fiber-optic cables. These drones often carry small explosive payloads and can deliver precision strikes for just a few hundred dollars. They dominate the battlefield in Ukraine.
Merops is built for bigger one-way attack and reconnaissance drones. With its $15,000 Surveyor interceptor, it’s designed to be much less expensive than the threat it’s hunting. Older Shahed variants, for example, are estimated to be worth $35,000 apiece. Its deployment in NATO gives the alliance a new capability that it previously lacked.
Military officials hope that Merops will also provide NATO with a cheaper alternative to having to use fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, for drone defense in Eastern Europe.
“That’s our major objective,” King said. “We have got to find lower costs — both sensors and effectors.”
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