Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapon system to defend against Russian drones after a series of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months, AP reports, writes UNN.
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"The American Merops system, which is compact enough to fit in the bed of a mid-size pickup truck, is capable of detecting and approaching drones, using artificial intelligence to navigate through satellite and electronic communication interference," the publication states.
According to NATO military officials who spoke to the Associated Press, in addition to being deployed in Poland and Romania, the Merops system will also be used by Denmark as part of efforts to strengthen defense on the alliance's eastern flank.
"The goal is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow's forces would not think of crossing it, from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south," officials said.
The need for such technologies intensified after about 20 Russian drones invaded Polish airspace in early September. Multi-million dollar aircraft were scrambled to respond to drones, the cost of which was in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Later, Romania faced a drone invasion, and drones also temporarily closed airports in Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin, and Brussels. They were also spotted near military bases in Belgium and Denmark.
Although the origin of the drones could not always be traced back to Russia or linked to the war in Ukraine, the urgent need to strengthen defenses is obvious. A prolonged battle with drones - or a full-scale war, as in Ukraine - would deplete Western treasuries and limited missile stockpiles, the publication writes.
"This system provides very precise detection," said Colonel Mark McLellan, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations at NATO Land Command. "It is capable of targeting and shooting down drones, and at minimal cost... It's much cheaper than scrambling an F-35 and shooting them down with a missile."
Drones fly low and slow, making them difficult to detect by radar systems calibrated to detect high-speed missiles. They can also be mistaken for birds or planes. The Merops system, according to NATO officials, helps to close these gaps.
Merops "essentially operates drones against drones," McLellan said, either by firing directly at an enemy drone, or information from the system can be transmitted to ground or air forces so they can shoot it down.
"Merops" gives commanders "some time to assess the threat and decide whether to shoot or not," said Brigadier General Thomas Lovin, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at NATO Land Command.
He added that the system can be used to protect both critical infrastructure, such as airports, and armed forces maneuvering in a combat zone.
NATO is now deploying the first systems along the borders of Poland and Romania, and Denmark has also decided to acquire Merops technology, Lovin said.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has invested in Merops, but both he and the company are not particularly public, declining interviews. Representatives of the Polish and Romanian defense ministries also declined to comment publicly.
The US military leadership in Europe also advocates for the creation of an Eastern Flank Deterrence Line - a layered defense zone along NATO's border, the publication writes.
General Chris Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa and head of NATO Land Command, said in July that he wants to create a network of sensors and a command and control system that will work with almost any available equipment, allowing systems to be replaced as they are updated or become obsolete.