--- title: "At least six NATO allies buy or order US Merops counter-drone system" description: "The $15,000 interceptor, first used in Ukraine, has downed thousands of Russian drones, a US defense official says" author: "rews desk" published: 2026-09-29T16:27:28Z modified: 2026-09-29T19:02:43Z url: https://rews.cc/a/at-least-six-nato-allies-buy-or-order-us-merops-counter-dron-ea2a46 language: en tags: ["drones", "defense", "nato", "ai", "war", "europe", "us"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # At least six NATO allies buy or order US Merops counter-drone system *The $15,000 interceptor, first used in Ukraine, has downed thousands of Russian drones, a US defense official says* By rews desk · September 29, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/at-least-six-nato-allies-buy-or-order-us-merops-counter-dron-ea2a46 ## In brief - At least six countries, most on NATO’s eastern flank, have bought or are buying the Merops system, up from three NATO operators in November 2025 - The $15,000 interceptor flies at more than 175 mph and uses AI to work amid electronic warfare - Ukraine, the first operator, has used Merops to down thousands of Russian drones - Poland and Romania deployed Merops after Russian drones violated NATO airspace in September 2025; Lithuania plans a test batch - The US Army bought thousands of interceptors and destroyed at least one Iranian drone with the system At least six countries, most of them NATO allies on the alliance’s eastern flank, have bought or are buying the US-made Merops counter-drone system, a US defense official told Business Insider. The figure, reported for the first time by Business Insider on Monday, is up from three NATO operators in November 2025, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A source close to Perennial Autonomy, the US defense firm that makes Merops, confirmed to Business Insider that there is significant interest in the system across NATO’s eastern flank. Merops pairs a radar, launcher and ground control station with a $15,000 interceptor drone that flies at more than 175 mph and uses artificial intelligence to operate in areas saturated with electronic warfare, a common condition on the battlefield in Ukraine, according to the report. The interceptor can be launched from flexible positions, including the bed of a pickup truck, and destroys targets by ramming them or detonating nearby. A small crew can be trained to run the system within days, Business Insider reported. Ukraine was the first country to field Merops, and its forces have used it to shoot down thousands of Russian drones, including armed attack aircraft, according to the report. Western military officials have praised the system’s record in the war. Poland and Romania bought and deployed Merops after Russian drones violated NATO airspace in September 2025, and Lithuania said in April that it planned to buy a test batch of the systems. Poland has since kept fighters on preventive patrols over its east after further alleged incursions, as [previously reported](https://rews.cc/a/poland-puts-fighters-on-patrol-after-a-fresh-run-of-alleged--ccb5d4). The US Army, an early operator, sent the system to the Middle East at the start of the Iran war. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said earlier this year that the service had purchased thousands of interceptors, and US troops have used Merops to destroy at least one Iranian drone in the region, according to Business Insider. At $15,000 apiece, the interceptor costs about half the price of the drones it can destroy, and its use lets troops reserve high-end missiles for harder threats, the report said. The purchases form part of a wider effort to reinforce the eastern flank, which runs from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, with sensors, interceptors and other technology. The flank has seen a rise in airspace violations in recent months, and Western officials have repeatedly blamed Russia for drone incursions that require allies to scramble expensive fighter jets in response. Moscow has denied targeting alliance members in past incidents of this kind. Lt. Col. Adam Scher, a spokesperson for Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the US Department of Defense body that coordinates counter-drone work across the military and federal agencies, said the task force helps allies acquire advanced technology quickly. “There is no silver bullet” for drone defense, Scher told Business Insider, adding that the task force and allies continue “to build a layered defense that requires the purchase of sensors, active and passive radars, cameras, as well as non-kinetic and kinetic effectors to ensure our warfighters have the best available technology to protect themselves from the threats caused by the illicit use of drones.” The US defense official said eastern flank allies are also buying counter-drone technology beyond Merops, without identifying the systems.