Indian Navy has finalised the contract for procurement of a batch of Israeli ‘SMASH 2000 Plus fire Control Systems’ Anti-Drone Systems which is capable of destroying high-speed enemy drones. It is manufactured by Israel Firm ‘Smart Shooter’.
i.The Smash Fire Control Systems Are Electro-optical rifle sights which will be mounted on Assault rifles such as AK-47/103 rifles.
ii.They are expected to be delivered by 2021.
Key Points:
i.SMASH 2000 Plus has a range of up to 120 metres.
ii.It is equipped with Targeting Algorithms to track and hit small drones which are capable of flying at high speeds.
iii.The procurement will improve the operational effectiveness of Soldiers by improving their accuracy and speed of shooting targets.
iv.The SMASH 2000 Plus is based on SMASH 2000 System and is equipped with Advanced Counter-UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Mode to counter emerging drone threat.
v.It will be used in border security, bases and strategic facilities protection.
India’s Weapon Procurement from US Jumps to USD 3.4 Billion in 2020:
According to Data released by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the United States (US) India topped the list of Major buyers of American Weapons in 2020 it recorded weapons procurement worth USD 3.4 Billion from the United States, Weapons procurement from the US was worth USD 6.2 Million in 2019.
i.Other Major buyers of US weapons are Morocco, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Note – According to the 2020 edition of the Historical Sales Book, India purchased weapons worth USD 754.4 million in 2017 and USD 282 million in 2018. Between 1950 and 2020, US sale of weapons to India under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) category was USD 12.8 billion.
Recent Related News:
i.On August 11, 2020, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in its meeting held under the Chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh approved the capital acquisitions of various platforms and equipment for an approximate cost of Rs 8,722.38 crore.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy)– New Delhi
About Smart Shooter:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Michal Mor
Location – Israel
