Axis Nova
27-04-2004, 01:44
The nice thing about these is that they're technically possible with modern technology... however, things just took a different route. The splat-gun IS postmodern.
Launch pistols will be the standard sidearm, rocket carbines will replace the Tyrandis Systems ACW as the standard infantry rifle, and ARLs will replace machineguns as squad-level weapons and vehicle secondary armament. Splatguns will replace bazookas.
Gyrocs
Gyrocs fire .50 cal spin-stabilized rockets. Their use of a standardized calibre makes them easy for us to supply, while the low stress of rocket firing enables them to fire large rounds without needing heavy construction. Almost half of a gyroc's weight is it's ammo load.
Gyrocs are effectively recoiless, though they are by no means silent. The hissing sound the rocket makes can be hard to localize immediately, however. Axis Nova will be producing gyrocs in pistol, carbine, and machinegun configuration; the
only real differences are rate of fire, size, ammo load, and weight. All ammunition is interchangeable.
Gyroc Ammo
Since they are propelled by a rocket motor, gyrocs have a flat trajectory and a long range. They lose velocity fast when the motor burns out, so max range isn't much longer. Gyrocs start slowly and do less damage close to the muzzle; see the descriptions below.
APEX (Armor-Piercing Explosive): APEX is the usual military round. It has a big motor and the projectile is a maximally-streamlined shell around a super-hard penetrator packed with explosive and fitted with a delay fuse. The warhead is effective against both infantry and against most light armored vehicles. APEX rounds will usually ignite anything flammable they hit.
Chem (Chemical): Used primarily for covert ops and riot control, these rounds can contain either knockout or tear gas.
HEX (High EXplosive): HEX rounds are designed for use against unarmored targets. As opposed to the more focused and shaped explosion of an APEX round, HEX rounds have a more omnidirectional explosion and can be used against groups of soldiers at once.
SLAP (Standard Light Anti-Personnel): SLAP is the usual police and civilian round. It's basically just a solid projectile with no warhead. This round is also used in environments where APEX and HEX can't be used (such as in very tight spaces).
Stingray: The stingray round is a highly charged capacitor sheathed in an insulator which is burned off in flight. When it hits the target, it delivers a powerful electric shock that incapacitates the victim. This round is commonly used by law enforcement officials.
Flare: These burn brightly, even underwater, and release a pillar of smoke (various colors available). They burn for one minute and are visible to the horizon if shot into the ground or out to five miles if shot into the air at night. Though it is painful to be shot by one of these, it usually isn't fatal (as they arn't intended to be used against people).
Salvo: After leaving the barrel and reaching maximum velocity, the salvo rocket releases a cluster of eight small (4mm) flechette darts. If fired at someone closer than two yards, the rocket will not have time to release it's darts, and affects the target as a SLAP round would.
Shaped Charge: A small shaped-charge projectile, like a miniature anti-tank rocket. Multiple rounds would be needed to destroy most main battle tanks.
Gyroc Weapon Types
Here the three configurations of gyrocs that Axis Nova produces will be listed.
Launch Pistol: This is a standard police and military sidearm, usually loaded with Stingray, CHEM, and SLAP rounds (see above). It uses three separate magazines (on the bottom and each side) feeding into the smae firing chamber. Each magazine has a three-round capacity. The pistol can be set to strip a round off any magazine. This allows rapid alteration between different ammunition types in the middle of a firefight. The gun will automatically switch to the next magazine if one is emptied, moving from bottom to right to left to the bottom magazine again. Each three-shot cassette of gyroc rounds weights 1/2 a pound. A six-shot revolver
version is also available, but carries less ammo. On the upside, a different ammo type can be loaded into each chamber, and they do cost half as much as the standard type. Launch pistols weigh 3 pounds (without ammo).
Rocket Carbine: The carbine is a rapid-fire military assault weapon. It has two magazines, each with then rounds, and is capable of automatic fire. Switching between magazines uses the same procedure as the launch pistol, described above. When one magazine is empty, the weapon automatically switches to the next. Each ten round cassette weights 1.5 pounds. The weapon itself weighs 9 pounds when empty.
Automatic Rocket Launcher (ARL): The third weapon in the gyroc series, the ARL is a general purpose machinegun. It will soon be mounted as a secondary weapon on many of Axis Nova's armored fighting vehicles, replacing conventional machineguns. With gas or stingray rockets, it will be useful on police vehicles for riot control. This weapon is slated to become Axis Nova's most common squad-level machine gun, replacing our aging 12.7mm Vulture design. The weapon is loaded with three separate 20-round cassettes, and the gunner can switch between
them at will. The weapon utilizes the same switching scheme as explained above. A 20-round cassette weighs three pounds. The weapon weighs 20 pounds.
The following weapon is not part of the gyroc family, but since it's another one of AN's new weapons, I might as well describe it here.
Splat Gun: This explosive scatter gun is a "quick and dirty" weapon designed to destroy main battle tanks, or individual infantrymen in heavy or super-heavy armor. It is a bulky, multi-barreled weapon looking like a short, thick bazooka, with a pistol grip, padded shoulder stock, and bipod. It uses a compressed-gas propellant to fire a closely-spaced pattern of low-velocity shaped charge shells. It has very large recoil, however, and it is inadvisable to fire it while standing up. Splatguns weigh 20 pounds.
Axis Nova
Launch pistols will be the standard sidearm, rocket carbines will replace the Tyrandis Systems ACW as the standard infantry rifle, and ARLs will replace machineguns as squad-level weapons and vehicle secondary armament. Splatguns will replace bazookas.
Gyrocs
Gyrocs fire .50 cal spin-stabilized rockets. Their use of a standardized calibre makes them easy for us to supply, while the low stress of rocket firing enables them to fire large rounds without needing heavy construction. Almost half of a gyroc's weight is it's ammo load.
Gyrocs are effectively recoiless, though they are by no means silent. The hissing sound the rocket makes can be hard to localize immediately, however. Axis Nova will be producing gyrocs in pistol, carbine, and machinegun configuration; the
only real differences are rate of fire, size, ammo load, and weight. All ammunition is interchangeable.
Gyroc Ammo
Since they are propelled by a rocket motor, gyrocs have a flat trajectory and a long range. They lose velocity fast when the motor burns out, so max range isn't much longer. Gyrocs start slowly and do less damage close to the muzzle; see the descriptions below.
APEX (Armor-Piercing Explosive): APEX is the usual military round. It has a big motor and the projectile is a maximally-streamlined shell around a super-hard penetrator packed with explosive and fitted with a delay fuse. The warhead is effective against both infantry and against most light armored vehicles. APEX rounds will usually ignite anything flammable they hit.
Chem (Chemical): Used primarily for covert ops and riot control, these rounds can contain either knockout or tear gas.
HEX (High EXplosive): HEX rounds are designed for use against unarmored targets. As opposed to the more focused and shaped explosion of an APEX round, HEX rounds have a more omnidirectional explosion and can be used against groups of soldiers at once.
SLAP (Standard Light Anti-Personnel): SLAP is the usual police and civilian round. It's basically just a solid projectile with no warhead. This round is also used in environments where APEX and HEX can't be used (such as in very tight spaces).
Stingray: The stingray round is a highly charged capacitor sheathed in an insulator which is burned off in flight. When it hits the target, it delivers a powerful electric shock that incapacitates the victim. This round is commonly used by law enforcement officials.
Flare: These burn brightly, even underwater, and release a pillar of smoke (various colors available). They burn for one minute and are visible to the horizon if shot into the ground or out to five miles if shot into the air at night. Though it is painful to be shot by one of these, it usually isn't fatal (as they arn't intended to be used against people).
Salvo: After leaving the barrel and reaching maximum velocity, the salvo rocket releases a cluster of eight small (4mm) flechette darts. If fired at someone closer than two yards, the rocket will not have time to release it's darts, and affects the target as a SLAP round would.
Shaped Charge: A small shaped-charge projectile, like a miniature anti-tank rocket. Multiple rounds would be needed to destroy most main battle tanks.
Gyroc Weapon Types
Here the three configurations of gyrocs that Axis Nova produces will be listed.
Launch Pistol: This is a standard police and military sidearm, usually loaded with Stingray, CHEM, and SLAP rounds (see above). It uses three separate magazines (on the bottom and each side) feeding into the smae firing chamber. Each magazine has a three-round capacity. The pistol can be set to strip a round off any magazine. This allows rapid alteration between different ammunition types in the middle of a firefight. The gun will automatically switch to the next magazine if one is emptied, moving from bottom to right to left to the bottom magazine again. Each three-shot cassette of gyroc rounds weights 1/2 a pound. A six-shot revolver
version is also available, but carries less ammo. On the upside, a different ammo type can be loaded into each chamber, and they do cost half as much as the standard type. Launch pistols weigh 3 pounds (without ammo).
Rocket Carbine: The carbine is a rapid-fire military assault weapon. It has two magazines, each with then rounds, and is capable of automatic fire. Switching between magazines uses the same procedure as the launch pistol, described above. When one magazine is empty, the weapon automatically switches to the next. Each ten round cassette weights 1.5 pounds. The weapon itself weighs 9 pounds when empty.
Automatic Rocket Launcher (ARL): The third weapon in the gyroc series, the ARL is a general purpose machinegun. It will soon be mounted as a secondary weapon on many of Axis Nova's armored fighting vehicles, replacing conventional machineguns. With gas or stingray rockets, it will be useful on police vehicles for riot control. This weapon is slated to become Axis Nova's most common squad-level machine gun, replacing our aging 12.7mm Vulture design. The weapon is loaded with three separate 20-round cassettes, and the gunner can switch between
them at will. The weapon utilizes the same switching scheme as explained above. A 20-round cassette weighs three pounds. The weapon weighs 20 pounds.
The following weapon is not part of the gyroc family, but since it's another one of AN's new weapons, I might as well describe it here.
Splat Gun: This explosive scatter gun is a "quick and dirty" weapon designed to destroy main battle tanks, or individual infantrymen in heavy or super-heavy armor. It is a bulky, multi-barreled weapon looking like a short, thick bazooka, with a pistol grip, padded shoulder stock, and bipod. It uses a compressed-gas propellant to fire a closely-spaced pattern of low-velocity shaped charge shells. It has very large recoil, however, and it is inadvisable to fire it while standing up. Splatguns weigh 20 pounds.
Axis Nova