The U.S. Army Wants To Give Its Soldiers An Extra Arm To Handle Heavy Weapons And Equipment

Task & Purpose: The Army Is Testing A Mechanical ‘Third Arm’ Right Out Of ‘Aliens’

The Army wants to give soldiers an extra hand during their next firefight — literally.

Army Research Lab engineers are officially testing a mechanical third arm designed to help soldiers wield oversized weaponry and hump heavy loads downrange without sacrificing their performance, the service announced on Feb. 27.

While the service has been hacking away at the abdomen-mounted apparatus — creatively dubbed the “Third Arm” — since last year, the Army says the current 3.5-pound prototype can support an M249 squad automatic weapon — or a 20-pound defensive shield for added protection and cover.

Cool, sweet… but any warfighter worth their salt will recognize this solution as inspired by the asshole-perforating M56A2 Smart Gun toted by everyone’s favorite Colonial Marines from Aliens:

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WNU Editor: Another example of what was once science-fiction .... is now becoming reality.