NATO Deploys AI-Powered Merops System to Counter Russian Drone Threats Over Poland, Romania

Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge.

The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed.

As well as being deployed in Poland and Romania, Merops will also be used by Denmark, NATO military officials told The Associated Press, part of a move to boost defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank .

The aim is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow’s forces will be deterred from ever contemplating crossing, from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south, the officials said.Merops is a modular C-UAS system that detects and classifies small drones using radars, EO/IR cameras and AI algorithms, routes targets to a local C2 for manual or automated decisions, and intercepts threats not only by jamming but by launching small interceptor drones that physically neutralize or divert hostile UAVs.

Interceptors use autonomous navigation to operate under GPS denial or electronic attack, the whole kit is designed for rapid transport and deployment, and its effectiveness depends on sensor quality, weather, and the scale/complexity of incoming attacks.

“What this system does is give us very accurate detection,” said Col. Mark McLellan, assistant chief of staff operations at NATO Allied Land Command. “It’s able to target the drones and take them down and at a low cost as well. … It’s a lot cheaper than flying an F-35 into the air to take them down with a missile.”

Merops “basically flies drones against drones,” said McLellan, either by firing directly at the hostile drone or information from the system can be passed to ground or air forces so that they can shoot it down.

Merops gives commanders “a certain amount of time to be able to assess the threat and decide — to shoot or not shoot,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Lowin, deputy chief of staff operations at NATO Allied Land Command.

It can be used to protect both critical infrastructure, such as airports, and armed forces maneuvering in a combat zone, he added.

NATO is now deploying the first systems along the borders of Poland and Romania, while Denmark has also decided to acquire the Merops technology, Lowin said.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has invested in Merops, but both he and the company are keeping a low public profile, declining requests for interviews. Defense officials from Poland and Romania also refused to comment publicly.

The Merops system has been chosen because it has been used successfully in Ukraine. If something doesn’t work there, it’s “probably not worthwhile acquiring,” Lowin said.

Drones are evolving rapidly, and each new type demands a different response: The challenge is to identify the threat and then almost immediately work out how to attack it, said Brig. Gen. Zacarias Hernandez, deputy chief of staff plans at NATO Allied Land Command.

That requires extremely fast production cycles — from development to battlefield within weeks.

Sources: The Washington Post ; UNITED24MEDIA