Australia trials Israeli weapon system ‘combat-proven’ in Gaza genocide: Report

Australia’s Department of Defense (ADF) has been assessing an Israeli-developed AI precision targeting system whose manufacturer openly advertises as having been “combat-proven” during the genocide in Gaza, according to a report.

A report published on Monday by the news outlet Australia Declassified revealed that ADF has obtained several Israeli-made SMASH 3000 targeting gun sights and is testing them for possible use by Australia’s armed forces.

The SMASH 3000, produced by Israeli weapons firm Smartshooter Ltd., is a “rifle-mounted electro-optical fire control system” that uses AI-assisted processing to increase the accuracy of existing firearms.

The system can locate and track targets, lock onto them, and significantly raise the probability of a lethal strike. While marketed primarily as a counter-drone tool, it is also capable of engaging ground targets.

The evaluation is being conducted under a four-month contract worth $495,910.49 for “equipment and training,” running from August 25 to December 25. The assessment period remains ongoing and is scheduled to conclude on Christmas Day.

Smartshooter has repeatedly described the SMASH 3000 as “combat-proven,” explicitly citing its operational use by Israeli armed forces in Gaza.

The company also claims the system is “already operational” with armed forces in Europe, the UK, and the United States.

“SMASH 3000 provides a reliable, combat-proven hard-kill solution against drones and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) while significantly increasing hit probability in any combat scenario,” the company said in a press release.

Israel’s genocidal conduct in the besieged territory appears to have had no bearing on Canberra’s decision to engage with the Israeli arms industry.

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Lachlan Mercer, the director of Australia and New Zealand Territory for Smartshooter’s subsidiary SMASH Australia Pty Ltd., said on December 11 that “the recently fulfilled order marks a strategic breakthrough into the Australian market after significant appraisal of SMASH Fire Control by the ADF, with potential for follow-on purchases in other programs,” adding, “This further extends SMARTSHOOTER’s established presence in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The company already maintains a presence across the Asia-Pacific. India was supplied with the system in 2020, and in August reports emerged that hundreds of SMASH 3000 units would be delivered to an unnamed Asian country. Singapore is the only other country in the region publicly known to have evaluated the system.

Since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza, the territory has effectively been turned into a testing ground for a wide range of weapons developed by Israeli and Western arms companies, with Palestinian civilians bearing the cost.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,000 others, most of them women and children.

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