On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense announced that the government had approved a pilot, sole-source purchase of 48 US-made MEROPS AS-3 Surveyor kinetic counter-drone systems from US company Perennial Autonomy, along with training and implementation work.
Photo: US Army
Under the agreement, Lithuania will acquire 24 interceptor drones with thermal-imaging seekers and the same number with radar seekers, along with training parachutes for their recovery. This amounts to one system set.
MEROPS AS-3 is an air-defense system designed to detect, track, and neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles and balloons. Radars and sensors detect objects, software identifies them, and the Surveyor interceptor drone, capable of reaching a maximum speed of 282 km/h, neutralizes the threat, enabling a rapid response to small, hard-to-detect targets.
The pilot purchase will allow Lithuania to assess the system’s effectiveness and integration potential under real-world conditions, as well as to inform further decisions on strengthening Lithuanian air defense while ensuring compatibility with the existing architecture and NATO allies.
The system was already tested under real combat conditions in Ukraine in June 2024. It was subsequently deployed to protect the eastern borders of Poland and Romania, while Denmark has announced plans to acquire it. In March this year, the United States deployed 13,000 systems in the Middle East during the war with Iran.
It should be recalled that on November 7, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the deployment of systems of this previously little-known counter-drone solution on NATO’s eastern flank in Poland. This was in line with a November 6 statement made in an interview with the Associated Press by Col. Mark McLellan, deputy chief of staff for operations at NATO Allied Land Command, who had announced such steps by the Alliance.
However, the first report on the planned deployment appeared earlier, on September 20, 2025, in a dispatch by the German news agency dpa. At the time, it was reported that the move was a response to recent violations of Polish and Romanian airspace by Russian drones during attacks on Ukraine: in Poland on September 9–10 and in Romania on September 13. The plans were later expanded to include Denmark, which had experienced several incidents involving unidentified drones near airports.
On November 18, 2025, the General Command of the Polish Armed Forces reported that a demonstration of counter-UAV operations using the MEROPS system had been conducted at the Dęba Training Area. The system is also to become part of 18 battery modules of the San air-defense system, designed with the capability to counter unmanned aerial systems. A total of 54 launchers, together with the system’s guidance antenna, will be mounted on KIA KLTV Cab Chassis Truck 4P platforms.
The system was designed by the California-based start-up Project Eagle, founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as part of the White Stork project, launched in 2023. Initially, the unit cost of the system was USD 15,000, but it was ultimately reduced to below USD 10,000.
🇱🇹 Lithuania continues to strengthen its air defence. We are acquiring the proven “Merops AS-3 Surveyor” system, tested in Ukraine, including interceptor drones. @LithuanianGovt has approved a simplified process: bureaucracy and lengthy procurement must not stand in the way. pic.twitter.com/RbFRxJm0yy
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) April 22, 2026