An Australian company that builds life-size moving targets for military weapons training opened a new factory in Huntsville today to build more robots and compete for an even larger role in training American warfighters.

Marathon Targets US, a subsidiary of Marathon Targets of Sydney, Australia, opened the doors to its Cummings Research Park East facility and invited local leaders to tour the plant and fire plastic rounds at a moving robot outside.

The new training tool is the first time American troops have trained by firing at a moving target of any kind. It debuted in 2011 at Marine Corps Base Quantico and a story in Politico in June 2022 told what happened to the first training group. “The shooters – an array of elite Marine weapons specialists, SEALS and Army special operators – were astonished,” Politico reported. “When the targets started moving, they started missing, despite their expert marksmanship badges.”

The Marines now use the robots “as the primary method of conducting live fire training” across the corps, Marathon Vice President Ralph Petroff said in Huntsville. “This is not a fun toy,” Petroff said. “It is a requirement.” Marathon Targets’ robots are autonomous and capable of operating off roads, in buildings and in the woods, Petroff said.

Mayor Tommy Battle said the company’s story and move to Huntsville illustrates how the city’s longtime goal of becoming a “center of excellence in robotics, electronics and aerospace” to support Redstone Arsenal “ended up making an economy that supported us all.”

“Our government does not need to be making targets,” said U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville). “We need private enterprise like you’re doing. You can be assured I’ll be advocating for Huntsville, Ala., and Marathon Target.”

“There’s no going away for this capacity,” Petroff said later in the tour. Rather, he said it is getting more sophisticated with each production generation. “There could be a fight coming soon,” Petroff said.