The US Army is giving its soldiers a high-tech edge in the fight against drones, and it’s called SMASH.
On June 6, during a live-fire training session in Germany, a member of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, employed the SMASH 2000L smart scope attached to an M4A1 rifle to engage drones flying overhead.
The demo was part of Project Flytrap, a multinational training event.
The SMASH 2000L, made by Israeli company Smart Shooter Ltd., is no ordinary sight.
According to Army Recognition, this device utilizes cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track targets and determine the optimal moment to fire.
Once a drone is locked in, the system controls the trigger and only fires when a hit is guaranteed.
In May, the Army awarded a $13 million deal to Smart Shooter to commence the delivery of these scopes to troops as part of its Transformation In Contact (TIC 2.0) initiative.
The goal is to quickly get new, useful tech into soldiers’ hands.
The smart scope weighs about 2.5 pounds and fits onto standard-issue rifles.
It has already been used by NATO partners and tested in combat zones.
In the ongoing Ukraine war, both sides use less expensive drones to drop explosives or spy on troops. In Israel, terrorists have flown quadcopters into military positions.
These small drones are fast, quiet, and deadly.
Until now, stopping drones often meant using big, complex systems but SMASH changes that.
With SMASH, a single soldier can knock a drone out of the sky without needing backup.
The Army did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
