American anti-drone system, deployed in Romania and Poland: “There will be drones against drones”. How the ultimate weapon works

Romania and Poland will install a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones after recent incursions into NATO airspace, alliance military officials told The Associated Press.

It's the American Merops system, compact enough to fit in the back of a mid-size pickup truck and using artificial intelligence to identify and intercept drones even when satellite communications or electronic systems are jammed.

The deployment takes place against the backdrop of the partial withdrawal of American troops from Romania and three other countries.

The system will also be used by Denmark in a coordinated NATO effort to strengthen defenses on the eastern flank.

According to the quoted officials, the goal is for NATO's eastern border, from Norway to Turkey, to be so well equipped that Russia will be deterred from attempting any more such flights or incursions.

“It's a lot cheaper than sending an F-35 into the air”

The need for such technology became urgent after about 20 Russian drones entered Poland's airspace in early September, prompting military jets, each worth millions of dollars, to be sent on a mission to intercept devices costing only tens of thousands of dollars.

A few days later, our country reported a similar incursion. Suspicious drones also caused the temporary closure of airports in Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin and Brussels. Unidentified flights were also seen near military bases in Belgium and Denmark.

Although the origin of the drones could not always be attributed to Russia or directly linked to the war in Ukraine, the urgent need to strengthen defense systems is evident. A prolonged drone war, or a large-scale conflict like the one in Ukraine, would quickly deplete Western budgets and limited missile stocks, the source said.

“What this system provides is highly accurate detection. It can locate drones and neutralize them at low cost… It's a lot cheaper than sending an F-35 into the air to shoot them down with a missile,” said Col. Mark McLellan, deputy chief of operations at NATO's Allied Land Command.

How the American Merops system works

Drones fly at low altitudes and at low speeds, making them difficult to detect by radars calibrated for high-speed missiles. In some cases, they can be mistaken for birds or airplanes. The Merops system, NATO officials explained, is designed precisely to cover these blind spots.

“Merops is basically sending drones against drones,” said Colonel Mark McLellan, noting that the system can either fire directly at an enemy drone or relay the necessary information to ground or air forces that can shoot it down.

The system gives commanders “sufficient time to assess the threat and decide whether or not fire action is warranted,” explained Brigadier General Thomas Lowin, deputy chief of operations at NATO's Allied Land Command.

According to him, Merops can be used both to protect critical infrastructure such as airports and troops on the move in a combat zone. NATO has already started installing the first systems along the borders of Poland and Romania, and Denmark has decided, in turn, to acquire the technology.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt invested in Merops, but both he and the company preferred to keep a low profile and declined requests for interviews. Officials in Poland and Romania also declined to comment publicly.

Merops is a new system that has not been heard of publicly before.

At last week's press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) in which he officially announced the partial withdrawal of American troops from our country, Moșteanu said that the USA had donated a new anti-drone system to Romania, but did not provide any other details.

A new generation of defense

Russian incursions drew Europe's attention to the need to develop new forms of defense adapted to a rapidly evolving type of warfare. The Merops system is just one of the many pieces of equipment that European militaries will need to tip the balance of a potential “drone war” in NATO's favor.

European companies are currently developing similar technologies, including drone-versus-drone systems such as Merops and anti-drone missiles, while EU member states have agreed to work together to build a “drone wall” on the bloc's eastern border.

For their part, American military leaders in Europe support the creation of a so-called “Eastern Flank Deterrence Line,” a layered defense zone along NATO's border.

General Chris Donahue, the commander of US Ground Forces in Europe and Africa and head of NATO's Allied Land Command, said in July that he wants to create a sensor network and a command and control system that can work with almost any type of equipment available, allowing systems to be replaced and upgraded as they become obsolete or are upgraded.

Russia has conscription and a large army, which gives it a readily available force advantage on NATO's borders. The alliance must offset this advantage with technologies that strengthen its defense capability, said General Chris Donahue.

The Merops system is the first step in that process, which would take two to five years, Brigadier General Thomas Lowin said.

The war in Ukraine, a testing ground for the development of drones

The drone incursions and tensions on NATO's eastern flank have their origins in Russia's war in Ukraine, which is nearing the end of its fourth year. The conflict has become a testing ground for drone development, turning the front into a laboratory for military technologies that are now finding applications in other parts of Europe.

The Merops system was chosen precisely because it was successfully used in Ukraine. “If something doesn't work there, it's probably not worth acquiring,” explained Brigadier General Thomas Lowin.

Drones are evolving rapidly, and each new type requires a different response. The challenge is to identify the threat and almost immediately find a way to neutralize it, said Brigadier General Zacarias Hernandez, deputy chief for planning at NATO's Allied Land Command. This means extremely fast production cycles, from design to the battlefield in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, Russia is mass-producing attack drones, equipped with cameras, jet engines and advanced anti-jamming antennas. And she had to adapt, even President Vladimir Putin admitted at the beginning of October.

Speaking about the initial failures of the Russian military in Ukraine, Putin publicly admitted that “there were whole areas where our knowledge simply did not exist”, but claimed that Russia was now able to deploy advanced technologies “in just a few days”.

Ukraine, NATO and Russia are thus engaged in a technological game of cat and mouse, NATO officials have suggested. “We see what Russia is doing in Ukraine,” Hernandez said. “We have to be ready for it.”