By Pesach Benson, United With Israel -
Unmanned aerial vehicles possessed by Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror groups pose a new kind of threat to Israeli soldiers on the battlefield. But an Israeli startup is countering that threat with a UAV of its own.
Straight Shooter, an Israeli startup that develops fire-control systems for small arms, unveiled on Monday the SMASH Dragon, an advanced robotic weaponry payload that can be mounted on different drones and other unmanned aerial platforms.
It can incorporate various types of assault rifles, sniper rifles, 40mm, and other ammunition with great precision. SMASH Dragon integrates tracking algorithms and image-processing software to accurately hit both static and moving targets. Being a lightweight drone, the SMASH Dragon can remain in the air for an extended period of time.
The system successfully completed live firing tests and is currently under advanced stages of development.
Successfully hitting a moving target from a moving platform is no small feat, as IDF R&D discovered while working on an airborne laser to defend Israel from missiles.
“Smart Shooter’s SMASH technology offers precise elimination of threats at ground, air and sea. We are now happy to offer the same precise, combat-proven target engagement technology mounted on an unmanned aerial platform that can be controlled from a distance,” said Michael Mor, CEO of Straight Shooter
“When it comes to drones, platform weight is a critical factor as it impacts mission endurance and cost, and we are proud to announce that the extremely lightweight SMASH Dragon meets this criterion.”
Straight Shooter, which is based in Yagur, near Haifa, has a Virginia-based subsidiary as well as offices in Germany and Australia.
