The verified answer
As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Perennial Autonomy: 1 model, 3 deployments across 3 regions, $505.2M raised. 1 source back the record.
CategoryDrones
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Overview
Perennial Autonomy is a defense technology company developing AI-enabled counter-drone systems, originally launched by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as Project Eagle (formerly White Stork). Best known for the Merops interceptor drone, which has downed over 4,000 Russian Shahed drones in Ukraine since mid-2024, the company also produces the Bumblebee quadcopter and Hornet midrange strike drone. Its systems are deployed by U.S. forces in CENTCOM and by Ukrainian, Polish, and Lithuanian militaries.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 3 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Founder
Pentagon contract
Unit cost
Product family
Also known as
CEO
Former names
Key contract
Merops unit cost
Bumblebee delivered
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Perennial Autonomy on the deployment map
View the global map3 verified deployments across 3 regions, newest verified May 2026. Explore where Perennial Autonomy's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Perennial Autonomy deployment record →
Relationships
Explainers
Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about Perennial Autonomy, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.
What is the Merops Interceptor?
How many drones has Merops shot down?
Current leadership (2)
- Mike Wior Co-founder & CEOreported, not verified
- Eric Schmidt Founderreported, not verified
Founders (2)
- Mike Wiorcofounder
- Eric Schmidtcofounder
Safety record
No incidents on record for Perennial Autonomy.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Perennial Autonomy3 deployments
Recent coverage
Perennial Autonomy in third-party press
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Revenue disclosed
- $500000000 (private_reported)
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (3)
- Perennial Autonomy x Picogrid with Picogriddeployment
- Perennial Autonomy x Pentagon Counter-Drone with U.S. Department of Defensedeployment
- Perennial Autonomy x Twentyfour Industries with Twentyfour Industriesmanufacturing
Funding rounds (2)
Perennial Autonomy’s 2 disclosed rounds, $505M in total, oldest to newest.
- Other2026-05-19
$500M(reported)
Investors: U.S. Department of Defense (JIATF-401) (lead), U.S. Department of Defense
- Other2026-01-01
$5M(reported)
Investors: U.S. Department of Defense (JIATF-401) (lead), U.S. Department of Defense
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 6, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedMay 5, 2026
Merops Interceptor at Lithuania
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 1, 2025
Merops Interceptor at U.S. Central Command (Middle East)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
Merops Interceptor at Ukraine
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is Perennial Autonomy?
What does Perennial Autonomy make?
Who competes with Perennial Autonomy?
Who is the CEO of Perennial Autonomy?
Where is Perennial Autonomy headquartered?
How much funding has Perennial Autonomy raised?
Where does Perennial Autonomy operate robots?
How many robots has Perennial Autonomy deployed?
Is Perennial Autonomy a top robotics company?
When was Perennial Autonomy founded?
Is Perennial Autonomy safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-05
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-05
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Perennial Autonomy.Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Perennial Autonomy from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
US Marines test Perennial Autonomy drones for recon and attack
The US Marine Corps’ 2nd Marine Division has concluded several days of integrated training and demonstrations with US defence technology company Perennial Autonomy. The post US…
U.S. Marine Corps evaluates family of Perennial Autonomy drones
A U.S. Marine Corps division has watched an American-made interceptor drone hunt down and destroy one of its own sister drones in a live demonstration, proving out technology the…
U.S. Marine Corps tests Perennial Autonomy drones for reconnaissance, strike and counter-drone missions at Twentynine Palms
The U.S. Marine Corps’ 2nd Marine Division completed several days of integrated training with AI-enabled drones from Perennial Autonomy.
Picogrid Providing Integration for Perennial Autonomy's Merops
Picogrid's Legion software is serving as the tactical integrator for Perennial Autonomy's Merops interceptors for US air defense in the Middle East, deployed alongside Merops…
Pentagon Backs AI Counter-Drone Startup with $500 Million Deal
DRONELIFE covers the $500M Pentagon contract and details the Merops, Bumblebee, and Hornet systems' specifications and combat history in Ukraine.
Perennial Autonomy Wins $500M Pentagon Counter-Drone Deal
Quwa covers the $500M Pentagon contract, noting Merops interceptors proven in Ukraine are now used by U.S. forces in CENTCOM against Iranian Shahed drones.
Pentagon inks $500 million deal with Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone tech
Defense News covers the $500M JIATF-401 contract for Merops interceptors, Bumblebee quadcopters, and Hornet strike drones, all deployed in CENTCOM.
Pentagon Awards $500M to Perennial Autonomy for Counter-Drone Interceptors Proven in Ukraine
Perennial Autonomy's Merops interceptor has downed more than 4,000 Russian drones in Ukraine and costs approximately $15,000 per unit versus $30,000-50,000 for a Shahed, making it…
Pentagon awards $500 million contract to Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone systems
JIATF-401 awarded Perennial Autonomy a three-year $500M IDIQ contract for AI-enabled counter-UAS systems including Merops, Bumblebee, and Hornet drones.
Lithuania joins U.S. and Poland in buying Merops interceptor drones
Lithuania purchased 48 Merops interceptors from Perennial Autonomy, joining the U.S. and Poland as NATO customers for the counter-drone system.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/perennial-autonomy.md
- RSS feed: /companies/perennial-autonomy/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/bf4b4053-f086-4305-82bf-f11d193b1ec5
- Revision history: /companies/perennial-autonomy/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
Video
Live from XPONENTIAL 2026—the world’s largest robotics and autonomous aircraft tradeshow—ZenaDrone proudly showcased its flagship ZD1000, bringing next-generation AI and heavy-lift autonomy directly to the future of defe
Actuate 2025: Foxglove's developer conference for people who build robots. Karthik Lakshmanan is a robotics engineer with over a decade of experience building
We compare three professional autonomous mowers- Echo Robotics 850, Husqvarna 550, and Kress 237 for their ability to mow overseeded bermudagrass at a professio
Reality vs attention
Perennial Autonomy draws attention at the 68th percentile but verifies reality at the 77th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap -8.9, 70th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 3 verified deployments. Well-capitalized with $505M raised and recent funding activity. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Aug 20, 2026