Battle-tested in Ukraine: US sends Merops interceptor drones to Middle East
Illustrative photo: the US sent Merops drones to the Middle East (wikipedia.org)
The US Army has sent 10,000 Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East. These drones have already been used by the Ukrainian army, said US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to the American official, Merops drones equipped with elements of artificial intelligence were sent to the Middle East within five days of the start of the US-Israeli operation against Iran on February 28.
The cost of one Merops drone is about $14,000–$15,000, but, as the official noted, with large orders, the price could drop to $3,000–$5,000 per interceptor. In turn, the cost of a single Shahed drone is at least $20,000.
"We’re actually on the better end of the cost curve there. So each time Iran launches one that we are able to take down, they are losing a meaningful amount of money," Driscoll said.
What is known about Merops
Merops drones were developed as part of Project Eagle, a defense initiative supported by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. According to Bloomberg, Ukraine received these drones in 2024.
By November 2025, it was known that Ukrainian defenders had shot down more than a thousand Russian attack drones using Merops, including Shahed drones and others.
One Merops system includes a ground control station, launchers, and interceptor drones.
Meanwhile, today, March 13, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States allegedly does not need Ukraine’s help to counter Iranian attack drones.
