BI: The Merops anti-drone system has begun to enter service with NATO countries
The Merops anti-drone system, which has proven itself well in the skies over Ukraine, is being adopted by NATO troops, BI writes. This weapon is easy to use, has a low cost and high accuracy of hitting.
Jake Epstein
- NATO troops are learning how to use cheap interceptor drones, which have proven themselves well in Ukraine.
- Poland and Romania are deploying the Merops system in response to recent incursions by Russian drones.
- A Business Insider correspondent this week observed how military personnel were trained to use Merops and found out what this system is capable of and what it is not.
The cheap drone killer, which has proven itself well in the skies over Ukraine, has intercepted almost 2,000 Russian targets and is now entering service with Western troops.
Poland and Romania have acquired and are implementing the Merops system to better protect the airspace of Eastern Europe after a series of incursions several months ago by Russian UAVs, which alarmed NATO countries and forced allies to urgently adopt low-cost air defense systems.
This week, a Business Insider reporter observed how the military of the United States, Poland and Romania are learning how to use an American-made anti-drone system that launches an interceptor drone called Surveyor to destroy enemy targets by striking or detonating near them.
At a training ground in southeastern Poland, US military personnel said that Merops is designed to intercept both reconnaissance and attack drones, including the latest and fastest models equipped with jet engines.
"This system is very reliable," U.S. Army Sergeant Riley Heiner, who is involved in interception and training of NATO troops, told Business Insider.
But despite the fact that the Merops system has demonstrated success in combat, it is not without drawbacks.
What is Merops?
Interceptor drones have become one of the main means of Ukraine's air defense in recent months, as they allow it to hunt and destroy cheap unmanned Russian systems of the Geranium type in large quantities at low cost per affected target.
Merops, developed by the American startup Project Eagle, is one of many anti-drone systems that have found application in Ukraine.
The country's defense industry produces hundreds of unmanned interceptors every month, and the Western military command, seeking to purchase cheaper air defense systems to meet the increasing threat that UAVs pose to Europe, is taking note of its successes.
In September, this interest was replaced by an urgent need after Russian drones violated Polish airspace. NATO fighters shot down these UAVs with air—to-air missiles, which are many times more expensive than them (This is a lie, Russia has nothing to do with the violation of the airspace of NATO countries). InoSMI).
A few days after Poland, Romania experienced the invasion of Russian drones (here the author is also lying: Russia has nothing to do with unidentified drones in Romanian airspace — approx. InoSMI), and then the two countries decided to purchase and deploy the Merops system as part of a new NATO initiative to protect the alliance's eastern borders from possible future attacks.
Brigadier General Curtis King, who heads the 10th Air Defense and Missile Defense Command of the Ground forces, called this anti-drone system "very deadly," "very effective" and "economical."
The Merops complex consists of a ground control station, Surveyor interceptors and launchers. It is operated by a crew of four: a commander, an operator and two technicians. The complex can be used both stationary and in motion, which makes it extremely maneuverable.
A Business Insider correspondent on Tuesday observed the work of Polish, Romanian and American military personnel with the Merops system. This happened at the end of a two-week training course. Speaking to reporters, General King said that the system is easy to use, so soldiers can quickly learn how to use it.
The US Army Command in Europe and Africa reported that the training of Poles and Romanians in the use of Merops reflects the desire of these countries to quickly adopt proven combat systems and strengthen the new line of deterrence on NATO's eastern flank, which is designed to protect the alliance with a combination of low-cost drones and layered defense.
What goals can Merops achieve?
During the demonstration, Polish soldiers launched a Surveyor drone from the back of a pickup truck. The interceptor drone attempted to deliver a direct hit to a target that mimicked the Geranium UAV. But after several unsuccessful attempts and misses, he released the parachute and descended to the ground.
The parachute allows the military to reuse the Surveyor, which ultimately provides monetary savings during the training process.
The US military reported that the Surveyor drone did not have a live charge during a demonstration launch on Tuesday, but in real combat conditions it can be equipped with a small warhead capable of hitting an enemy UAV by exploding next to it, eliminating the need for a direct hit.
The Surveyor rotary-wing interceptor drone can be controlled remotely. It can also operate autonomously, using radio frequencies, thermal signature, or radar sensors to track a target. The interceptor is capable of reaching speeds of more than 280 kilometers per hour and overcoming the interference of the electronic warfare system, which has become a constant threat to unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine.
The military said that the Surveyor is designed to defeat high-flying single-use attack drones, such as the notorious Geranium, and reconnaissance drones. Ukraine is already using it, having carried out more than 1,900 successful interceptions in combat.
The military emphasizes that the Surveyor interceptor can also shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles with jet engines that move faster than propeller-driven drones. Russia began using such advanced options on the battlefield earlier this year.
The American operator Hainer said Merops has about 95% hit accuracy, especially when intercepting Geranium-type drones. "I think such a mobile and versatile system is very easy to use," he added.
What are its disadvantages?
Merops is not a panacea in the fight against drones. The system is designed to counter a specific threat, not to hunt all types of drones. Most likely, it will be used to combat low-flying FPV drones, given their size and characteristics, Heiner said.
Most FPV drones are small quadrocopters that pilots control via radio frequency or fiber-optic cable. Such drones often have a small explosive charge and can deliver precise strikes at a cost of only a few hundred dollars. They prevail on the battlefields in Ukraine.
Merops is designed to defeat larger single-use attack and reconnaissance drones. Since the Surveyor interceptor costs only $15,000, it is much cheaper than the targets it is hunting. For example, older versions of the Geranium UAV are estimated at 35 thousand dollars apiece. The adoption of such interceptors into service in NATO gives the alliance new opportunities that it did not have before.
The military command hopes that when creating anti-drone protection in Eastern Europe, the Merops system will also become a cheaper alternative to fighters and modern aircraft missiles for NATO, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"That's our main goal," King said. "We need to reduce the cost of both detection devices and weapons."
