This impressive and imposing looking weapon was carried by the characters Vasquez (played by Jenette Goldstein) and Drake (played by Mark Rolston). It consists of an MG42 belt fed machine gun with dressing and specially fabricated add-on components. The “trigger” is a Kawasaki GT motorcycle brake lever, the front barrel dressing is derived from a motorcycle foot rest and the grips are Kawasaki GT switch gears. The muzzle brake (the very tip of the gun, that looks like a castle turret) was specially made then added to alter the look of the barrel and adds a finishing touch to the overall detail to create a unique looking weapon which is still reminiscent of real world weaponry.

The gun itself is over 50 inches long and due to the construction being primarily of metal, this created its own set of problems during filming due to its incredible weight. It’s unwieldy nature required it to be physically attached to the actors using a “steadicam” filming rig. This allowed them to counter balance the gun using their own weight and leverage. However we are sure that the comfort of the actors was not foremost in the mind of the art department when designing it!

The Smart Gun is prominently used throughout the movie, and is particularly memorable in the scenes where the Colonial Marines initially confront the alien “Xenomorph”