At a Romanian base overlooking the Black Sea, camouflaged targets rise toward the sky while other drones buzz around—this is the latest test of a US-made defense system powered by artificial intelligence, as the conflict in neighboring Ukraine intensifies.
At the center of attention were the Merops drone interceptors, produced by Project Eagle, the company of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, which will be operational in Romania "within days," said Defense Minister Radu Miruta.
The NATO and European Union member state shares a 650-kilometer land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly violate its airspace as Moscow strikes Ukrainian ports across the Danube River.
With drone threats increasing on NATO's eastern flank, countries are striving to strengthen their air defenses.
"The threat is real. And with drone incursions into allied NATO countries, we needed a solution for this," said Major General Arnoud Stallmann, assistant chief of staff at NATO's Allied Command Transformation, on Wednesday.
Romania and NATO have spent two weeks testing interceptor drones, radars, sensors, and jamming equipment produced by private companies, while also evaluating existing systems.
Merops, already in use in Ukraine and Poland, includes a ground control station, launch rockets, and Surveyor interceptor drones that can operate autonomously through artificial intelligence and radar, NATO sources said.
Defense Minister Radu Miruta described the test as partially successful after an interceptor missile veered off too quickly at one point and lost its target.