Advertisement

This U.S. Army Scope Is Built To Take Down Dangerous Quadcopters

Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard
Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard

From Popular Mechanics

  • The SMASH 2000 Plus scope was recently photographed in the hands of special operations troops.

  • The scope, which attaches to a M4A1 carbine, allows soldiers to electronically track moving targets.

  • The new optic makes it easier for soldiers to shoot small, moving targets like a quadcopter drone.


A new electronic tracking scope designed to give soldiers first round hit accuracy has been spotted in the hands of U.S. Army troops. The SMASH 2000 Plus scope locks onto targets in the optic’s field of view and does not fire the weapon until a hit is assured. The scope brings tank fire control technology to individual riflemen, making the job of shooting moving targets—particularly drones— much easier.

The images were first picked up by Stars and Stripes at the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). The photos, uploaded by Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, were taken at the end of May, “during a familiarization range near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria.”

Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard
Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard

The SMASH 2000 line of electronic rifle scopes feature technology that until recently was limited to tanks and armored vehicles. Auto trackers are designed to detect and lock onto targets within the scope’s field of view, typically overlaying a brightly colored box over the target. This allows the shooter to keep track of the enemy on a fast moving, cluttered battlefield.

SMASH 2000 takes auto tracker tech and places it on the top rail of a carbine or rifle. A rifleman can use the scope to track the target and then hold down the trigger. The scope will block the weapon from firing until the moment when it calculates a shot will hit, then the weapon will fire. The weapon also calculates for bullet drop over longer distances, and some versions include enhanced night vision and magnification.

The new scopes were originally advertised for use against human targets, but it appears the company recently adapted the technology to use against drones. The new SMASH 2000 Plus scope advertises a “Drone Mode.” According to the Israeli manufacturer, Smartshooter, the SMASH fire control system, "puts a precision anti-drone capability at the fingertips of its users, featuring built-in targeting algorithms that can track and hit even very small drones skimming along at high speed, at ranges of up to 120 meters, with the first shot."

The Islamic State was an early adopter of civilian drones, repurposing them to conduct reconnaissance missions and later attacks against Iraqi and western military forces. In 2016, an IS drone packed with explosives killed two Kurdish fighters and injured two French special forces operators. U.S. forces swiftly responded to the drones, deploying anti-drone jammers to protect frontline units in Iraq.

Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard
Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard

Smartshooter is teaming up with firearms industry giant Sig Sauer to position it for the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon Fire Control program. According to Stars and Stripes, the SMASH optic has already been tested in the U.S. but this is the first time it’s been observed anywhere near a combat zone. Located just inside the Syrian border, At-Tanf is a potential target for unmanned drone attacks by Islamic State or other hostile forces.

Adopting gun sights that can shoot down fast-moving drones is a more efficient solution for the battlefield. While a jammer raises the prospect of capturing a drone intact, an optic like the SMASH 2000 Plus can turn a regular M4A1 carbine into a weapon capable of engaging both enemy troops and drones. The Army is currently shopping around for a new next-gen infantry weapon and electronic fire control system for regular troops, and given the proliferation of drones worldwide, it is likely a future weapon will integrate a kind of anti-drone capability.

The more troops that can shoot down dangerous drones the better.

Source: Stars and Stripes

You Might Also Like