Iron Beam vs Merops (weapon): Specs Compared

FORCETALLY

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ACounter-drone & directed energy

Iron Beam

Laser air defense system

BCounter-drone & directed energy

Merops (weapon)

Anti-UAV system

First system

Second system

Measured figures

Head to head

3 of 15 rows sourced on both sides

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

Iron Beam and Merops (weapon) configuration
Specification	Iron Beam	Merops (weapon)
Type	Laser air defense system^[source]	Anti-UAV system^[source]
Place of origin	Israel^[source]	United States^[source]
In service	28 December 2025^[source]	2024–present^[source]
Used by	Israel^[source]	—

Designed	2010–2025^[source]	—

Manufacturer	Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems^[source]	—

Unit cost	$10s million for a system, few dollars per interception^[source]	—

Wars	—	Russo-Ukrainian war^[source]

Launch platform	—	Vehicle-mounted^[source]

Role	—	system for countering enemy unmanned aerial systems , or drones^[source]

Source measurement	—	Small enough to fit in the bed of a pickup truck , Merops launches a three-foot, fixed-wing, propeller-driven interceptor drone called "Surveyor" that flies at speeds up to 175 mph (282 km/h). The $15,000 interceptor can be controlled by a human operator or, when satellite and radio links are jammed or unavailable, autonomously home into its target using artificial intelligence and thermal, radio-frequency, or radar sensors. It can ram its target or carry a small warhead. If it misses its target, the interceptor can open a parachute to return to earth for reuse.^[source]Merops (weapon) · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage It is operated by a four-person crew: commander, pilot, and two technicians. It is designed for ease of use; training takes just two weeks.^[source]Merops (weapon) · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Source measurement

—

Small enough to fit in the bed of a pickup truck , Merops launches a three-foot, fixed-wing, propeller-driven interceptor drone called "Surveyor" that flies at speeds up to 175 mph (282 km/h). The $15,000 interceptor can be controlled by a human operator or, when satellite and radio links are jammed or unavailable, autonomously home into its target using artificial intelligence and thermal, radio-frequency, or radar sensors. It can ram its target or carry a small warhead. If it misses its target, the interceptor can open a parachute to return to earth for reuse.^[source]Merops (weapon) · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

It is operated by a four-person crew: commander, pilot, and two technicians. It is designed for ease of use; training takes just two weeks.^[source]Merops (weapon) · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage