Low-cost interceptor drones (Merops and Ukrainian peers) for Shahed defense

The post describes the growing battlefield adoption of ultra-low-cost interceptor drones (e.g., Perennial Autonomy’s $15k Merops and multiple Ukrainian-made interceptors) to shoot down Shahed-type UAVs, aiming to replace or reduce use of expensive SAMs like Patriot. It highlights combat-confirmed use in Ukraine and U.S. deployments in the Middle East, plus rapid scaling of interceptor production and performance claims (jet-powered Bullet, multirotor FPV interceptors). This represents a shift toward mass, affordable point-defense air defense using drones as interceptors.