Ukraine-tested U.S. drone downs Iranian Shahed over Kuwait
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Earlier this week, U.S. forces used the Merops drone
interceptor system to destroy an Iranian Shahed UAV in Kuwait, Business
Insider reported
on July 24.
The Merops was previously tested and used in Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have relied on the system to destroy more than 1,000 Shahed drones, the report said.
“Several Eastern European countries have purchased and deployed the system,” the article added.
Merops was developed by the U.S.-based Project Eagle. The system includes a radar, a launcher, a ground control station, and an interceptor drone that costs about $15,000. The interceptor can reach speeds of more than 280 kilometers per hour and uses artificial intelligence to operate in environments with active electronic warfare. It destroys targets by a direct collision or proximity detonation.
“U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told lawmakers in April that the service purchased thousands of interceptors after the Iran war began and said he hopes the price will drop below $10,000 apiece as production scales up,” Business Insider added.
The system requires a small crew and only a few days of
training. Operators use standard Xbox game console controllers.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
