Photo: By Carden Hedelt, Corporate Communications U.S.M.C.
Paper silhouettes and other such stationary targets are great tools when first learning how to shoot a rifle. However, in the real world, rarely, if ever, would an enemy be standing still with his shoulders square to you. More than likely they would be walking on a patrol or maybe darting from behind one form of cover to another. How does one train in a live-fire scenario without simple, static cardboard cutouts? Enter the Marine Corps T20 and T20 Robotic Moving Target System (R-MTS).
The T20 R-MTS is a mobile target that uses the two-wheeled Segway Robotic Mobility Platform as its base. This base has armor plating on its outsides to withstand hits from both 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds and weighs in at 400 pounds. The T40 is a 4 wheeled variant of the same platform designed from greater stability in order to support off-road use and adds on an additional 120 pounds. Sitting atop both the T20 and T40 are three dimensional mannequins that have been hardened to withstand hundreds of direct shots.
Having life like physical attributes is only the beginning though. These targets are remotely controlled by computers running a preprogrammed scenario; however, they are not being actively driven by an operator located somewhere off range. The targets can be set to autonomously patrol an area, such as a courtyard or a building perimeter, without any intervention from operators. Once the targets are engaged is when things really get amazing. The internal computers on the T20 and T40 can react to being shot. They can analyze where they shot hit as well as which direction the shot came from and then autonomously move to cover while avoiding obstacles in their path. The internal computers of the targets are even linked to each other allowing then to communicate this information. This allows the unit that was originally hit to warn the others of the attack and its direction and they can take appropriate action such as seek cover.
In a test conducted by the U.S. Marines this past June one of the scenarios contained a hostage. In this activity two of the T20s acted as the enemy with a third being a “female” hostage in between them that the Marines were to recover unharmed. The Marines had to shoot each of the two enemies without hitting the hostage.
These units are manufactured by Marathon Robotics Corporation out of Australia and have been used by the Australian Defense Force since 2008. The cost for the initial 8 units delivered for testing totaled $57 million, or a little over $7 million apiece. While not exactly cheap, they can bring an unparalleled level of realism to their training allowing them to be more effective in combat resulting in fewer casualties.
