{"id":1415102,"date":"2026-07-26T14:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/?p=1415102"},"modified":"2026-07-25T11:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T08:28:21","slug":"the-us-shoots-down-an-iranian-shahed-for-the-first-time-using-a-merops-drone-tested-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/the-us-shoots-down-an-iranian-shahed-for-the-first-time-using-a-merops-drone-tested-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"The US Shoots Down an Iranian “Shahed” for the First Time Using a Merops Drone Tested in Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

American forces have for the first time shot down an Iranian “Shahed” using an interceptor drone tested in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

As UATV English<\/a> reports, this is according to Business Insider<\/a>, citing its own sources.<\/p>\n

“American forces have for the first time used the US-made Merops system to intercept an enemy drone in combat. Ukraine has already used it to shoot down more than 1,000 Russian Shaheds,” the report states.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is noted that the interception was carried out by American troops stationed in Kuwait. “In March, at the start of the war with Iran, the US deployed Merops systems and personnel to operate them in the Middle East. Since then, troops have been training to use them,” Business Insider notes.<\/p>\n

It’s worth adding that the price of one Merops interceptor, capable of operating amid dense electronic jamming using artificial intelligence, is just $15,000. In Ukraine, these systems have been in use since the end of last year. “Poland and Romania purchased Merops after Russia’s violation of NATO airspace in September 2025. In April, Lithuania also announced its intention to acquire them,” the outlet states.<\/p>\n

As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will already have attack drones with a range of up to 4,000 km this year.<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/strong> Zelenskyy Warns a Revived Soviet Union Would Threaten the U.S. More Than Russia Does Today<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American forces have for the first time shot down an Iranian “Shahed” …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":1080506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,13,36415,54,55,50],"tags":[72926,76,78],"sources":[],"class_list":["post-1415102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-news","category-11473-news-en","category-usa-en","category-ukraine-en","category-svit-en","tag-ukraine-s-allies-aid","tag-glavnoe-en","tag-homepage-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe US Shoots Down an Iranian "Shahed" for the First Time Using a Merops Drone Tested in Ukraine - Freedom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/the-us-shoots-down-an-iranian-shahed-for-the-first-time-using-a-merops-drone-tested-in-ukraine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The US Shoots Down an Iranian "Shahed" for the First Time Using a Merops Drone Tested in Ukraine - 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