NATO nations size up an interceptor-drone bazaar where low price is everything - Bytes Europe

Published: 2026-05-05T18:22:33+00:00

Summary

Lithuania, a NATO state bordering Russia and Belarus, has purchased 48 Merops interceptors from American manufacturer Perennial Autonomy for $15,000 per-shot. The purchase was made without competitive bidding and follows earlier Merops deployments and training with Polish and Romanian forces along NATO’s eastern flank. The system is part of a new breed of drone countermeasures marketed under an ultra-low-cost mantra that aims to alleviate a longstanding imbalance in air defense. The Pentagon turned to Merops after burning through hundreds of Patriot missiles defending against Iranian Shaheds, each Patriot costing over $3 million. Merops has already been used to down Iranian Shheds aimed at U.S. troops in the Middle East.

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NATO nations size up an interceptor-drone bazaar where low price is everything - Bytes Europe Close Menu Share KYIV, Ukraine — Lithuania, a NATO state bordering Russia and Belarus, bought 48 Merops interceptors from American manufacturer Perennial Autonomy on April 22, becoming the latest NATO country to buy into the $15,000 per-shot counter-drone system. The pilot purchase, made without competitive bidding, follows earlier Merops deployments and training with Polish and Romanian forces along NATO’s eastern flank. The system is an example of a new crop of drone countermeasures marketed under an ultra-low-cost mantra that promises to even out a longstanding imbalance in air defense: Intercepting aerial threats like drones is exponentially more expensive than launching them. It’s a brave new world for arms vendors, especially in the West, nursed on lavish defense budgets over decades. A price point advantage is no longer measured in millions of dollars below the competition, but in mere thousands. Merops is “capable of intercepting Shahed, Gerbera, and other similar targets,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said, according to national broadcaster LRT– a claim the manufacturer, Perennial Autonomy, confirmed to Military Times, saying Merops has already successfully engaged both target types in combat. The American-made system saw its first official combat confirmation last month, when Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Congress that Merops had been used to down Iranian Shaheds aimed at U.S. troops in the Middle East. The Army bought 13,000 Merops interceptors in eight days after Iran began launching drones at U.S. positions in late February, Driscoll said in April 16 testimony. The Pentagon turned to Merops after burning through hundreds of Patriot missiles defending against Iranian Shaheds – each Patriot costing more than $3 million, drawing down stockpiles Ukraine has long depended on for its own air defense. “They protected U.S. troops,” Driscoll told lawmakers, defending the $15,000 unit cost as a fraction of what a Shahed costs to produce. “We will make that trade