US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the United States has sent 10,000 unmanned interceptor drones to the Middle East, which were tested during Russia’s war with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on March 13.
Driscoll said the United States deployed Merops drones within five days of the United States and Israel going to war with Iran on February 28 through March 4.
The AI-powered Merops drones were developed by Project Eagle, a defense project of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Ukraine received drones of this type in February 2024.
The fact that the United States sent weapons tested in Ukraine to Iran became known almost simultaneously with the statement of US President Donald Trump, who refused to help Kiev in the war in the Middle East. “No, we don’t need them [украинцев] Help defend against drones. We know more about drones than anyone else. “In fact, we have the best drones in the world,” Trump said on Fox News on March 13.
Dan Driscoll said Merops drones cost $14,000 to $15,000, but for larger orders they can cost $3,000 to $5,000 per interceptor. This is cheaper than Iran’s Shahed attack drones, which cost at least $20,000.
Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine sent experts and interceptor drones to protect US military bases in Jordan from Iranian drones. According to him, the United States sent a request for help on March 5, and the next day the Ukrainian group left for the Middle East.