United States Colonial Marines
The United States Colonial Marines are a military organization from the Alien franchise.
Organization
A typical Colonial Marine unit consists of a dozen soldiers. The chain of command includes a lieutenant, a sergeant, and a corporal, with the rest privates. Organization for larger deployments is not known.
Equipment
Standard armament for the Colonial Marines is a firearm called a "pulse rifle" that fires "10mm explosive-tipped caseless" ammunition ("standard armor-piercing round"). In addition, a Marine typically has a sidearm and a supply of grenades. The pulse rifle is equipped with an underslung grenade launcher, but the grenades can apparently be thrown by hand, as well.
Colonial Marines wear helmets and rigid body armor on the torso. The helmet has built-in communications gear, an infrared detection lens, and a video camera. The uniform also has built-in health monitors and a back-mounted flashlight.
Support weapons for a unit include two "smart guns" and a couple of "incinerators". An incinerator is simply a small flame-thrower. A smart gun is a heavy machine gun with an IFF system that keeps it from firing if a friendly soldier is in front of the barrel, allowing it to be fired into close-quarters combat without endangering allies.
A squad will also have a number of hand-held motion detectors and a medical kit.
A Marine squad has several vehicles at its disposal for deployment:
- For interstellar travel, the squad has a warship with unspecified armament, although at least two weapons turrets are visible, and they are known to have nuclear weapons of some kind on board.
- The ship carries at least two dropships for deployment to a planet's surface. Each is armed with missiles, a gatling gun, and possibly other weapons. The dropship also has a cargo bay spacious enough to carry an armored vehicle.
- For transport on the planet, the squad has an Armored Personnel Carrier with at least two weapons turrets. The APC carries additional weapons and ammunition for the squad, and it serves as a mobile command post, with a communications system that receives data from the Marines' comm systems, helmet cams, and health monitors.