The U.S. Marine Corps will field smart scopes to help shoot down moving targets, such as drones, in the coming months.
“Multiple units across all elements of the [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] will receive this technology with priority going to those units that are deployed or deploying soon,” Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan, spokesman for Combat Development and Integration, told Marine Corps Times via email.
Flanagan declined to share quantities due to security concerns but said the fielding would begin in fiscal 2026, which starts Oct. 1, as part of a program to counter small, unmanned aircraft systems.
“The SMASH 2000L will give the rifleman the ability to quickly obtain a positive firing solution and increase their probability of kill when engaging Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” Flanagan wrote, describing the SMASH 2000L advanced fire control system.
“The SMASH 2000L provides easily attachable components that will enable a standard M4 to be utilized for targeting and defeating sUAS with conventional small arms fire while still enabling the Marine user to utilize that same weapon system to engage other/ground targets.”
In April, Marine leaders noted a new emphasis on counter drone equipment, both for dismounted troops and for fixed sites such as bases.
“One of the things that is apparent to all of us is that unmanned aerial systems are a threat not just to infantry Marines, but to all Marines,” Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, head of Combat Development Command said at the Navy League’s annual Sea, Air and Space Exposition in April.
The Corps also has a larger ground-based air defense program known as GBAD, which works against larger threats, such as missiles and mortars.
“Current Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) capabilities that are being fielded today predominantly focus on mounted platforms organic to the Low Altitude Air Defense Battalions (LAAD Bn) and the Littoral Anti-Air Battalions (LAAB), which encompass the entire air defense continuum up to and including defeating manned aircraft and cruise missile threats,” according to a Marine release.
“Those dedicated air defense assets are not always practical or available at scale to support individual unit operations.”
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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