Marine aiming at robot target during training In a profession such as the Marines, where hitting a moving target is a pretty big deal, you would have thought that there would have been some sort of emphasis on that in training. Well, you would be mistaken… According to a report in the Marine Corps Times, the US Marines will soon be adding moving targets to its list of marksmanship qualifications. This means in addition to hitting stationary targets, mobile objects will also need to be struck. The Marines have reportedly been talking about their lack of success with hitting moving targets for years, so have decided to do something about it. So how are they going to incorporate moving targets into their training I hear you ask? Well, some shooting ranges in the States currently serve as testing sites for moving targets, but they are expensive due to the type of target in question. What are those expensive targets? Robots. Yes, the Marines practice their moving target shooting by aiming at what look like shop mannequins riding on a Segway. State of the art, eh! Speaking about the practicality and cost effectiveness of the targets, commander of the Weapons Training Battalion, Colonel Tim Parker said “Robots are great, but is that what we need?” I love robots, I really do, but it’s going to have to be something we can buy for the entire Marine Corps.” Follow the link to the video and watch the weird robot targets for yourself and see what you think about them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqKBNVhIFbI. Why not take a look at our range of air rifles and targets and get practising your aim for yourself? Unfortunately, we don’t have any Segway mannequins for you to practice on, but we’re sure you can cope without them!   Screenshot courtesy of MarathonTraining on YouTube