The U.S. Army is stepping up its game in the war against small drones with a new piece of battlefield tech that’s about to turn every soldier into an aerial threat hunter.
The service has officially placed a $10.7 million order for rifle-mounted smart scopes designed to take out small drones that slip through other layers of defense.
The deal, made with Smart Shooter, brings the company’s SMASH 2000LE fire control systems to the Army starting later this year.
Deliveries are expected between July and September, though neither the company nor the Army has confirmed just how many units are being purchased.
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This latest move follows a March order from a Pentagon task force for about 200 of the same scopes worth $6.1 million, signaling that the technology is gaining traction across the War Department.
The SMASH scope gives ground troops the power to spot, lock, and eliminate aerial threats using the kind of precision that used to be reserved for air defense specialists.
Mounted like a traditional optical scope atop a rifle, the SMASH 2000LE is anything but old-school. With computer vision, artificial intelligence, and advanced targeting algorithms, this system allows shooters to track and destroy fast-moving aerial targets as easily as picking off targets on the range.
Scott Thompson, vice president and general manager for Smart Shooter’s U.S. operations, described it simply.
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“Once the user identifies the target and locks on it, SMASH tracks its movements and synchronizes the shot,” he said. That means greater accuracy, fewer wasted rounds, and far better odds against buzzing enemy drones.
Thompson emphasized that these systems are also highly resistant to jamming and can even neutralize tethered drones operated by fiber optic cable—an increasingly common workaround adversaries use to dodge electronic warfare systems. All of it works in any light condition, day or night, giving American soldiers an edge when it counts.
An Army spokesperson confirmed that the smart scopes are being added as part of the service’s “layered” counter-drone strategy.
In this setup, larger vehicle-mounted systems deal with long-range threats while soldiers on foot can take on smaller intruders closing in on their position.
It’s an up-close solution for the fast-changing face of modern warfare where drones have become both spies and assassins.
If Ukraine, Israel, and Iran have shown anything, it’s that small drones are no sideshow. They’re killers on the cheap, and the U.S. military cannot afford to lag behind. Smart Shooter is already supplying technology to the Marine Corps as well as various Pentagon units tasked with stopping the drone menace before it turns deadly.
The Army isn’t relying solely on smart optics. It’s also testing specialized ammunition designed to scatter in flight—essentially turning a single round into multiple fragments, increasing the odds of striking fast-moving targets.
Meanwhile, initiatives like “Project Flytrap” are driving experimentation and field testing of emerging counter-drone equipment.
In Lithuania, troops got a taste of the future during an exercise called Flytrap 5.0. Soldiers practiced spotting enemy drones and building new tactics on the fly to deal with airborne threats.
Lt. Col. Jason Kruck of the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment described the event as essential preparation for modern conflict where drones are constant companions of the battlefield.
Sgt. 1st Class Tyler Harrington, from the same unit, noted that drone awareness has completely changed how soldiers think in combat.
“Now we have to scan up and out as well,” he said. “Is there potential reconnaissance hovering above us, or is there a one-way attack drone coming in our direction? It changes how we maneuver and react immediately to threats.”
Every step forward in counter-drone warfare counts, especially as the battlefield evolves into a constant contest of surveillance and reaction.
With systems like SMASH 2000LE being sent to the field, American soldiers are gaining a crucial edge against one of the most dangerous tools in modern conflict.
President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly underscored the urgency of rebuilding America’s military dominance—a readiness based on real innovation, not bureaucratic red tape.
The Army’s adoption of these smart scopes is another sign that this administration is serious about arming its troops with cutting-edge tools to win, not just to participate.
From the deserts of the Middle East to the forests of Eastern Europe, threats evolve fast. But with tech like this, the American infantryman is once again back on offense—armed, aware, and ready to take the fight to the sky.
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