New £4.6m deal will put anti-drone sights on British soldiers' rifles

British soldiers will soon receive the new cutting-edge SMASH weapon sight that the Army says will give them a tactical advantage against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The SmartShooter SMASH Smart Weapon Sight Fire Control System will give the dismounted soldier the ability to land aimed shots against micro and mini-UAVs.

Under a £4.6m contract between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Yorkshire-based Viking Arms Limited, Counter-Small Uncrewed Air Systems (C-sUAS) capabilities will be delivered and fitted to the SA80 A3 rifle by the end of 2023.

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The capability can also then be fitted onto other in-service individual weapons. 

An initial order of 225 SMASH sights will be delivered by the end of the year and further sights will be delivered over the next few years to dismounted close combat operators across the Navy, Army and RAF, based on operational and readiness commitments.

The SMASH sights were tested by the British Army's experimentation battalion, 2 YORKS, last year.

SMASH uses image processing technology to automatically acquire a target from the sight's field-of-view and then displays a box around the target in the shooter's reflex sight.

The capability will only fire when the sight is aligned to hit the target.

Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said: "The importance of uncrewed aerial vehicles on the modern battlefield is undeniable.

"Alongside procuring, developing, and deploying this technology in a range of different ways, we must also be proactive in ensuring our Armed Forces can protect against their use by adversaries. 

"Adding this capability to our core equipment programme is another example of us procuring the right kit, at the right time, for our personnel."

Viking Arms managing director Sam MacArthur said: "We are tremendously proud to have been selected to supply the UK MOD's C-sUAS Smart Weapon Sight capability.

"The need for C-sUAS capability is very evident and we feel the SMASH solution is truly game-changing."