Romania has carried out field testing of the Merops AI-powered counter-drone system at the Capu Midia Air Defence Training Range on the Black Sea coast, Reuters has reported.
According to Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta, the system is expected to enter operational service within days.
The Merops architecture includes ground control stations, launch units, and Surveyor interceptor drones designed to identify and engage aerial targets using a combination of radar and AI-based autonomous functions.
Conducted over two weeks, the testing involved a broader evaluation of counter-unmanned aerial system technologies, including radars, sensors, and electronic warfare tools provided by multiple private-sector suppliers.
Existing Romanian air defense assets were also tested under operational conditions.
The test saw one interceptor fail to engage due to target maneuvering, while the system demonstrated accurate detection, effective thermal imaging, and reliable targeting performance.
Developed by US startup Project EagleMerops, the Merops is intended to strengthen air defense coverage along the Danube corridor, an area increasingly exposed to spillover from the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Bucharest said it would induct the system, which is already in use in Ukraine and is also being tested by Polish forces as part of a NATO effort to reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank.
Boosting Defense
The trials reflect a wider effort to address the growing use of drones in and around alliance territory.
This comes as the country faces repeated incursions of Russian drones entering its airspace during strikes on Ukrainian targets along a shared 650-kilometer (400 miles) border.
The country’s current air defense network includes F-16 fighter aircraft, Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, as well as HIMARS rocket launchers.
In parallel, Bucharest and Kyiv are exploring joint drone production under the European Union’s SAFE funding framework.
