Key Facts
| Origins | Launched in 2023 as White StorkRenamed Project Eagle in 2024, then Perennial Autonomy in 2026[2] |
| JIATF-401 Contract | $500 million ceiling, three-year IDIQAnnounced 19 May 2026; covers the Bumblebee, Hornet and Merops systems; quantities not disclosed[1] |
| Earlier JIATF-401 Award | $5.2 million for Bumblebee V2 evaluationFebruary 2026[2] |
| Army Merops Buy | About 13,000 interceptors at roughly $15,000 eachArmy Secretary Dan Driscoll told lawmakers in April 2026[1] |
| Ukraine Intercepts | More than 4,000 Russian drones since mid-2024Company figure for Merops; not independently verified[1] |
| European Production | Merops to be made in GermanyPartnership with Twentyfour Industries[1] |
| Gauntlet II (September 2026) | First in Deep Strike, 80.1 points[3] |
PRODUCTS
Merops[2]
Counter-drone system with radar and electro-optical sensors, controller and launcher, small enough for a pickup bed. Launches the Surveyor interceptor.
Surveyor[2]
Three-foot fixed-wing interceptor.
Up to 175 mph; range roughly 3 to 12 miles; about $15,000 a unit
Bumblebee[2]
Electric multirotor drone with AI-assisted targeting and visual-inertial navigation.
Maximum speed about 220 mph; maximum altitude about 16,000 ft
LEADERSHIP
Eric Schmidt, Founder (former Google chief executive)[3]
Drone Intelligence Assessment
Perennial Autonomy now sits on both sides of the cheap-drone exchange. It began in 2023 as White Stork, Eric Schmidt's project to build low-cost drones for Ukraine, became Project Eagle in 2024 and took its current name in 2026. Its Merops system, which launches the Surveyor interceptor, was built against Russian Shahed-type drones; the company says Merops has intercepted more than 4,000 since mid-2024.
US demand arrived fast in 2026. JIATF-401 gave it a $5.2 million Bumblebee V2 evaluation award in February, then a three-year IDIQ with a $500 million ceiling in May covering the Bumblebee, Hornet and Merops. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told lawmakers the Army had bought about 13,000 Merops interceptors at roughly $15,000 each. In September the company topped Deep Strike in Gauntlet II with 80.1 points.
DI analysis: an interceptor at about $15,000 a unit is the kind of cost exchange counter-UAS buyers are chasing, and a strike-drone win adds offensive volume. The limits of the record matter: the $500 million is a ceiling, not an order, the company declined to give quantities, and the intercept count is its own. Production in Germany with Twentyfour Industries is the signal to watch for European buyers.
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Drone Intelligence, Company Profile. Compiled from public filings, company disclosures and specialist reporting. Last updated 26 October 2026.
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