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Secret Merops Counter-Drone System Behind 1,000 Shahed Kills in Ukraine
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Ukraine has been operating the Merops counter-drone system, an advanced anti-drone complex designed around interceptor UAVs, and has reportedly used it to shoot down more than 1,000 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russian forces.
The system’s deployment in Ukraine had not been publicly disclosed until recently.
According to Defense Express on November 19, the information was first made public by Business Insider, which reported that Merops received positive evaluations following its operational use in Ukraine.
The publication also noted that NATO countries including Poland, the United States, and Romania are now training to use the system at a facility in Poland.
Merops was developed as part of the US-backed Project Eagle initiative, which includes contributions from Swift Beat, a company associated with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The system is built around Surveyor drones, which act as airborne interceptors capable of destroying enemy UAVs mid-flight.
Each Merops unit includes a command station, launch platforms, and a fleet of Surveyor drones. These interceptors can operate autonomously or be remotely piloted and are equipped with onboard sensors for target tracking.
While full technical specifications remain undisclosed, Defense Express reports that the drones reach speeds of over 280 km/h (175 mph). The platform is considered fast enough to intercept jet-powered drones such as the Russian Geran-3, which can exceed 300 km/h.
The drones are also designed to resist electronic warfare interference, though no independent verification of this capability was provided. Each Surveyor drone is priced at approximately $15,000, making it cheaper than a Shahed drone but more expensive than Ukrainian-made alternatives.
Training exercises conducted in Poland demonstrate that Merops can be launched from standard pickup trucks, suggesting it is optimized for both frontline and rear-area defense against reconnaissance and loitering munitions.
The training cycle for operators reportedly lasts only two weeks. A full crew consists of four personnel: a commander, a pilot, and two technicians.
The exact number of launchers per Merops unit has not been disclosed. However, the system’s modularity and rapid training requirements indicate it is designed for agile field deployment.
Earlier, Ukraine’s domestically produced General Chereshnya AIR drone was reported to have intercepted 548 Russian UAVs in October alone, according to its developer. As noted by Defense Express on November 18, the platform is part of Ukraine’s growing ecosystem of cost-effective interceptor drones targeting reconnaissance and decoy systems.
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