The U.S. Army is giving its soldiers a high-tech edge in the fight against drones, and it’s called SMASH.
During a live-fire training exercise on June 6 in Germany, a soldier with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment used the SMASH 2000L smart scope mounted on an M4A1 rifle to target drones in the sky.
The demo was part of Project Flytrap, a multinational training event.
DEADLY DRONE WARS ARE ALREADY HERE AND THE US IS HORRIBLY UNPREPARED
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment set up the Wingman and Pitbull portable counter-unmanned aerial system devices during Project Flytrap at Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels Training Area, Hohenfels, Germany, June 7, 2025. The Wingman is a vest-mountable device capable of detecting nearby UAS threats, which then notifies the end-user to activate the Pitbull radio frequency jammer when a drone is in range. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña)
The SMASH 2000L, made by Israeli company Smart Shooter Ltd., is no ordinary sight. It uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track targets and decides the perfect time to fire, according to reporting from Army Recognition.
Once a drone is locked in, the system controls the trigger and only fires when a hit is guaranteed.
In May, the Army awarded Smart Shooter a $13 million contract to begin delivering these scopes to troops under its Transformation In Contact (TIC 2.0) program. The goal is to quickly get new, useful tech into soldiers’ hands.
A U.S. Soldier assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment peers through the scope of a Smartshooter SMASH 2000L attached to an M4A1 carbine rifle during Project Flytrap at Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels Training Area, Hohenfels, Germany, June 6, 2025. The Smartshooter attachment provides the weapon operator with unmanned aerial system lock-on functionalities that fire automatically at its targets. (This photo has been blurred for operational security purposes) (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña)
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.
A U.S. Soldier assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment peers through the scope of a Smartshooter SMASH 2000L attached to an M4A1 carbine rifle during Project Flytrap at Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels Training Area, Hohenfels, Germany, June 6, 2025. The Smartshooter attachment provides the weapon operator with unmanned aerial system lock-on functionalities that fire automatically at its targets. (This photo has been blurred for operational security purposes) (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña)
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.