Fast Marine Target Drones: Good target practice for Royal Navy sailors.
Posted on 12/23/2009 12:22:40 AM PST by myknowledge
A British firm has developed an armored, robotic speedboat that sailors can use for target practice. This enables sailors to learn how to aim their heavy machine-guns and small arms accurately enough to take down hostile speedboats quickly. The $45,000 FMTDs (Fast Marine Target Drones) move at up to 60 kilometers an hour, and are guided by remote (up to ten kilometers away) operators, using cameras in a moveable mast. The five meter (15.5 foot) boats have sensors that record hits. Data travels two ways between the operator (who can control up to six boats at a time) and the boats. Upgrades include a larger (6.2 meter) boat and a sensor system that can also count near misses.
Ship commanders have become alarmed at the threat from speedboats, and are scrambling to develop countermeasures. The problem off Somalia is pirates, who use the speedboats to get alongside merchant ships, so they can board and hijack them. A more ominous threat is found in Iranian, and terrorist, use of speedboats to get close enough to detonate suicide bombs.
Sounds like fun!
Oerlikon twin 20mm: The suicide boat killer.
They should have called Mythbusters instead, much cheaper plus they get air time.
They record hits? Sounds like they don’t use live ammunition.
I wonder if they have a drone that the Royal Navy sailors can practice surrendering to. But then, they seem do that quite well as it is.
Can’t wait until the first time somali pirates take over one of these drones.... hopefully just as the shooting starts.
Well, if it is armored, seems like a noise sensor of some sort would be able to pick up a high-frequency “ping” or “pop” off of the hull (compared to wave noise).
Beats the heck out of the empty oil drums and paint cans we used to use.
These are “racist” manufactured targets because the world knows only somalis drive boats like that (sarc.)
Wasteful, but effective.
I thought the RN used 30mm BMARC cannons. They would make a mess of a speedboat quickly and cheaply. And they got more range than a Vulcan.
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