US to send anti-drone system to the Mideast after successful use in Ukraine, officials say

U.S. Deploys Anti-Drone System to Middle East Amid Iranian Threat

American anti-drone technology that has proven effective against Russian drones in Ukraine will soon be deployed to the Middle East to strengthen U.S. defenses against Iranian aerial threats, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The officials revealed that while the U.S. has successfully used Patriot and THAAD missile systems to intercept Iranian missiles, effective anti-drone defenses in the Middle East remain limited. One official described the current U.S. response to Iran’s Shahed drones as “disappointing,” noting that Iran is using a more basic version of the same drones that Russia has continuously refined throughout the Ukraine conflict.

The system being deployed, known as Merops, utilizes drones to counter enemy drones. Compact enough to fit in a midsize pickup truck, it can identify hostile drones and intercept them using artificial intelligence for navigation when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. This technology addresses a critical vulnerability in conventional defense systems, as drones are notoriously difficult to detect on radar systems calibrated for high-speed missiles and can be mistaken for birds or aircraft.

The deployment comes amid growing concerns about potential Iranian retaliation across the region following American and Israeli strikes. Persian Gulf nations have complained they weren’t given adequate warning to prepare for the barrage of Iranian drones and missiles targeting their territory.

Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, highlighted the economic challenge posed by drone warfare. “We’re pretty good at taking missiles down. What is much more problematic for us is the huge inventory of Iranian drones, which are hard to detect and hard to take down,” Himes said.

“It’s really, really expensive to take down a cheap drone,” he added, describing it as a “math problem” where the U.S. cannot sustainably rely on expensive military interceptors like Patriot systems to counter inexpensive Iranian drones. The cost disparity is stark – using interceptor missiles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars against drones costing less than $50,000 is financially unsustainable.

The Merops system was previously deployed in NATO members Poland and Romania in November after Russian attack drones repeatedly entered NATO airspace. According to the defense official, the U.S. has incorporated lessons learned from the deployment of this system and similar technologies in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that the U.S. had requested Ukraine’s assistance in combating Iran’s Shahed drones. While Zelenskyy didn’t specify the exact nature of this assistance, the U.S. defense official confirmed the Merops system is part of this collaborative effort.

The Merops systems will be deployed to various locations throughout the Middle East, including areas where U.S. forces are not present. Most will be sent directly by Perennial Autonomy, the manufacturer backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, ensuring that defenses in Europe remain unaffected. Perennial Autonomy has not yet responded to inquiries about the Middle Eastern deployment.

Pentagon officials admitted in closed-door briefings with lawmakers this week that they are struggling to counter waves of Iranian drones, leaving some U.S. targets in the Gulf region vulnerable. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed these concerns, stating, “This does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense.”

Michael Robbins, president and CEO of AUVSI, a drone industry group, emphasized that experiences from both the Middle East and Ukraine demonstrate the urgent need for the U.S. to accelerate deployment of sophisticated counter-drone technologies. This would allow “our forces to defend bases and populations without spending a million dollars to stop a $50,000 threat,” he said.

The deployment of Merops represents a strategic shift in how the U.S. approaches drone defense, moving away from expensive missile-based interception toward more cost-effective and technologically advanced solutions specifically designed for the growing threat of unmanned aerial vehicles.