US deployed more than 20 Merops C-UASs in CENTCOM for Iran operations

AS3 Surveyor interceptor, which is part of the Merops C-UAS, hooked to a battery to charge for its next flight near Lipa, Poland, on November 10, 2025. (10th Army Air and Missile Defence)

The US deployed more than 20 Merops counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) for force protection in US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the conflict with Iran, a defence official told Janes on 21 May.

The Merops C-UASs were operational in the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) within two weeks of the initial Iranian counter-strikes, according to the official.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told lawmakers in April that, within around eight days of the start of Operation ‘Epic Fury', the US Army purchased 13,000 interceptor unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) for its Merops C-UAS. Driscoll announced this at a House Appropriations Committee hearing.

CENTCOM operations

The Merops C-UAS, consisting of a ground control station, pneumatic launcher, and the AS3 Surveyor interceptor, was adapted for use in the Middle East with additional radars. The defence official did not provide specifications on the radars themselves.

“Now, we are incorporating additional radars into Merops just to be able to get that data which is great for allies and partners in the Middle East, as well because they may not have the RPS-42s,” the official said. In November 2025, the US, Polish, and Romanian military personnel trained with the Merops system in Poland when it was integrated with Leonardo's RPS-42 Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar.

The additional radars incorporated into Merops have proven to be “particularly helpful when there are multiple projectiles in the air” during operations in the Middle East, the defence official said.