US sends 10,000 interceptor drones tested in combat in Ukraine to Middle East – Bloomberg
Drone Industry
The U.S. Army has sent 10,000 Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East after they were tested in combat in Ukraine.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said this in an interview with Bloomberg, Censor.NET reports.
These are Merops drones
Driscoll said the AI-equipped Merops drones were sent within five days of the start of the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran on 28 February.
The Merops drones were developed by Project Eagle, a defense company backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and were sent to Ukraine in 2024, where they demonstrated their effectiveness.
The AI-enabled Merops drones cost about $14,000 to $15,000 per unit. But Driscoll said larger orders could bring the price down to $3,000-$5,000 per interceptor.
That is cheaper than Iranian Shahed drones, which cost at least $20,000 and are being used en masse against the United States and its allies in the region.
"We are actually on the better end of the cost curve. So every time Iran launches a drone that we are able to shoot down, they lose a significant amount of money," the U.S. Army secretary said.
Trump claimed that help was not needed
It was previously reported that US President Donald Trump stated that he no longer needed Ukraine’s help in defending against Iranian drones, as the war with Tehran "will soon be over".
