Israeli firm Smartshooter hopes combining its remote-controlled weapon system with another Israeli firm’s radar, it can provide a new c-UAS solution. (Smartshooter)
MODERN DAY MARINE 2023 — Smartshooter, an Israeli firm that makes fire control systems for rifles and remote weapon stations, unveiled a new tech combination to combat small UAVs at the Modern Day Marine event this week, joining its Hopper Light Remotely Controlled Weapon Station with DRS RADA Technologies’s MHR radar. Both systems are already operational separately, but Smartshooter hopes by combining them, they can offer a new c-UAS system amid rising global interest in the capability.
“The integration of our Hopper with the RPS-42 radar provides a very effective end-to-end solution to neutralize drones swiftly, ensuring the protection of personnel and critical assets,” said Michal Mor, Smartshooter CEO, in a statement. “Shortening the sensor-to-shooter cycle, this advanced solution enhances the force’s situational awareness and survivability and takes air defense to a new level.”
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Sharone Aloni, the vice-president for research and development at the company, said that though they worked on this combination over time and it’s not yet operational, this is the first time they are revealing it to potential customers.
The Smash Hopper is essentially a rifle and mounting system that the company says can be fitted to a tripod, vehicle or maritime vessel, and can engage targets based on a remote operator’s commands. The radar made by Rada, another Israeli firm, is designed to detect drones at a distance of several kilometers and then alert a combat unit, for instance, that there is a threat.
Combined, the gun can “slew and cue” in a hand-off from the radar. “In such a way the weapon is pointed in the right direction and ready to engage when [the drone] reaches the [rifle’s] range. It is a kind of early warning system so the system can be ready to engage the target,” said Aloni in an interview. But there is always a person in the loop, Aloni said.
Detection against small drone threats is increasingly important as countries and militant groups use drones in a variety of ways. These can be commercial drones with a link to the operator, which can sometimes be jammed or spoofed, but autonomous drones and other similar threats can require a hard kill solution. Smartshooter’s Smash 2000L — a rifle-mounted fire control system that has already been tested by the Marines. Aloni said the company sees US Marines as one of the most important branches of the US defense community. The system is not operational but has been tested and verified, the company says. “It’s ready to go, the SMASH Hopper and actually both systems are combat proven…both have been used operationally, on their own.”
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“Some of this is related to how the radar works, but the radar can provide [operators] with a prioritized queue of targets based on range of targets to help which to engage first,” he said.
The Hopper uses a 5.56mm or 7.62 caliber rifle, but Aloni said in the future it could be paired with light machine guns. Aloni envisioned one particular potential use for the Marines: adding the Smart Hopper on the Marines’ MADIS air defense system, which already uses a Rada RPS-42 radar and is vehicle-mounted. Using a “system like that on a mobile platform is very attractive,” Aloni said.
