US to deploy Ukraine-tested anti-drone system to Middle East to counter Iranian drones

(Representative Image)

• US to deploy Merops anti-drone system in Middle East soon
• Merops uses AI to track and intercept drones efficiently
• System aims to counter Iranian Shahed drones and reduce costs

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The United States will soon deploy a new anti-drone system in the Middle East that has already proven effective against Russian drones in Ukraine, two US officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

The move comes as Washington looks to strengthen defences against Iranian drones following escalating regional tensions and recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

According to a US defence official, existing missile defence systems such as the Patriot and THAAD have successfully intercepted Iranian missiles. However, effective systems to counter drones remain limited in the region. The official, along with another US official, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss sensitive military matters publicly.

The system being sent, called Merops, is designed specifically to counter drones by deploying drones against them. Small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, the system uses artificial intelligence to identify and track hostile drones, even in environments where satellite and electronic communications are jammed.

Officials say Iranian Shahed drones pose a growing challenge because they are inexpensive and difficult to detect. Traditional radar systems designed to track high-speed missiles often struggle to spot drones, which can sometimes be mistaken for birds or small aircraft.

Merops aims to solve that problem by identifying and intercepting drones more efficiently. Another key advantage is cost. Shooting down a low-cost drone with expensive interceptor missiles can be economically unsustainable, officials say. Many interceptor missiles cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, while Iranian drones can cost under $50,000.

Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said this week that the growing number of Iranian drones creates what he described as a “math problem” for US defences.

“We’re pretty good at taking missiles down,” Himes said. “What is much more problematic for us is the huge inventory of Iranian drones, which are hard to detect and hard to take down.”

“It’s really, really expensive to take down a cheap drone,” he added. “A giant missile going after a tiny little crappy drone.”

The Merops system was first deployed to NATO countries Poland and Romania in November after Russian drones repeatedly entered NATO airspace. US officials say lessons from its use in Ukraine helped shape the decision to deploy it in the Middle East.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the United States had sought Ukraine’s assistance in tackling Iran’s Shahed drones, which Russia has widely used during the war in Ukraine. While Zelenskyy did not detail the support, a US defence official said the Merops system is part of that cooperation.

When asked about the possibility of Ukrainian help, US President Donald Trump told Reuters: “Certainly, I’ll take, you know, any assistance from any country.”

The systems are expected to be deployed across multiple locations in the Middle East, including areas where US forces are not stationed. Most units will be supplied directly by Perennial Autonomy, the manufacturer backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Pentagon officials have privately acknowledged to lawmakers that waves of Iranian drones remain difficult to stop, leaving some US facilities in the Gulf region vulnerable.

“This does not mean we can stop everything,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters. “But we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense.”

Industry leaders say the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East highlight the need for faster deployment of advanced counter-drone technologies.

Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the drone industry group AUVSI, said such systems are essential so that US forces can defend bases and populations “without spending a million dollars to stop a $50,000 threat.”

*With inputs from AP