NATO fields Merops counter-drone system on eastern flank

U.S. soldiers are conducting joint training with Polish and Romanian forces on a counter-drone system deployed urgently to NATO’s eastern flank following a recent series of unmanned aircraft incursions across Europe.

According to U.S. and NATO officials, the program reflects lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine, where cheap drones have repeatedly challenged traditional air-defense systems.

NATO leaders have argued for years that the alliance needs lower-cost ways to counter drones since firing existing air-defense weapons at small unmanned aircraft is often impractical and too expensive. That concern intensified in September, when roughly 20 unmanned aircraft crossed into Polish airspace, followed days later by another incursion into Romania. NATO attributed those violations to Russia.

The incidents prompted both Poland and Romania to quickly purchase the U.S.-made Merops counter-drone system. According to U.S. military officials, Merops has been battle-tested in Ukraine, where Ukrainian units have used it to shoot down Russian-made Shahed drones and other incoming threats.

As noted by U.S. officials overseeing the program, the multinational 20-day Train-the-Trainer course “rapidly qualified 20 students from Poland, Romania, and the U.S., most with no prior military drone experience, in a battle-tested C-UAS system through classroom, practical flight, and night operations, culminating in a successful live-fire demonstration to destroy a jet powered drone, thereby accelerating the fielding of this critical capability along the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line.”

The course took place at Lipa, a training area frequently used for alliance readiness programs. U.S. instructors said the rapid qualification timeline was designed to help NATO allies deploy Merops as quickly as possible in response to the recent surge in drone activity near alliance borders.

U.S. officials involved in the training also highlighted that “as the battlefield evolves, we are leveraging U.S. experience and NATO authorities to solve problems for the Alliance.” They added that “the training occurring at Lipa shows how Allies like Poland and Romania are rapidly procuring and employing systems that are battle-tested in Ukraine to strengthen the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line. This is the EFDL in action.”

The Merops system, developed in the United States, is designed to identify, track, and defeat unmanned aircraft across short and medium ranges. While U.S. officials did not disclose performance details, they have pointed to the system’s operational use in Ukraine as evidence of its readiness and reliability. The system is intended to complement, not replace, larger air-defense platforms by providing a cost-effective way to defeat drones used for surveillance or attack.

The decision by Poland and Romania to accelerate procurement reflects broader concerns within NATO about the pace of drone development and the growing accessibility of unmanned systems. Russia’s heavy use of Shahed drones against Ukraine has intensified efforts across the alliance to improve short-range air defense and increase the availability of counter-drone systems that can be deployed quickly.