Romania Tries Smart Drone‑Shooting Tech Near Ukraine Border

At a Romanian air base that faces the Black Sea, soldiers watched as drones buzzed above and then tried to knock them out with a new AI‑driven system. The device, called Merops, comes from Project Eagle, the company founded by former Google chief Eric Schmidt. Romanian officials say it will start working in their air defence within days. The country shares a long border with Ukraine, where Russian attacks on ports along the Danube have caused many drones to fly into Romanian airspace. Because of these incursions, Romania and other NATO members are speeding up upgrades to their missile and radar gear. Major General Arnoud Stallmann, who works for NATO’s transformation office, told reporters that drone attacks are a serious threat and that the alliance needs quick fixes. He spoke at a training range close to Ukraine’s front lines.Over two weeks, Romania tested several commercial drones, sensors and jamming tools while also checking its existing equipment. Merops is already used in Ukraine and Poland. It has a ground station, launchers and special Surveyor drones that can fly on their own using AI and radar. The system can spot, track and shoot down hostile aircraft. Defence Minister Radu Miruta called the trial a partial success. An interceptor once turned too sharply and missed, but he praised the system’s heat‑sensing cameras and radar accuracy. He said Merops could protect areas along the Danube, cutting down on hard‑to‑handle scenarios. Romania’s current air defences include F‑16 fighters, Patriot missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers, Chiron short‑range missiles from South Korea and German Gepard anti‑air guns. The country plans to work with Ukraine on building drones under a new European Union funding program called SAFE.