Draco Double Burner

"Everything you need for a party."

―Draco Double Burner description (from Aliens/Predator Collectible Card Game)

Draco Double Burner
Production Information
Type	Multi-mode weapon
Technical Information
Range	Long
Usage
Era(s)	24th century
Affiliation	United Systems Military

The Draco Double Burner was an incredibly versatile multi-mode weapon used by the United Systems Military in the 24th century. Uniquely, it could function as an assault rifle, a grenade launcher or a flamethrower.

Overview

The Draco Double Burner is primarily designed as a military assault rifle. However, the weapon can also operate as a grenade launcher or flamethrower, firing a stream of liquid fuel, allowing it to be utilized in any number of combat situations and giving it a level of versatility few other weapons systems possess. Like the venerable M41A Pulse Rifle, the Draco features an LCD ammunition counter on the exterior of the weapon, allowing the user to quickly ascertain the amount of ammunition remaining within.

Larger and more powerful than the other rifle used by the USM, the Lacrima 99 Shockrifle, the Draco extends to more than three feet in length.

History

Draco Double Burners were notably used by the crew of the USM Auriga in 2381, to combat the Cloned Xenomorphs that escaped and infested the ship. Several members of the Betty crew appropriated Dracos from fallen USM soldiers and used them as they attempted to flee the infested vessel.

Behind the Scenes

All of the USM weaponry in Alien Resurrection was designed by the movie's production designer Nigel Phelps. In contrast to the fictional weapons that had appeared previously in the film series, the props were not built around any existing firearms but were fabricated completely from scratch. In fact, the prop Dracos contained no genuine firearm components whatsoever, meaning that the rifle element of the weapon was incapable of firing blank ammunition. Instead, some of the weapons were able to fire pyrotechnic charges that simulated gunfire on set. In the larger rifle weapons, these charges were loaded into an electrically-operated rotating drum, similar to a revolver, hidden within the weapon. A separate Draco prop that acted as a working flamethrower was fed from an external fuel source via cables that attached to the rear of the stock. The Draco props were made mostly from machined aluminum.

The weapon's multiple modes are used by various characters throughout the film — Johner is seen using both the grenade launcher mode (to kill a Xenomorph during the underwater scene) and the assault rifle mode (to kill the Chestburster that erupts from Purvis), while Ripley 8 notably uses the weapon's flamethrower mode to torch the failed Ripley clones.

Trivia

• The use of the Draco in Alien Resurrection continued the tradition of flamethrower weaponry featuring in the films of the Alien franchise — Alien prominently featured the Flame Thrower, Aliens featured the M240 Incinerator Unit and Prometheus would also feature a flamethrower. Despite not featuring flamethrowers, the prisoners in Alien³ also used fire as a weapon against the Dragon.
• The Draco Double Burner has often been labelled the AR-2 (or AR2 and Ar-2) on many prop websites. Similarly, the Lacrima 99 Shockrifle has often been labelled the AR-1 (or AR1 and Ar-1). Exactly where these names originate from is unknown. However, it is possible they are behind-the-scenes names used during the design process, used to identify them before the designers had decided on the specifics of each weapon.
• Although far more Lacrimas are seen being used by USM soldiers aboard the Auriga in Alien Resurrection, the images of the props found on the bonus disc of the Alien Anthology Blu-ray box set indicate that the Draco was "The primary rifle used on the Auriga". It is possible the roles and prominence of the two weapons were switched during production.

Appearances

• Alien Resurrection/novel/comic

Gallery

A Draco Double Burner prop. The small LCD ammo counter is visible at the very top of the weapon.

A working Draco flamethrower prop. Note the cables protruding from the stock, which fed the special effects flamethrower with fuel.

The Aliens/Predator CCG "DRACO DOUBLE BURNER" card number 32.

Behind the scenes

Ripley 8 armed with a Draco Double Burner.