Israel's SMASH Dragon drone can shoot down UAVs

 | Updated: Jan 12, 2022, 03:27 PM IST

Israel's Smart Shooter system can be hosted in drones and ariel platforms. It reportedly has computer vision.

Israeli attack drone

Israel's "Smart Shooter" manufacturer unveiled an armed drone system to hit stationary and moving targets while flying named SMASH Dragon.

The system can be hosted in drones and ariel platforms. It reportedly has computer vision. The company which has manufactured the new weapon system said that it has conducted live fire tests.

The new system can shoot down targets on the ground, sea and air. The system can be controlled from a distance while being mounted on an unmanned aerial platforms.

The new system is equipped with "one shot – one hit" capability which provides a significant advantage to infantry soldiers.

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SMASH Dragon

Smart Shooter’s Smash family is use with militaries across the world including India, Israel and the US. In December 2020, India had ordered Smash 2000 Plus fire control systems.

The equipment was set to be incorporated into the Indian Navy for operation with AK-47 and AK-103 assault rifles, reports said.

The manufacturer Smart Shooter had claimed that ‘Smash 2000 Plus' complies with the Indian needs and can significantly improve soldiers' accuracy and speed of hitting targets and shooting down threats.

The Smash Dragon can incorporate various types of assault rifles, sniper rifles and other ammunition.
 

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Israel drone industry's secret weapon

In a fierce battle for market share against world superpowers China and the United States, Israel's drone industry likes to say it has a secret weapon - military experience.

The senior echelons of the country's industry are populated by former military and intelligence officials, many of whom became founders or engineers in local startups.

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Global force in multibillion dollar UAV industry

Israel's first rudimentary drone dates back to 1969: it was a remote-controlled plane with an attached camera to spy on neighbouring rival Egypt.

Drones became more common, though not much more technically advanced, during the war in Lebanon from 1978.

But half a century later, tiny Israel is now a global force in the multibillion-dollar UAV industry, competing against China and the US.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India is now the largest market for Israeli defence manufacturing companies. 

India and Israel have stepped up their defence engagement too. Troops from both sides participate in joint military drills together. Several experts often make the case for India to follow the Israeli template since Tel Aviv is known for its muscular foreign policy against adversaries. 

In 2017, Narendra Modi became the first prime minister of India to visit Israel. The visit also celebrated the defence partnership between the two countries.  
 

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Air-to-surface missile: The 'Rocks'

Just days after Pulwama attack, at the Aero India show in Bangalore Israeli defence technology company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems showcased the new air-to-surface missile known as the “Rocks".

“Equipped with either penetration or blast fragmentation warhead, the missile can destroy above-ground or well-defended underground targets in heavily surface-to-air-defended areas,” the company said in a statement.

India officials later revealed after the air strikes on Balakot in Pakistan that an Israeli-made "smart bomb" was used to strike JeM targets on February 26th. The missiles were called Spice 2000. 

[An Israeli Air Force Mk 84 Bomb Spice 2000 by Rafael is presented to the journalists at the Tel Nof Air Force base, south of Tel Aviv. (Source: AFP)]

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Mini-Harpy 'kamikaze' drone

The Mini-Harpy "kamikaze" drone is capable of carrying eight-kilogram warhead and explodes on impact. It is a drone-cum-missile which is tailor-made for condictions prevailing at the Line of Control(LoC). 

Remember, a few days ago Indian security forces had brought down a Pakistani UAV in the Rajasthan sector which was apparently testing India's defence in the area. 

The Harpy weighs just 45 kgs and can carry a 32 kilo warhead and can stay in the air for nearly two hours - making it a deadly force at the International Border with Paksitan.

"It can be launched from land, marine and helicopter borne platforms, providing complete independence in intelligence collection for an updated situational picture and closing the attack circle at low cost," IAI said.

[Image: The Israel Aerospace Industries new Mini-Harpy kamikaze drone, which was unveiled at the Aero India trade show in Bangalore, India, in February 2019. ( Source: Israel Aerospace Industries)]

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Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jet

Israel's SPICE (Smart Precise Impact and Cost Effective) is a guided air-to-surface missile which uses electro-optical guidance system to hit targets.

It also has infrared IR/CCD-TV seeker to find targets at night, the reason why the Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets used it during its bombing campaign at Balikot in Pakistan on February 26th.

The same missile can also be used by F-16s which is in Pakistan's arsenal. The bomb has a maximum range of 60,000 meter and weighs 907 kilogram.

[Image: IAF Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft drops bombs during the 'Vayu Shakti 2019' fire power demonstration at the IAF's firing range field in Pokhran in the state of Rajasthan. (Source: AFP)]

(Photograph:AFP)