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Merops 无人机有效对抗伊朗“见证者”（Shahed）袭击。这种最初在乌克兰使用的 Merops 拦截无人机现已部署，用于保护美军免受伊朗“见证者-136”单向攻击弹药的威胁。
针对昂贵威胁的经济型解决方案。每架 Merops 无人机的成本约为 1.5 万美元，远低于其拦截的价值 3 万至 5 万美元的“见证者”无人机，提供了极佳的成本交换比。
随着订单增加，成本有望进一步降低。随着产量的提升，单价可能会降至 3,000 至 5,000 美元，使其更具经济性。
精简的采办流程实现了快速部署。陆军对采办流程的重组使得 Merops 无人机能够在冲突地区快速投入使用。
Merops 无人机是分层防御战略的一部分。虽然其先进程度不如“爱国者”导弹，但 Merops 无人机可以大量部署，实现有效的区域覆盖。
底线：Merops 拦截无人机已被证明是针对伊朗“见证者”无人机的一种性价比高且高效的防御手段，保护了美军的人员和装备。其在乌克兰的成功以及精简的采办流程表明，此类低成本解决方案在未来军事战略中的作用将日益增强。
美国陆军最高官员指出，首批派往乌克兰的低成本拦截无人机是抵御伊朗“见证者-136”单向攻击弹药群袭击的手段之一。在周四的国会证词中，陆军部长丹尼尔·德里斯科尔（Daniel Driscoll）称赞了 Merops 拦截机以及将其迅速交到中东部队手中的流程。
Merops 是一款小型且相对廉价的无人机，专门为在空中疾驰并拦截远程单向攻击无人机而设计。正如我们此前报道的，乌克兰一段时间以来一直在成功使用几种本土生产的无人机以及 Merops 来对抗俄罗斯的“见证者”无人机。
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Merops drones effectively counter Iranian Shahed attacks. The Merops interceptor drones, initially used in Ukraine, have been deployed to protect U.S. troops from Iranian Shahed-136 munitions.
Cost-effective solution against expensive threats. Each Merops drone costs about $15,000, significantly less than the $30,000 to $50,000 Shaheds they intercept, offering a favorable cost ratio.
Potential for further cost reduction with larger orders. Prices could drop to $3,000 to $5,000 per unit with increased production, making them even more economical.
Streamlined acquisition process enabled rapid deployment. The Army’s reorganization of its acquisition process allowed for quick deployment of Merops drones in conflict zones.
Merops drones part of a layered defense strategy. While not as advanced as Patriot missiles, Merops drones can be deployed in large numbers for effective area coverage.
Bottom line: Merops interceptor drones have proven to be a cost-effective and efficient defense against Iranian Shahed drones, protecting U.S. troops and equipment. Their success in Ukraine and streamlined acquisition process suggest a growing role for such low-cost solutions in future military strategies.
The Army’s top official pointed to low-cost interceptor drones first sent to Ukraine as one defense against Iranian barrages of Shahed-136 one-way attack munitions. During Congressional testimony on Thursday, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll lauded the Merops interceptor and the process to get it quickly into the hands of troops in the Middle East.
The Merops is a small, relatively inexpensive drone built specifically to zip through the skies and intercept long-range one-way attack drones. As we have previously reported, Ukraine has been using several locally produced drones, as well as Merops, to counter Russian Shaheds successfully for some time now, proving-out the concept.
“When the conflict kicked off, within about eight days, we were able to purchase…13,000 Merops, which are incredible,” Driscoll exclaimed. “They’re about $15,000 a piece right now. We think as they scale, they’ll get less than [$10,000] and we’re able to take Shaheds down that cost $30,000 to $50,000, which is amazing because that puts us on the right end of the cost curve, and we will make that trade all day long.”
The U.S. has its own interceptors that have been in service for years, such as Raytheon’s Coyote, but they cost roughly 10 times more.
A new system to identify and take down Russian drones is deployed to NATO’s eastern flank
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Driscoll said that larger orders could drive that to $3,000 to $5,000 per interceptor. Given the success in Ukraine, it is likely that the Pentagon and other customers would see far less risk when it comes to ordering large numbers.
As we noted in a story last month, the Pentagon s
