Trump was offered Ukrainian anti-drone systems last year, and he turned it down. There would likely be less destroy American equipment and fewer dead Americans if the US had acquired these systems.
“It is already in the hands of deployed forces preparing for real-world missions.
At its core, SMASH is built around automated target tracking and real-time ballistic computation. When a shooter brings the optic onto a target, the system identifies and locks onto it using onboard visual processing. From there, it continuously analyzes movement, range estimation cues, and the shooter’s own weapon stability.
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The optic calculates when a projectile from the rifle will intersect the moving target’s path, accounting for variables such as target velocity, angle change, and shooter-induced sway. Rather than relying purely on instinct and reaction time, the system shifts the hardest part of the engagement into computation. It’s a game changer.
In operational terms, the trigger mechanism is also governed by this solution.
The weapon will not release a shot unless the calculated hit probability meets a defined threshold, though operators can override the system if required. This introduces a hybrid firing model: human intent still initiates engagement, but the system determines optimal timing.”
The US really needs to up their game when it comes to mass, cheap, attritable drones.
Many US methods are obsolete and America’s industrial base is not prepared to mass produce drones. Russia and China are already ahead of the US in drone warfare.
The US needs to work with Ukraine to learn from their experience.
The MQ-9 Reaper drone was great when the enemy didn’t have anti-air capabilities, but when they do, the slow, loud, and radar-visible drone is easily shot down.
US loss multiple planes in Iranian strike in Saudi Arabia, likely with help from Russian intelligence. The US did not learn or implement the lessons from Ukraine regarding drones and protecting planes on the ground. The US looks like Russia losing expensive aircraft on the ground. The US is losing planes, people, radars, and facilities, and so far has gotten nothing from Iran. Iran shows no sign of giving in, and if they don’t, then the US lost expensive equipment, munitions, and lives for little gain. The US is showing that it is not ready for the new change in warfare.
We’ve watched for four years Russia continuing to not always adapt to protect their assets from drones and missiles, and now the US seems to be failing in the same way.
The US can only confirm that they destroyed a third of Iran’s missiles, and Iran doesn’t need that many missiles to damage neighbors and the global economy. Our assessments may not be good either. Iran could be secretly building more missiles and drones.
The Houthis haven’t entered the war yet, but they may.
The US military is not ready for drone warfare. Iran will post videos of Americans’ faces before being exploded by drones. Iran has been training in FPV drone warfare and gets advice from Russia who has been fighting in an FPV drone war.
The US is already taking equipment and personnel losses from drones. The US has mostly abandoned bases near Iran because it can’t defend them. If the US goes in close, they will be swarmed.
US bases in Iraq are getting hit by FPV drones. At least a radar and helicopter have been destroyed. The US does not seem prepared for this advancement in warfare. If the US sends ground troops to Iran, a lot of them will be killed by FPV drones. These are short range, cheap drones, that can be used as suicide drones or to drop explosives.
The Ukraine-Russia war has shown that this is a new factor in warfare, and the US doesn’t seem to have adapted fast enough.
America’s rolling thunder of destroying things from the air is not convincing the Iranian regime to budge or the Iranian people to rise up.