m56 smartgun

A machine gun from the 1986 Aliens film.

The M56 Smartgun is a self-targeting heavy machine gun attached to a harness that is used as a squad support weapon by the Colonial Marine Corps. An optical sensor in the gun detects moving targets and an alarm informs the operator when a target is acquired.

It was designed by Stan Winston and James Cameron using components from a steady cam harness, a WWII era German MG42 machine gun and several motorcycle parts.