Lithuania is acquiring the U.S.-made Merops counter-drone system to strengthen air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank. Merops launches $15,000 Surveyor interceptors—propeller-driven drones that can exceed 175 mph and use AI to operate in electronic-warfare environments. First deployed to Ukraine (credited with 1,000+ intercepts) and recently sent to the Middle East, Merops is seen as a cost-effective alternative to expensive missile interceptors.
Lithuania Buys US-Made Merops Interceptor Drones to Bolster NATO’s Eastern Air Defenses
Merops is designed to be flexible and can launch from the bed of a pickup truck.Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Lithuania announced on Wednesday that it will purchase the American-made Merops counter-drone system to strengthen air defenses along NATO’s eastern flank. Vilnius said it used an expedited procurement route, arguing that bureaucracy should not delay urgent defense needs.
What Is Merops?
Merops is a low-cost counter-drone package developed under the U.S. Project Eagle initiative. The system launches small interceptor drones called Surveyor to detect, pursue and destroy incoming strike drones such as Iran’s Shahed-136 and the Russian Geran-2 variant. Officials say Merops was first deployed to Ukraine and has been credited with more than 1,000 intercepts of strike drones.
How Surveyor Interceptors Work
Surveyor interceptors are propeller-driven drones that can exceed 175 mph and use artificial intelligence to navigate in environments rich in electronic warfare. They can be launched from mobile platforms—such as pickup trucks—or from fixed ground stations. A small crew, reportedly trainable in days, operates the system using off-the-shelf controllers. Interceptors can defeat targets by colliding with them or detonating in proximity.
Why Lithuania Is Buying Merops
Lithuania’s acquisition follows similar purchases by Poland and Romania and reflects a broader NATO push to find more cost-effective air-defense solutions amid rising drone threats and repeated airspace violations. For frontline allies, Merops offers a significantly cheaper option than multimillion-dollar missile interceptors or using fighter jets to counter low-cost drone swarms.
U.S. And Other Deployments
The U.S. Army also fields Merops packages and has deployed systems to the Middle East in response to recent Iranian missile and drone activity. According to officials, the Army has shipped dozens of Merops packages and more than 1,000 armed and unarmed Surveyor interceptors to the region. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the U.S. purchased 13,000 Surveyor interceptors early in the Iran conflict and sent many to the Middle East.
Bottom line: Lithuania’s purchase adds another NATO ally to those fielding battle-tested interceptor drones, underscoring a shift toward affordable, scalable defenses against pervasive drone threats.
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