More NATO countries are buying a US-made interceptor that has downed thousands of Russian drones in Ukraine

Additional NATO allies are purchasing Merops, an American-built interceptor credited with destroying thousands of Russian drones in Ukraine, a U.S. defense official told Business Insider. The purchases come as member states seek stronger protection against repeated violations of their airspace.

The system is produced by Perennial Autonomy, a U.S. company that also provides other drones operating in Ukraine. A person familiar with the company said demand is strong among states on NATO's eastern edge. There were just three alliance users in November 2025, and the total has since grown.

Merops is designed for simple field use. It can take off from improvised sites such as a pickup vehicle and defeats targets by direct impact or detonating nearby. Only a few operators are needed, and they can learn the job within days.

Each interceptor costs about $15,000, far less than many U.S. defensive options, and can defeat an enemy drone costing roughly twice as much. That allows forces to reserve costly missiles for harder targets instead of scrambling fighter jets to chase small intruders.

Poland and Romania bought and fielded the weapon after Russian drones entered allied airspace in September 2025. Lithuania said in April it intended to order a trial quantity. Spokesperson Lt. Col. Adam Scher said Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Pentagon body coordinating anti-drone work, assists partners in quickly obtaining new tools as drone dangers evolve.