Now before you say, "why did he put a Sci Fi topic in the wrong thread?" Just read on. If you know of NASA's hyper sonic upper atmospheric craft test(like the X 33). Involving many experimental craft. That was just lay some basic information down. And, the thought of passenger flights around the world would be, well not that far fetched after that, but, they weren't the only ones watching.



Unlike the USAF and USN, and Army, the USMC is not spending their space funding on expensive satellites and whatnot. They are trying to get their own high atmospheric insertion craft. Dubbed project Hot Eagle. This will make the USMC the first true military force to have Space Marines.

I know you guys have heard about them before in Sci Fi, and Warhammer table top games and what not. But to actually have it as a reality would be astounding. It would help end the need for an entire fleet, or airfleet to have to organize and go half way around the world to launch a amphibious assault conventionally.


(concept involving USAF delivery craft)

Anyways, is basically a space plane that will carry a squad of marines to any point or hot zone on the planet, in about two hours. Sorta like fictional drop pods. But they can be retrieved and re used allot like the Space Shuttle of the U.S. and Russian Federation.

This would once again revolutionize warfare. To have marines dropping in on enemies head, give surprise, and kinda makes them shock troopers. They call this craft the Small Unit Space Transportation and Insertion, or SUSTAIN for short. In 2002 the Marine corps announced it, and that if conceived
could carry 13 squad members per craft.



This will give the U.S. the ability to quickly react to counter intelligence. With speed that will be crucial in the modern war on terrorism. Shown to congress in 2004, the Marine Brig. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer told Congress that this ability is needed by the USMC.

Also it if projected that is Pursued that this could be accomplished by a date as early as 2020. About 28 years after the flight of the DC X.

And, I think the Marines will have the ambition to once again, make big changes in modern warfare, and pave the way for Marines in the future....

http://op-for.com/2006/07/marines_wa...e_plane_1.html

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/530/1

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...

When I think of Space Marines, the Colonial Marines from ALIENS pops in my head.

There are still allot of obstacles in this program. But as space and military research comes together in the coming years, this may not seem so far fetched. What if we had strike craft like this? I know it sounds unlikely. But, imagine a High altitude insertion craft, that links with Global Hawks, and satellites, to drop high altitude precision bombs, on SAM sites, and enemy installations? That would eliminate having to A. Organize a conventional strike air strike. And B. Put pilots and air crews in danger of being shot out of the sky.

A cargo of 13 Marines... this would be a very expensive way of delivering so few people somewhere.
I don't think it sounds too practical except in cases where an emergency quick delivery is needed. More than anything else, I can see the Air Force tapping in on this and loading that stuff with ordinance rather than dudes with rifles.
And yeah, 13 guys, on the other side of the world, totally cut off from just about any kind of fire support, outnumbered, out gunned etc.... it just isn't going to work.

Well, Who ever said the Plane had to Land on...Land...

Crash down
deploy dingy raft
hop on
hit the beach intime for lunch


Right 1 squad of Marines isent a real threat, but if its a Black op mission, and not an assult, i see how is could be useful.

Like SEALs perhaps? SOCOM may yet have some use for it.

And, who said only 1 will delpoy at a time. If its a full scale operation, then, multiple ones will launch. It needs work, and landing will be a issue even if it can safly crash down. What if in the middle of a fire fight the Marines are temporaly pushed back? Givin the enemy time to loot the craft and possible sell componets to other bad guys out there.

You'd need 4 of these to just throw in a single platoon.
That's still pretty bad.

Well, Just like the wooden gliders of wwII, make them expendable. WIth the information age i believe it is possible to make enexpensive single time use space vehicals.

I figure this method of insertion isnt a means of invastion, but most likely ground recon. Hell they could even be sent in to do assasinations or renditions.

As ive said before, the age of the phalanx and Trench are over, conventional warfare is gone. THIS IS THE AGE OF THE SHADOW SOLDIER, the Covert Op.

One squad of Space Marines will not be that useful without support, until they get armor like this.