Merops (weapon)

The Merops system was first deployed by Ukrainian forces around June 2024. As of November 2025, it had reportedly been used to destroy more than 1,900 incoming Russian drones during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It accounted for some 40% of downed Shaheds, U.S. Army Brigadier General Curtis King, the commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, told reporters. According to Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, within eight days, the US was able to purchase about 13,000 Merops drones and praised its performance. The US expressed intent to scale up production even further, which would reduce the cost from the current $15,000 per unit to below $10,000. == Development ==

The development of Merops is intended to give the U.S. military and its allies a more cost-effective means of destroying enemy drones than existing interceptor missiles. In 2023, Schmidt launched the initiative as White Stork, which hired former Pentagon innovation chief Will Roper and at least a dozen employees from Apple, SpaceX, Google, federal government agencies, and Schmidt Futures. In February 2024, the company was renamed Project Eagle. That year, initial products were being tested at Hillspire, the headquarters of Schmidt's family ventures in Menlo Park, California; and in Ukraine. == Gallery ==

File:C-UAS T3 course (9394926).jpg|Merops pre-flight procedures File:C-UAS T3 course (9394876).jpg|Launching tube being replaced File:C-UAS T3 course (9395269).jpg|Polish soldiers load Surveyor on the launcher File:Showcase of c-UAS System in Nowa Deba Training Area, Poland (9402539).jpg|Surveyor interceptor drone ready for launch File:C-UAS T3 course (9394919).jpg|Interceptor detaches from the launch tube File:C-UAS T3 course (9395282).jpg|Surveyor drone deploys parachute for recovery == Notes ==