US sends 10,000 Ukraine-tested interceptor drones to Middle East

The US Army has sent 10,000 Merops interceptor drones, which have proven effective in combat in Ukraine, to the Middle East.

Source: US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in an interview with Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Driscoll said the AI-enabled Merops drones were dispatched within five days of the start of the US-Israeli operation against Iran on 28 February.

Merops drones were developed by Project Eagle, a defence company backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and were sent to Ukraine in 2024, where they proved their effectiveness.

Each Merops drone costs around US$14,000-15,000, though Driscoll said larger orders could reduce the price to about US$3,000-5,000 per interceptor.

They are cheaper than Iranian Shahed drones, which cost at least US$20,000 each and are being extensively used against the United States and its allies in the region.

Quote from Driscoll: "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."

Details: The deployment of interceptor drones that have been combat-tested in Russia's war against Ukraine comes as US President Donald Trump insists that the US does not need Ukraine's help to shoot down Iranian drones.

Wider use of Merops drones could make a big difference to US and Israeli armed forces, which have been forced to rely on Patriot and THAAD air defence systems. Missiles for these systems can cost over US$4 million each.

The US Army is also using Bumblebees – quadcopters that are fitted with explosives and designed to track enemy drones and collide with them. This system, manufactured by Perennial Autonomy, has also been tested in Ukraine.

Background: Earlier, Romania announced plans to use Merops systems to counter Russian drones.

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