![]() ![]() First offered the SMASH scope in 2017, the IDF tried it out with the infantry and special operations troops and by the end of the year approved it for use. ![]() The SMASH scope also convinced the IDF that this device could turn just about any soldier into a sharpshooter or sniper. Because of all these countermeasures, the use of kites and balloons has declined but not disappeared Israel has also adapted some radars and other sensors to detect these slow, low altitude objects and that made the special Dagger scope even more effective against the fire kite/balloon attack efforts. Israel has used airstrikes to destroy over a thousand of these kites and balloons on the ground at launching, storage or manufacturing sites, as well as several hundred in the air using UAVs operated by civilians who had developed similar skills for UAV “battles”. Eventually, some of the floaters carried small explosives. Most of these are small brush fires that do not spread, but several have destroyed crops or trees and required firefighters to put out. The kites and balloons are more of a nuisance than a threat but have started over a thousand fires. Each one is equipped with a lightweight incendiary device that goes off (most of the time) when it lands on the Israeli side of the border. Since early 2018 thousands of kites and helium balloons have been launched towards Israel. SMASH 2000 enables troops to do that with more certainty and less stress for the shooter.įor Israel SMASH 2000/Dagger solved an immediate problem. For SOCOM snipers, hitting the target with the first shot is even more important. is considering incorporating less expensive SHASH 2000 tech in its next-generation assault rifle to turn all troops into sharpshooters.Ĭurrently, SMASH 2000 is cost-effective if only one or two men in a Special Forces team (of twelve) have one. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) adopted Dagger. ![]() Israel issues Dagger gear to sharpshooters (troops recognized as more accurate shooters) and snipers (those trained to operate independently and covertly as a sharpshooter). When bought in large quantities SMASH 2000 gear for a rifle cost under $10,000 and the price is falling as more are purchased. It worked and troops with the new software could use Dagger to take down a kite or balloon several hundred meters distant with one shot. When asked, the firm that developed SMASH quickly modified the Dagger software to go after moving fire kites and fire balloons. The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) had already adopted the SMASH 2000 computerized sniper scope in 2018 and renamed it Dagger. Initially SMASH 2000 could only guarantee a quadcopter hit if the small UAV was within 150 meters but that range has since been extended to over 200 meters. In early 2019 Israel found that a locally made device, SMASH 2000 could do the job once its software had been modified to handle fire kites, fire balloons and, it turned out, quadcopters. Few expert shooters could reliably bring down these small targets. Sharpshooters and snipers had proven somewhat useful but not very efficient. All these airborne threats were small and difficult to take down, until SMASH 2000 came along. Quadcopters or larger UAVs equipped with explosives and programmed with the GPS location of a target were more dangerous. Launched in large numbers (dozens at once) when the wind was right, balloons crossed into southern Israel and set fires. The fire balloons were a Hamas innovation in which a number of helium balloons were equipped with an incendiary device that went off when the balloon hit the ground. What made SMASH Dragon/Hopper possible was the SMASH 2000 sniper scope, which, with a software modification, turned sniper rifles into weapons that could take down a moving quadcopter or fire balloons with one shot. There is also SMASH Hopper, a 15 kg (33 pound) version that can be mounted on vehicles or stationary platforms. Both the weapons system and hexacopter are battery operated, which limits flight time to under 60 minutes before a recharge is needed. The rifles are equipped with larger magazines to reduce the frequency of landing the hexacopter to reload. The hexacopter (six rotor motors instead of four on a quadcopter) can carry a payload of up to 10 kg (22 pounds). Against moving quadcopters or fixed wing UAVs that range is closer to 200 meters. Armed with the 7.62mm rifle, SMASH Dragon can hit stationary targets over 300 meters distant with the first shot. SMASH Dragon uses the same SMASH 2000 computerized rifle scope Smart Shooter introduced in 2018, but with addition of a new digital camera with zoom that enables the operator to search for and identify targets at longer ranges day or night, or set the system to automatically scan for certain types of targets. An Israeli arms firm, Smart Shooter, has developed SMASH Dragon, an armed hexacopter that carries a stabilized gun platform that can be armed with a 5.56mm assault rifle or a 7.62mm sniper rifle. ![]()
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