More battle-tested American-made interceptor drones will be heading to NATO’s eastern edge

• Lithuania announced on Wednesday that it has purchased the American-made Merops counter-drone system.

• Merops has been combat tested in Ukraine and has also recently been deployed to the Middle East.

• Lithuania is the latest NATO country to receive the low-cost system.

Another NATO ally is purchasing a combat-tested, American-made interceptor in Ukraine. The move will strengthen the alliance’s air defenses along the Russian border.

Lithuania’s national defense ministry announced on Wednesday that it had purchased this weapon. Merops system He added that to strengthen air defense, Vilnius “approved a simplified process: bureaucracy and long procurements should not hinder this.”

Merops is a counter drone system. launches a small interceptorHunting and destroying targets like these costs $15,000 each. Iran Shahed-136 or its Russian-made version Geran-2.

Merops, developed by the American initiative Project Eagle first deployed to UkraineMore than 1,000 attack aircraft launched by Russian forces were captured here.

Last year, Poland, an ally on NATO’s eastern flank that borders Russian territory, and Romania, which, like Poland, borders Ukraine, purchased and deployed the Merops system. Russian drone attacks to alliance airspace. Lithuania is now the third European ally to agree to purchase the system.

Lithuania’s national defense ministry did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s questions about how many Merops systems and interceptors it plans to purchase.

Merops is flexible; Interceptor drones are launched from mobile platforms such as a pickup truck or ground stations and can be operated by a small team trained for days.

Soldiers use ready Xbox Controllers to operate Surveyor, a propeller-driven interceptor capable of reaching speeds of 175 mph artificial intelligence to navigate saturated areas electronic warfare. It can destroy targets by colliding with them or exploding nearby.

Lithuania’s acquisition of Merops comes at a time when NATO’s frontline forces are looking for ways to achieve this. reduce the cost of air defense It faces a growing drone threat across Europe, with numerous airspace violations in recent months.

For Lithuania and its allies, Merops is a much more cost-effective air defense option. multimillion dollar missilesNATO warplanes used it to counter the threat when Russian drones violated Polish airspace in September.

Outside Europe, the US military also operates the Merops system and Distributed to the Middle East mid to early March Iran’s missile and drone attacks In the region following the start of Operation Epic Fury.

US Army deployed Dozens of Merops systems, including ground control station, radar, launcher and interceptor, and more than 1,000 armed and unarmed interceptors to the Middle East.

A US defense official told Business Insider that more interceptors are on the way. Last week, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said: USA bought 13,000 Surveyor sent interceptors and most of them to the Middle East in the first few days of the Iran war.

The US and Lithuanian purchases come as NATO powers show increasing interest in developing and fielding interceptor drones. Led by Ukraine to counter regular Russian drone attacks on its cities and civilian infrastructure.

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