Defense Express reported the information.Ukraine’s Defense Forces have lifted the veil on a shadowy weapon in their arsenal: the Merops anti-drone system. According to reports from Business Insider, the platform has been operating in secrecy for an undisclosed period, successfully intercepting more than 1,000 Iranian-designed Shahed loitering munitions used by Russian forces. The system’s combat performance has proven so effective that American, Polish, and Romanian troops have already begun training on the hardware at a base in Poland.Developed under the American Project Eagle—an initiative linked to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt—Merops utilizes the Surveyor aerial interceptor. These drones are designed for high mobility, capable of launching from the back of standard pickup trucks near the front lines to hunt enemy reconnaissance and attack UAVs.The Surveyor drone hits speeds over 175 mph (280 km/h) and carries a compact warhead sufficient to neutralize incoming threats. At $15,000 per unit, the interceptors are a cost-effective solution compared to traditional missiles, and they have been specifically engineered to withstand heavy electronic warfare jamming. With a small crew requirement of just four soldiers and a short two-week training window, the system represents a major shift toward agile, decentralized air defense for NATO members observing Ukraine’s battlefield innovations.German defense contractor Rheinmetall has confirmed that the first batch of Skyranger 35 mobile air defense units, mounted on Leopard 1 tank chassis, will arrive in Ukraine within the coming week, fulfilling a major commitment to strengthen Kyiv's shield against Russian drone and missile strikes.