Sentry gun
Encyclopedia
The sentry gun is a gun
that is automatically aimed and fired at targets that are detected by sensors. The earliest functioning military sentry gun was the Phalanx CIWS
, a radar-guided gatling gun
platform that defended ships from missiles.
Fictional sentry guns have appeared in science fiction
since the 1940s. Video games have provided a fertile ground for fictional visions of sentry guns. Fictional examples of automatic sentry guns have appeared since the 1980s, in films such as Aliens
(1986) and the television series Æon Flux
(early 1990s).
, a radar-guided gatling gun
platform that defends ships from missiles. There is a land-based version of the Phalanx CIWS, also used for missile defense. Similar to the Phalanx is the Goalkeeper CIWS
, a more powerful version with the same purpose. According to the United States Navy,
series , the Team Fortress
mod
for QuakeWorld
solidified the sentry gun's position in gamers' vocabularies. Another early game that featured the sentry gun was Goldeneye 64. Various games—such as Duke Nukem
, Metal Gear
, and Worms 4: Mayhem
—have several versions.
. In the film, marines who were surrounded by Xenomorphs barricaded themselves into a sick bay facility, and deployed sentry guns to block access points to the sick bay. The weapons successfully repelled the alien adversaries until they ran out of ammunition. All references to this sequence were deleted from the theatrical print of the film, though Alan Dean Foster
's 1986 novelization of the movie contained this scene. The sentry gun sequence was reinstated for the extended Special Edition cut of the film, released initially on Laserdisc
in 1991 and much later on DVD
.
As mentioned above, the film adaptation of Congo
depicted a fictional laser-sighted remote sentry unit, which was used to repel the enemies. The science fiction television series Æon Flux
depicted accurate sentry guns in multiple episodes. In the show, these guns, along with concrete walls, are depicted as a series of Fortifications separating two nations.
Specific systems:
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
that is automatically aimed and fired at targets that are detected by sensors. The earliest functioning military sentry gun was the Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
, a radar-guided gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
platform that defended ships from missiles.
Fictional sentry guns have appeared in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
since the 1940s. Video games have provided a fertile ground for fictional visions of sentry guns. Fictional examples of automatic sentry guns have appeared since the 1980s, in films such as Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
(1986) and the television series Æon Flux
Æon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
(early 1990s).
Military use
Phalanx close-in weapons systems
The earliest functioning sentry gun was the Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS)Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
, a radar-guided gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
platform that defends ships from missiles. There is a land-based version of the Phalanx CIWS, also used for missile defense. Similar to the Phalanx is the Goalkeeper CIWS
Goalkeeper CIWS
Goalkeeper is a Dutch close-in weapon system introduced in 1979 and in use , which primarily defends ships against incoming missiles and ballistic shells. This system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which in typically six seconds detects incoming fire, determines its trajectory,...
, a more powerful version with the same purpose. According to the United States Navy,
These guns perform sentry duty against missiles, but are not in line with the fictional versions of the sentry gun that are used primarily against humans in books, movies, and video games.
Phalanx is the only deployed close-in weapon system capable of autonomously performing its own search, detect, evaluation, track, engage and kill assessment functions
Super aEgis II
In December 2010, the South Korean firm DoDAAM unveiled the Super aEgis II, an automated turret-based weapon platform that uses thermal imaging to lock onto human-sized targets up to 3km away. It is able to function during nighttime and regardless of weather conditions.Literature
- A sentry gun is used to pin down a group of rebelling colonists in Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's 1949 novel Red PlanetRed Planet (novel)Red Planet is a 1949 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. It represents the first appearance of Heinlein's idealized Martian elder race...
. Michael CrichtonMichael CrichtonJohn Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
's version, in the 1969 novel The Andromeda StrainThe Andromeda StrainThe Andromeda Strain , by Michael Crichton, is a techno-thriller novel documenting the efforts of a team of scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism that rapidly and fatally clots human blood, while in other people inducing insanity...
, fired tranquillizer darts at intruders in the underground facility. Later, in 1980, Crichton wrote about a more advanced vision of sentry guns in his book CongoCongo (novel)Congo is a 1980 science fiction novel by Michael Crichton. The novel centers on an expedition searching for diamonds and inspecting the mysterious deaths of the previous expedition in the dense rain forest of Congo...
.
Video games
Video games have provided a fertile ground for visions of sentry guns. Although sentry guns first appeared in the Command & ConquerCommand & Conquer
Command & Conquer, abbreviated to C&C and also known as Tiberian Dawn, is a 1995 real-time strategy computer game developed by Westwood Studios for MS-DOS and published by Virgin Interactive. It was the first of twelve games to date to be released under the Command & Conquer label, including a...
series , the Team Fortress
Team Fortress
Team Fortress is a team- and class-based online multiplayer video game mod based on id Software's Quake. Team Fortress was designed and written by Robin Walker, John Cook and Ian Caughley in 1996. The mod's gameplay has caught on with a large following of fans, which has spurred many developers to...
mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
for QuakeWorld
QuakeWorld
QuakeWorld is an update to id Software's seminal multiplayer deathmatch game, Quake, that enhances the game's multiplayer features to allow people with dial-up modems to achieve greatly improved responsiveness when playing on Internet game servers...
solidified the sentry gun's position in gamers' vocabularies. Another early game that featured the sentry gun was Goldeneye 64. Various games—such as Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem (computer game)
Duke Nukem is a platform game developed and published by Apogee Software , featuring the adventures of the fictional character Duke Nukem. The game was released on July 1, 1991.-Story:...
, Metal Gear
Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a series of video games.Metal Gear may also refer to:*Metal Gear , bipedal tanks appearing in the Metal Gear series-Metal Gear video game series:...
, and Worms 4: Mayhem
Worms 4: Mayhem
Worms 4: Mayhem is a 3D artillery game in the Worms series developed by Team17. It is much like its 3D predecessor Worms 3D, except that players can customize their worm's appearance as well as create their own unique weapons in an added feature called "The Weapon Factory." The game also contains...
—have several versions.
- In the Team FortressTeam FortressTeam Fortress is a team- and class-based online multiplayer video game mod based on id Software's Quake. Team Fortress was designed and written by Robin Walker, John Cook and Ian Caughley in 1996. The mod's gameplay has caught on with a large following of fans, which has spurred many developers to...
series of games the "Engineer" class can construct and later upgrade sentry guns. The latest incarnation of the Team Fortress sentry gun starts as a high-caliber cannon, upgradeable with machine guns and rocket launchers. The "Spy" class has a tool (the Electro-Sapper) specifically designed to neutralize sentry guns and other buildings. The "Engineer" class's in-game dialogue is notable for the phrase, 'Spy's sappin' my sentry!' - Games like Timesplitters and F.E.A.R. feature sentry guns that appear as obstacles to the player, and also feature instances where the player can remotely commandeer these sentry guns to turn against enemies.
- Sentry guns also play a big role in the series of Aliens vs. Predator video game. In the AlienXenomorph (Alien)The Alien is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species that is the primary antagonist of the Alien film series. The species made its debut in the 1979 film Alien, and reappeared in its sequels Aliens , Alien 3 , and Alien Resurrection , two crossovers Alien vs...
-part of the game, you run many times in the line of the gunsight, and you have to find a solution to shut them down or destroy them. - In the game Battlefield 2142Battlefield 2142Battlefield 2142 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and produced by Electronic Arts . It is the fourth game in the Battlefield series...
, the support class can unlock a sentry gun as one of its 3rd level unlocks. Squad leaders are able to employ sentry drones (also a 3rd level unlock), whose targets are designated by squad members through NetBatNetwork-centric warfareNetwork-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations, is a military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990's....
. - In the game Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
a sentry gun is one of the 'killstreak rewards' that may be obtained at a level of kills without a death. - In both Half-Life and Half-Life 2, many levels involve destruction or even control of sentry guns. Portal, also made by the creators of the Half-Life game seriesHalf-Life (series)The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
prominently features sentry guns that deliver humorous dialogue in high-pitched electronic voices. - The game BioShockBioshockBioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
features sentry guns in machine gun, rocket launcher, and flamethrower varieties as well as security bots summoned by security cameras which are essentially sentry guns with rotors allowing them to fly like small helicopters. All sentry devices in the game are able to be hacked or bribed by the player to serve himself. - The game Perfect DarkPerfect DarkPerfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
features enemy sentry guns that must be destroyed in order to advance in the game, in addition to a player-usable version disguised as a laptop computer. - In the space-based MMORPGMMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
Eve OnlineEVE OnlineEve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
, the areas surrounding stations and jump gates are lightly defended by sentry guns similar to CIWS systems. The relative security (although inefficient against a coordinated attack) enjoyed by players in the so-called "Low security space" zones, as opposed to "0.0 space" where PvPPlayer versus playerPlayer versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
can freely occur, is largely due to the presence of these sentry guns. - The game 007: GoldenEye features Sentry Guns (called in-game "Automated Turrets") throughout the campaign. James is able to hack these guns with his smartphone, which then turn on the enemies and start shooting at them.
- In the space-based PC game FreelancerFreelancer (video game)Freelancer is a space trading and combat simulation video game developed by Digital Anvil and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was initially announced by Chris Roberts in 1999, and following many production schedule mishaps and a buyout of Digital Anvil by Microsoft, it was eventually...
jump gates, trade lane rings and space stations are equipped with low-power sentry guns, however, they are called turrets and thus may be human-operated. - Descent Freespace and Freespace 2 are also noted for having sentry guns. The Terran, Vasudan, and Shivan races all have their own sentry guns, with the GTSG Mjolnir class being specifically designed to take down enemy warships with a large beam weapon.
- In CrysisCrysisCrysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar...
' multiplayer Power Struggle mode there are sentry guns equipped with machine guns and missile launchers to prohibit the player from entering the enemy base. - In the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles and the Microsoft Windows operating system. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on...
, an M5 sentry gun is awarded to a player who achieves a five killstreak in a life without dying (four kills with the perk "Hardline"). It appears in 4 levels of the single-player campaign, both friendly and hostile. It also appears in 3 Special Ops levels. In Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
it is airdropped for getting 6 kills. - In HomeworldHomeworldHomeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
, one level featured autoguns, programmed to guard a ship graveyard. In Homeworld 2Homeworld 2Developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2003 by now defunct publisher Sierra Entertainment, Homeworld 2 is a real-time strategy computer game sequel to Homeworld. It takes place after the events in Homeworld and concerns Hiigara's response to a new enemy called the Vaygr. Its gameplay...
, many super-capital ships protect themselves using point defense systems, and a variety of sentry probes can be placed around the map, which become immobile and shoot nearby opponents. - In StarCraft 2, sentry guns appear as short duration "Auto Turrets" dropped from remote controlled UAVs called "Ravens". Also, in one particular hero mission in the single-player campaign, one of the heroes can drop a flamethrower variation of the Auto Turret named a "Flaming Betty".
- In Turok using alternative firing mode while equipping the minigun, places the gun on the ground converting it into a sentry gun.
- In C&C Generals and Red alert series, several factions have the ability to construct the sentry guns.
- Just Cause 2Just Cause 2Just Cause 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Avalanche Studios, published by Eidos Interactive, and distributed by Square Enix. It is the sequel to the 2006 video game Just Cause....
has some of them. They are a little under a meter tall and have 2 barrelsGun barrelA gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
. They stand on tri-pods and can be easily destroyed with a couple of shots.
Film and television
Fictional examples of automatic sentry guns also appeared in the Special Edition version of AliensAliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
. In the film, marines who were surrounded by Xenomorphs barricaded themselves into a sick bay facility, and deployed sentry guns to block access points to the sick bay. The weapons successfully repelled the alien adversaries until they ran out of ammunition. All references to this sequence were deleted from the theatrical print of the film, though Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
's 1986 novelization of the movie contained this scene. The sentry gun sequence was reinstated for the extended Special Edition cut of the film, released initially on Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in 1991 and much later on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
As mentioned above, the film adaptation of Congo
Congo (film)
Congo is a 1995 action adventure film, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It was directed by Frank Marshall and stars Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry, Ernie Hudson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Grant Heslov, and Joe Don Baker. The film was released on June 9, 1995 by...
depicted a fictional laser-sighted remote sentry unit, which was used to repel the enemies. The science fiction television series Æon Flux
Æon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
depicted accurate sentry guns in multiple episodes. In the show, these guns, along with concrete walls, are depicted as a series of Fortifications separating two nations.
See also
- Close-in weapon systemClose-in weapon systemA close-in weapon system , often pronounced sea-whiz, is a naval shipboard point-defense weapon for detecting and destroying at short range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses....
- Remote weapon system
Specific systems:
- Phalanx CIWSPhalanx CIWSThe Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
- Goalkeeper CIWSGoalkeeper CIWSGoalkeeper is a Dutch close-in weapon system introduced in 1979 and in use , which primarily defends ships against incoming missiles and ballistic shells. This system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which in typically six seconds detects incoming fire, determines its trajectory,...
- PROWLERPROWLERPROWLER was a mid-1980s experimental robot mobile sentry gun device.The name was an acronym standing for "Programmable Robot Observer With Logical Enemy Response" ;...