La firma israel\u00ed SMARTSHOOTER que desarrolla y comercializa Sistemas de Control de Punter\u00eda y Disparo (Fire Control Systems) para fusiles y armas autom\u00e1ticas, as\u00ed como Remote Weapon Station (RWS), se ha asociado con la empresa DRS RADA Technologies, especializada en el desarrollo de radares. El objetivo es ofrecer un sistema anti \u2013 drones (C-UAS) de empleo t\u00e1ctico, que combina la RWS Hopper con el Radar MHR, para disponer as\u00ed de una herramienta letal que re\u00fana la capacidad de detecci\u00f3n y adquisici\u00f3n temprana de amenazas (Radar), con la capacidad letal de las estaciones remotas (RWS) con armas de tiro tendido y fuego autom\u00e1tico. Este interesante sistema ha sido ofrecido al US Marines, para su evaluaci\u00f3n operacional en peque\u00f1as plataformas terrestres de uso t\u00e1ctico.<\/p>\n
MODERN DAY MARINE 2023 \u2014 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Michal Mor, Smartshooter CEO, in a statement. \u201cShortening the sensor-to-shooter cycle, this advanced solution enhances the force\u2019s situational awareness and survivability and takes air defense to a new level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharone Aloni, the vice-president for research and development at the company, said that though they worked on this combination over time and it\u2019s not yet operational, this is the first time they are revealing it to potential customers.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Combined, the gun can \u201cslew and cue\u201d in a hand-off from the radar. \u201cIn such a way the weapon is pointed in the right direction and ready to engage when [the drone] reaches the [rifle\u2019s] range. It is a kind of early warning system so the system can be ready to engage the target,\u201d said Aloni in an interview. But there is always a person in the loop, Aloni said.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0jammed or spoofed<\/a>, but autonomous drones and other similar threats can require a hard kill solution. Smartshooter\u2019s Smash 2000L \u2014 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. \u201cIt\u2019s ready to go, the SMASH Hopper and actually both systems are combat proven\u2026both have been used operationally, on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 MADIS air defense system, which already uses a Rada RPS-42 radar and is vehicle-mounted. Using a \u201csystem like that on a mobile platform is very attractive,\u201d Aloni said.<\/p>\n