NATO to deploy Turkish anti-drone surveillance system in Poland, Romania

Update: Turkish defense corporation Aselsan said it has no agreement to deploy the MEROPS system in Poland and Romania, as reported in international and local media. “Contrary to what was stated, Aseslan has had no agreements or discussions with the countries mentioned in relation to the referenced product,” the company said in a reaction sent to Romania-insider.com.

Initial story: Euractiv reported that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, will begin deploying Turkey’s advanced MEROPS surveillance system in Poland and Romania to guard against drone incursions from Russia.

The Multispectral Extended Range Optical Sight, or MEROPS air surveillance system, will be delivered to the two eastern front countries as Russia’s incursion into allied space increased in frequency in recent weeks. On September 10 and 13, Russian drones entered the national airspaces of Poland and Romania, respectively. Then, on September 19, three Russian jets entered Estonian airspace, triggering talks between NATO allies.

The repeated incursions have led NATO border states like the Baltics, Romania, and Poland to request a stronger military presence and increased alliance surveillance and defence capabilities.

Developed by Turkish defence contractor Aselsan, MEROPS can be mounted on helicopters and drones and is capable of detecting enemy systems through clouds and dust. It was first publicly presented in 2022, according to Euractiv.

Drone incursions have been particularly difficult to tackle for Romania. The country still does not have a legal procedure to establish the chain of command for shooting down foreign missiles and manned military aircraft entering national airspace, according to G4media.ro.

The law, which was narrowly