Perennial Autonomy

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?

  The Merops Interceptor is an AI-enabled counter-drone system made by Perennial Autonomy, a California defense startup launched by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. It is an interceptor drone built to shoot down attacking drones, and the registry records it downing over 4,000 Russian Shahed drones in Ukraine since mid-2024.

• How many drones has Merops shot down?

  Per the DEPLOY registry, the Merops Interceptor has downed over 4,000 Russian Shahed drones in Ukraine since mid-2024. Merops is an AI-enabled counter-drone system from Perennial Autonomy, the California company launched by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

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.

Peer companies

• Anduril Industries7 models
• DJI7 models
• Amazon4 models
• Autel Robotics4 models
• Teledyne FLIR4 models
• AeroVironment3 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)

• 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

Sources (1)

1. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/05/19/pentagon-inks-500-million-deal-with-perennial-autonomy-for-counter-drone-tech/ ↗

Common questions

What is Perennial Autonomy?

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.

What does Perennial Autonomy make?

Perennial Autonomy has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Merops Interceptor (Perennial Autonomy builds physical robots).

Who competes with Perennial Autonomy?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Perennial Autonomy building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, DJI, Amazon, Autel Robotics.

Where is Perennial Autonomy headquartered?

Perennial Autonomy is headquartered in California, USA.

How much funding has Perennial Autonomy raised?

Perennial Autonomy has raised approximately $505M in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.