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The U.S. Army is giving its soldiers a high-tech edge in the fight against drones, and it’s called SMASH.
During a military exercise in Germany on June 6, a soldier from the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment utilized the SMASH 2000L smart scope attached to an M4A1 rifle to aim at drones flying in the sky.
The demo was part of Project Flytrap, a multinational training event.
A U.S. Soldier from the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment was photographed looking through the Smartshooter SMASH 2000L scope connected to an M4A1 carbine rifle during Project Flytrap at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, on June 6, 2025. The Smartshooter attachment offers the weapon operator the capability to automatically target unmanned aerial systems. (Photo blurred for security reasons) (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 conflicts like the Ukraine war, both parties make use of cost-effective drones to carry out tasks like dropping explosives or monitoring military movements. In incidents within Israel, terrorists have employed quadcopters to infiltrate military positions. These small drones possess high speed, operate quietly, and pose a serious threat.
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.
