A remote weapon station small enough for one person to carry can now go on a tripod, a truck, a ground robot or a boat without changing its core design, according to Chris Klaftenegger, chief executive of U.S. company Onyx Industries.
Klaftenegger, a former U.S. Navy special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman and U.S. Air Force pararescueman, described the company’s SENTRY system on social media on Thursday. He said it was built around “a simple principle: give the operator greater capability without requiring greater exposure.”
SENTRY is a compact turret that watches an area, picks out targets with cameras and software, and lets a soldier aim and fire it from a safe distance. Klaftenegger called it “man-packable, modular, and remotely operated,” bringing “precision sensing, tracking, and operator-controlled effects” into one system.
“From a lightweight, ground-emplaced configuration to integration across vehicles, UGVs, and maritime platforms, the architecture remains the same,” he wrote.
The Virginia-based, veteran-owned company first showed SENTRY in early 2024. It pairs Onyx’s X360 pan-and-tilt mount with its Remote Actuated Weapon, which fires a rifle by remote control, and an AI-enabled imaging system that scans for people, vehicles and drones and flags them to the operator. The company says the operator stays in control of the decision to fire.
SENTRY plugs into ATAK, the map and messaging app widely used by U.S. and allied troops, so the targets it finds show up on the same screen soldiers already use. It can run over a mesh radio network, letting troops control it from another position.
In 2024, U.S. Marine Corps special operators tested Ghost Robotics’ four-legged robot dogs fitted with SENTRY-based gun systems, according to the company.
Onyx also builds air-delivery gear. In July, it demonstrated its RAM-T cargo drop system with a GPS-guided parachute that steered itself to a landing point.
“The objective isn’t to build a system for one platform or one mission,” Klaftenegger wrote. “It’s to create a capability that adapts to the operational environment, not the other way around.”
“Push capability forward. Keep the operator out of harm’s way.”
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Onyx Industries developed the SENTRY, a modular remote weapon station that can be deployed on tripods, trucks, ground robots, and boats. The system allows operators to remotely control targeting and firing, enhancing safety and operational flexibility. It was tested by U.S. Marine Corps special operators in 2024 and integrates with the ATAK app for target identification.
- Onyx Industries has developed a modular remote weapon station called SENTRY.
- SENTRY can be deployed on various platforms including tripods, trucks, ground robots, and boats.
- The system allows operators to control it remotely and integrates with ATAK for target identification.
- U.S. Marine Corps special operators tested the SENTRY system in 2024.
- The system is designed to enhance operator safety while providing advanced targeting capabilities.