22-02-2004, 18:55
The Bisonic Defense Initiatives Agency (BDIA) has announced the development of the A-100 series of assault rifles. They will replace the An-94 in Bisonic service.
Design
The A-100 is built around a specially designed 5.5mm cartridge. This cartridge has a simple, cylindrically shaped plastic case. The fleschette, or dart, is totally enclosed in the case. Fleschette diameter is about 1.5 mm (.06 inch), lenght is about 41 mm (1.6 inch), weight 0.66 gramm (10 grains). The fleschette is partially enclosed into discarding sabot, and leaves the muzzle at impressive velocity of 1450 meters per second (4750 fps), still retaining velocity of 910 m/s (2980 fps) at the range of 600 meters. The plastic case had no rim or extracting groove, and priming compound is located annually at the inside wall of the case.
To fire such an uncommon cartridge, the A-100 has an equally uncommon design. The barrel has a caliber of 5.5mm, but has a very slow rifling to give initial stabilisation to the fleschette, which is stabilised in flight by its own small fins. Instead of common linear-moving bolt, the A-100 has a separate chamber (breech block), which can be moved up and down.
At first, the chamber is empty and the rifle is manually cocked for the first shot. In this position the chamber block is its lowest position, aligned with the topmost round in magazine. The gas pistons with its operating rod is in its rearmost position and under the pressure of the return spring. When trigger is pressed, the operating rod with gas pistons are released and started forward under the pressure of the return spring, which is located around the barrel. This movement, at first, via special rammer, feeds the first round forward from magazine and into the chamber, and then, via shaped cam and breech block spring, rises the breech block with the cartridge into the topmost position. In this position the fixed firing pin passes through the hole in the top of the chamber and penetrates the cartridge wall, igniting the primer composition and firing the round. When projectile (fleschette with sabot) passes the gas port, some of powder gases began to move the gas piston back. This movement, via the operating rod and shaped cam, loweres the breech block with empty case out of alignment with barrel and down to the magazine. When breech comes to stop in the lowest position, a separate rammer feeds next cartridge forward and out of magazine, chambering it. At the same time, the fired case is pushed forward out of the chamber by the next cartridge, and when cleared from the chamber, the spent case simply falls down out of the rifle via the ejection port. The ejection port is located at the bottom of the rifle, ahead of magazine, and this eliminates one of the biggest problems of any bull-pup rifle - a non-ambidextrous (or, in this case - fully ambidextrous) ejection
A key feature of the A-100 is the gas driven, balanced action with rotating bolt barrel locking. Balancing mean that the A-100 gas drive has two gas chambers and two gas pistons. The first gas piston is linked via the gas rod to the bolt carrier and moves as usual. The second gas piston is linked to the balancing steel weight and moves in opposite (to main gas piston) direction. This design is implemented to eliminate 3 of 4 total impulces of the movement that affect rifle during the full-auto fire. The 1st impulse is received when bullet moves along the barrel - this is recoil itself. The second impulse is received when heavy bolt carrier/bolt group moves along the receiver back and forth. The third impulse is received when bolt carrier/bolt group stops in the rear position and the fourth - when this group stops in forward position after new cartridge is chambered. Synchronous and opposite movement of the balancing weight eliminates all except the recoil impulse, so rifle becomes far more stable during full-auto fire.
The first three rounds bursts are fired at a very high rate of fire, and a trained shooter can make a single hole in the target at 100 meters in this mode. This allows for significant increase in lethality, stopping power and body armour penetration over the single shot mode, with the same "single shot" accuracy. The full auto mode of the A-100 consists of the two stages - first three rounds are fired in the "high rate" fire [2000 rpm], and the remaining rounds are fired in low rate of fire [750 rpm], until the trigger is released or the magazine is emptied.
Built in underbarrel grenade launcher
The A-100 features a 40mm built in underbarrel grenade launcher, based on the successful GP-30 design. The built-in underbarrel grenade launcher does not affect the balance of the weapon, and does not worsen accuracy characteristics when firing the assault rifle. It has an effective range of 400 meters with the VOG-25 and VOG-25P rounds.
A new shaped charged round for the underbarrel grenade launchers has been developed, capable of piercing 70mm of armor. This allows the engagement of light armored vehicles at closer ranges without any modifications to the gun or any seperate weapons.
Variants
Because the standard A-100 requires an entirely new round, several variants have been designed to use the standard 5.45 and 5.56mm rounds.
The A-101 is a 5.5mm carbine.
The A-102 is a 5.45mm assault rifle.
The A-103 is a 5.45mm carbine
The A-104 is a 5.56mm assault rifle.
The A-105 is a 5.56mm carbine.
The RP-100 is a 5.5mm SAW with a 90 round drum.
The RP-101 is a 5.45mm SAW
The RP-102 is a 5.56mm SAW.
Some Specifications...
Caliber- 5.5mm, 5.45mm, or 5.56mm depending on version
Rates of fire- 2000 rpm and 750 rpm
Magazine capacity- 30 or 60 rounds for the ARs, 90 rounds for the SAW
Action: Gas operated, rising breech
Overall Length- 970mm
Weigth: 3.3 kg w/o magazine
http://www.imageshack.us/files1/A-100.jpg
A-100
http://www.webmutants.com/strategypage/xm8_2.jpg
A-104 5.56mm assault rifle, which, incidentally, is basically the A-102 as well
http://www.world.guns.ru/assault/xm8-2.jpg
Top to bottom- A-104, A-101 carbine, A-100, RP-100.
Prices (all TGP or NCA members get 10% discount)
A-100- $1050
A-101- $950
A-102- $1000
A-103- $900
A-104- $1000
A-105- $900
RP-100- $1750
RP-101- $1600
RP-102- $1600
Design
The A-100 is built around a specially designed 5.5mm cartridge. This cartridge has a simple, cylindrically shaped plastic case. The fleschette, or dart, is totally enclosed in the case. Fleschette diameter is about 1.5 mm (.06 inch), lenght is about 41 mm (1.6 inch), weight 0.66 gramm (10 grains). The fleschette is partially enclosed into discarding sabot, and leaves the muzzle at impressive velocity of 1450 meters per second (4750 fps), still retaining velocity of 910 m/s (2980 fps) at the range of 600 meters. The plastic case had no rim or extracting groove, and priming compound is located annually at the inside wall of the case.
To fire such an uncommon cartridge, the A-100 has an equally uncommon design. The barrel has a caliber of 5.5mm, but has a very slow rifling to give initial stabilisation to the fleschette, which is stabilised in flight by its own small fins. Instead of common linear-moving bolt, the A-100 has a separate chamber (breech block), which can be moved up and down.
At first, the chamber is empty and the rifle is manually cocked for the first shot. In this position the chamber block is its lowest position, aligned with the topmost round in magazine. The gas pistons with its operating rod is in its rearmost position and under the pressure of the return spring. When trigger is pressed, the operating rod with gas pistons are released and started forward under the pressure of the return spring, which is located around the barrel. This movement, at first, via special rammer, feeds the first round forward from magazine and into the chamber, and then, via shaped cam and breech block spring, rises the breech block with the cartridge into the topmost position. In this position the fixed firing pin passes through the hole in the top of the chamber and penetrates the cartridge wall, igniting the primer composition and firing the round. When projectile (fleschette with sabot) passes the gas port, some of powder gases began to move the gas piston back. This movement, via the operating rod and shaped cam, loweres the breech block with empty case out of alignment with barrel and down to the magazine. When breech comes to stop in the lowest position, a separate rammer feeds next cartridge forward and out of magazine, chambering it. At the same time, the fired case is pushed forward out of the chamber by the next cartridge, and when cleared from the chamber, the spent case simply falls down out of the rifle via the ejection port. The ejection port is located at the bottom of the rifle, ahead of magazine, and this eliminates one of the biggest problems of any bull-pup rifle - a non-ambidextrous (or, in this case - fully ambidextrous) ejection
A key feature of the A-100 is the gas driven, balanced action with rotating bolt barrel locking. Balancing mean that the A-100 gas drive has two gas chambers and two gas pistons. The first gas piston is linked via the gas rod to the bolt carrier and moves as usual. The second gas piston is linked to the balancing steel weight and moves in opposite (to main gas piston) direction. This design is implemented to eliminate 3 of 4 total impulces of the movement that affect rifle during the full-auto fire. The 1st impulse is received when bullet moves along the barrel - this is recoil itself. The second impulse is received when heavy bolt carrier/bolt group moves along the receiver back and forth. The third impulse is received when bolt carrier/bolt group stops in the rear position and the fourth - when this group stops in forward position after new cartridge is chambered. Synchronous and opposite movement of the balancing weight eliminates all except the recoil impulse, so rifle becomes far more stable during full-auto fire.
The first three rounds bursts are fired at a very high rate of fire, and a trained shooter can make a single hole in the target at 100 meters in this mode. This allows for significant increase in lethality, stopping power and body armour penetration over the single shot mode, with the same "single shot" accuracy. The full auto mode of the A-100 consists of the two stages - first three rounds are fired in the "high rate" fire [2000 rpm], and the remaining rounds are fired in low rate of fire [750 rpm], until the trigger is released or the magazine is emptied.
Built in underbarrel grenade launcher
The A-100 features a 40mm built in underbarrel grenade launcher, based on the successful GP-30 design. The built-in underbarrel grenade launcher does not affect the balance of the weapon, and does not worsen accuracy characteristics when firing the assault rifle. It has an effective range of 400 meters with the VOG-25 and VOG-25P rounds.
A new shaped charged round for the underbarrel grenade launchers has been developed, capable of piercing 70mm of armor. This allows the engagement of light armored vehicles at closer ranges without any modifications to the gun or any seperate weapons.
Variants
Because the standard A-100 requires an entirely new round, several variants have been designed to use the standard 5.45 and 5.56mm rounds.
The A-101 is a 5.5mm carbine.
The A-102 is a 5.45mm assault rifle.
The A-103 is a 5.45mm carbine
The A-104 is a 5.56mm assault rifle.
The A-105 is a 5.56mm carbine.
The RP-100 is a 5.5mm SAW with a 90 round drum.
The RP-101 is a 5.45mm SAW
The RP-102 is a 5.56mm SAW.
Some Specifications...
Caliber- 5.5mm, 5.45mm, or 5.56mm depending on version
Rates of fire- 2000 rpm and 750 rpm
Magazine capacity- 30 or 60 rounds for the ARs, 90 rounds for the SAW
Action: Gas operated, rising breech
Overall Length- 970mm
Weigth: 3.3 kg w/o magazine
http://www.imageshack.us/files1/A-100.jpg
A-100
http://www.webmutants.com/strategypage/xm8_2.jpg
A-104 5.56mm assault rifle, which, incidentally, is basically the A-102 as well
http://www.world.guns.ru/assault/xm8-2.jpg
Top to bottom- A-104, A-101 carbine, A-100, RP-100.
Prices (all TGP or NCA members get 10% discount)
A-100- $1050
A-101- $950
A-102- $1000
A-103- $900
A-104- $1000
A-105- $900
RP-100- $1750
RP-101- $1600
RP-102- $1600