US Marines Integrate Moving Stock Aiming System to Enhance Rifle Accuracy Against Drones.
The U.S. Marines are exploring an automated targeting system for standard infantry rifles, aimed at improving every soldier’s capacity to defend against the rising threat of drones on the battlefield. The ZeroMark Fire Control System (FCS) innovation incorporates an automatic adjustment mechanism to fine-tune the aiming point, optimizing precision against unmanned aerial threats. Currently undergoing tests with the 3rd Marine Division in Hawaii, this equipment marks a significant advancement for accurately targeting moving threats, which are often challenging to counter through traditional methods.
Developed by New York-based startup ZeroMark, founded in 2022, the ZeroMark FCS has received investment from prominent backers, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Ground Up Ventures, and benefits from $7 million in funding for research and development. The system relies on sophisticated machine vision technology, with electro-optical cameras and LiDAR sensors to detect and track targets in real time.
The system’s distinct feature lies in its motorized buttstock, which adjusts the rifle’s angle to optimize shooting accuracy, allowing the shooter to target drones more effectively. Unlike existing assisted-aiming systems like the SMASH 2000 series from Israeli firm Smart Shooter, ZeroMark’s FCS uses advanced vision algorithms to steer the weapon’s barrel, even making slight angular adjustments to maximize shot alignment.
ZeroMark’s technology, described as a “fire control system,” includes a small computer and motorized stock. CEO Joel Anderson explains that this motorized stock creates a virtual pivot between the shoulder and rifle, allowing small degree adjustments to refine shot trajectory and compensate for both drone and shooter movement, as well as variations caused by noise or torque.
Installation on any rifle takes just 30 seconds, potentially making drone defense a manageable task for the average soldier. Anderson states that the system “makes hitting a small drone at 200 yards as easy as hitting an 18-meter-diameter circle,” making such skills accessible to a broader range of soldiers.