Overview
- Lithuania’s defense ministry is buying one Merops AS-3 Surveyor system from Perennial Autonomy with 48 interceptor drones, split between 24 thermal-seeker units and 24 radio frequency-seeker units, plus training and radar integration.
- The government approved a simplified procurement to speed the purchase, with Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas calling air defense a core priority.
- Merops uses small interceptors that cost about $15,000 to ram or detonate near attack drones such as Shahed and Geran models, and crews can launch them from mobile platforms with short training.
- Officials point to combat use in Ukraine and recent deployments to the Middle East as proof of performance, and Lithuania joins Poland, Romania, and the United States in fielding the system.
- U.S. forces have deployed dozens of Merops systems and sent more than 1,000 interceptors to the Middle East, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the U.S. purchased 13,000 Surveyor interceptors.