| I don't know, but this doesn't sound too useful. Only one squad of Marines? A handful of infantrymen with only small arms won't hold out for long, even if they're US Marines, without any support like aviation or armor, which may be hours or days behind.
How would these things land? It's not like a WWII glider that can just crash into a field. You would need a very long, very flat runway like the Space Shuttle, since this will be going at extreme speeds when reentering the atmosphere.
I doubt there would be any stealth in the entry. Just the heat the craft is giving off from reentry will make it look like a comet streaking down, not to mention being easily detected by IR sensors. Then there's the matter of having to use a prepared landing strip...
I guess this might be useful for delivering critical cargo and people in a very short time, like maybe critical medical supplies and specialist doctors for some greviously injured Marines who can not be treated by anything available locally, but it looks like we're still a long way off from super space shock troopers...
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Midshipman Third Class
Trojan Battalion NROTC
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