NationStates Jolt Archive

Of the challenges of arming a multi-species military.

The Republic of the Jade Star has issued a request to any company willing to listen for some rather specialized equipment, in regards to its significantly varied soldiery.

The two main priorities are:

A large scale weapon suitable for a humanoid roughly 8ft tall on average, capable of carrying immense loads and bearing just about any recoil. Essentially what were asking for is something along the lines of a .50 calibur assault rifle, directed at the anti-infrantry market. Weight is not an issue in and of itself, but durability and simplicity are priorities.

A small scale weapon suitable for humanoids roughly 3-4ft in height, capable of bearing a standard human load with little issue. Most modern carbines lack a certain 'oomph' when dealing with drug crazed maniacs who are about a glorified .22 round as your average planet is going to notice a firecracker. Again, durability should be a concern, and, as the weapon is likely to see significant close-quarters combat, an underslung shotgun attachment or similar would be appreciated.

Once these requests are met more specifications will be issued.

At present the Republic has plans to arm two regiments with the weapons in the test phase, for a total of some 4,000 each. If proven successful, the weapon will be issued on a larger scale, which will obviously depend upon the special makeup of the JSAF at the time of the compleation of the testing phase.

AR-50 Heavy Battle Rifle
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/grunt74/NS1/ar50.jpg
Name: AR-50 Heavy Battle Rifle
Designed by: Phoenix Dynamix
Caliber: .50 BMG (12.7x99mm)
Wieght: 22lbs (10kg)
Action: semi-automatic
Capacity: 24 round drum or 36 round pouch
Effective Range: 1,640feet (500 meters) (2,624+ feet 800+ meters with bipod)
The AR-50 was designed as a powerful support weapon to replace shotguns and underbarrel breaching weapons. Far more capable at penetrating armor than 12 ga. slug, and much more accurate than the 40mm buckshot rounds of the M203, it can easily breach almost any building door and even can penetrate some armored vehicle doors It features a 10 inch integral bayonet and multi-function IR/red-light laser aiming module. The integral iron sight can accept aimpoint or reflex style sights. The entire forward section contains a sheathed rail system which can mount a forward grip, tac light, 30mm GL MP7 PDW or MAC-10/11 sub machine gun. If you need us to enlarge the grips we can do so.
Price
$2000

SEE ALSO [AR-22 Series] (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11239524&postcount=2)

To the Republic of Jade,

For get the guns. Brutes that size should be swinging tempered steel!

~ Tagvaar

The Phoenix Militia:

Thank you for submitting your design, this will be brought under consideration. However we were hoping for a little more response. The enlarged grips would be preferable, and dispensing with the aiming module if it is convinient would be acceptable.

Kesshite:
They do that to.

http://www.animeonscifi.co.uk/hosted/animarnia/AIlogo.gif

We have a number of options you may look at.

AI-AR-9 Scorpion Assault Rifle (Bull-pip)
http://www.animeonscifi.co.uk/hosted/animarnia/AR9.jpg
Designed by: Animarnia Industries
Calibre: .50 Beowulf (12.7x99mm)
Weight: 25lbs
Action: semi-automatic/Fully automatic
Capacity: 50 Round Drum
Effective accurate Range: 450 meters
Maximum Range: 800 meters
Attachments:
1 Slide Rail for - 20mm Shotgun, or 40mm Grenade Launcher or 40mm Metal Storm
1 x Bipod
1 x Red Dot/Optical Sight

The AR-9 was built during the military contract search for a new heavy assault rifle; based heavily on the British built SA-80 Bulpip assault rifle the AR-9 is chambered for the .50 Beowulf via a rear loaded drum magazine. At a weight of 25lbs (including ammo) the moving parts of the AR-9 are made from the finest and best metals giving the weapon 99% Reliability of fire in combat situation but adding extra weight. With an accurate range of 450 meters shoulder fired this can be extended with a bipod to 600 meters. The weapon also has an under-barrel rail for either a 20mm shotgun or a 40mm Grenade launcher/40mm Metal storm.

The weapons is also equipped with a Red dot Optical Sight and a conventional laser sight that has an operational battery life of 800 continuos hours the sighting system can also be rigged wirelessly into an eye piece that can be worn by the user for faster aiming. The rifle comes with a second grip that is removable and the primary grip is interchangeable. The actual trigger system is electronic; giving light up LED's for when the weapon is 'safe' and a hard pull trigger. The weapon also features an electronic counter stating the number of rounds remaining.


AI-AR-8
http://www.animeonscifi.co.uk/hosted/animarnia/AR8.jpg
Designed by: Animarnia Industries
Calibre: .50 Beowulf (12.7x99mm) OR .203 Winchester
Weight: 22lbs
Action: single shot/semi-automatic/Fully automatic
Capacity: 20 Round Double Stack
Effective accurate Range: 500 meters / 1200 with scope
Maximum Range: 1500 meters
Attachments:
1 Slide Rail for - 20mm Shotgun, or 40mm Grenade Launcher or 40mm Metal Storm
1 x Bipod
1 x Optical/Digital Scope
1 x Laser Sight

The AR-8 is based on the American Armerlite A-18 Assault rifle, chambered for the .50 Beowulf or a .203 Winchester it features a full optical sight that can be used as a snipers sight as it has a 200x Digital Zoom and a 30x Optical Zoom. The Rifle features an under barrel 40mm Grenade Launcher or Metal storm capability via a slide rail. The AR-8 uses double stacked magazines with each magazine able to hold 20 rounds. The weapon has a single shot, semi-auto and full automatic fire ability giving it a versatile role. The weapon has an effective range of 500 meters with accuracy on semi-automatic mode, using the sight and single shot mode this can be extended to 1200 meters. The actual trigger system is electronic; giving light up LED's for when the weapon is 'safe' and a standard trigger. The weapon weighs in at 18lbs somewhat lighter than its competitors and is balanced for recoilless firing.

AI-GL-1 MK
No Image Avalable
Designed by: Animarnia Industries
Calibre: 20mm Solid Magnum
Weight: 28lbs
Action: Single Shot/Semi-Automatic
Capacity: 10 Round Drum
Effective accurate Range: 300 meters
Maximum Range: 800 meters
Attachments:
1 x Red Dot/Optical Sight
1 x Laser Sight

The GL-1 MK a Heavy Automatic 20mm Shotgun based on the Jackhammer design To fire solid Magnum rounds that can penetrate 3 feet of re-enforced steel. Commonly used to blow open doors in single shot mode the GL-1 has been fitted with a Semi-Automatic Trigger so it can quite literally blow a man in half on the battlefield. Ammo is loaded into the rear of the weapon via a revolving drum that can slide outwards for loading and snap back into place for firing much like an old-fashioned wheel gun. The GL-1 is a piston/Gas operated weapon for recoilless fire at a maximum effective range of 300 meters. Much less than conventional assault rifles but if something is hit with a GL-1 its going down; body armour or not. The sighting on the GL-1 is a red dot/optical sight with a laser sight added on so the weapon can be fired from the shoulder or the hip with relative accuracy. The actual trigger system is electronic; giving light up LED's for when the weapon is 'safe' and a Hard Pull trigger

OOC: Animaria, about your GL-1. 3 feet of reinforced steel? That's 914mm. Frankly, a lot of anti-tank weapons don't get that kind of penetration. It's just silly, and the kick would rip your shoulder off of your body, at 50,484 joules from a standard 20mm round, which is about four times more than a .50 round, which only gets about an inch (25mm) of armor penetration against RHA (source (http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/10194662-OuNdQh/webviewable/10194662.pdf)). An average 20mm round would get about 2 inches of penetration, if my math is right. So, you'd need a CRAPLOAD more power behind the thing to get through three feet of RHA...

Your weapons also seem awfully light. The XM500 weighs in at 11.8 kilos (26 pounds) empty, and it's only a bit shorter than your AR-8. And don't even get me started on how much a 20mm cannon should weigh...

Jade Star: I'll be submitting a couple of weapons for your review later. Right now, I need some sleep, I think...

OOC: Animaria, about your GL-1. 3 feet of reinforced steel? That's 914mm. Frankly, a lot of anti-tank weapons don't get that kind of penetration. It's just silly, and the kick would rip your shoulder off of your body, at 50,484 joules from a standard 20mm round, which is about four times more than a .50 round, which only gets about an inch (25mm) of armor penetration against RHA (source (http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/10194662-OuNdQh/webviewable/10194662.pdf)). An average 20mm round would get about 2 inches of penetration, if my math is right. So, you'd need a CRAPLOAD more power behind the thing to get through three feet of RHA...

Your weapons also seem awfully light. The XM500 weighs in at 11.8 kilos (26 pounds) empty, and it's only a bit shorter than your AR-8. And don't even get me started on how much a 20mm cannon should weigh...

Jade Star: I'll be submitting a couple of weapons for your review later. Right now, I need some sleep, I think...

OOC: Honestly I suck quite a bit with weights; and never know how much to weigh something in at thats still carryable by a human' as for the GL1 I was thinking something like an Automatic MasterKey/20mm Grenade launcher esq weapon, sugested modifactions are welcome?

Edit: Edited spec comments?

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v652/blaesa/PRA%20junk/th_800px-Flag_of_Pale_Rider_Arms.png

Pale Rider Arms respectfully submits it's M26A Combat Rifle and M107 GPHMG for review by the Jade Star Armed Forces. The M26 is an excellent choice, with extremely high rates of fire, superb armor penetration, and a small frame perfectly suited for your soldiers.

The M107, meanwhile, is ideally suited for larger soldiers, with great rate of fire and extremely powerful rounds. While normally designated for use by soldiers in full battle armor and mounted as a secondary weapon on vehicles, the sheer size of your infantrymen suggests that they can handle this vicious weapon.

Both the M26A and M107 feature light weight and highly reliable caseless ammunition, and PRA's trademark SmartGun system (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9823686&postcount=10) (mirror shade model). Buy PRA's Fumetsu na Heishi battle armor (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9822829&postcount=6) and receive 300 USD off your purchases!


M26A Combat Rifle

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/blaesa/PRA%20junk/M26A.jpg

A variant of PRA's new M26 security rifle, the M26A replaces the M25 HVAR as the standard combat rifle of the Otagian Regular Army. The guts of the M26A are virtually identical to it's progenitor, but the exterior is substantially different. Foremost among these differences is the integral underbarrel grenade launcher, maintaining the ORA's age-old doctrine of superior firepower.

Length: 685mm
Mass: 6 kilograms
Cartridge: 6.5x55mm Caseless
Magazine: 75 rounds
Barrel Length: 590mm
Muzzle Velocity: 910 m/s
Muzzle Energy: 3105.375 joules
Rate of Fire: 800 RPM Cyclic (2200 RPM on burst-fire)
Cartridge: 35x90mm
UGL Barrel Length: 310mm
Cost: 1900 USD


M107 General Purpose Heavy Machine Gun

http://www.ambient.ca/cpunk/shadowguns/m107gphmg.gif

A powerful and deadly machine gun, the M107 GPHMG is used as a fixed weapon on numerous Otagian vehicles, and for fixed defenses. The M107 is also easily used by soldiers wearing powered battle armor, although the weapon's weight precludes use by unaugmented humans.

Length: 1400mm
Barrel Length: 1000mm
Mass: 23 kg
Magazine: 80 round box OR disintegrating belt
Cartridge: 13x105mm Caseless
Projectile Mass: 45 grams
Muzzle Velocity: 920 m/s
Muzzle Energy: 19110 joules
Rate of Fire: 870 rpm
Sight: Ironsights, Universal Mounting Rail, SmartGun system
Other: Bipod, Quick-Change Barrel
Cost: 16,000 USD

OOC: Honestly I suck quite a bit with weights; and never know how much to weigh something in at thats still carryable by a human' as for the GL1 I was thinking something like an Automatic MasterKey/20mm Grenade launcher esq weapon, sugested modifactions are welcome?

Edit: Edited spec comments?

OOC: If it's based off of a shotgun, you're not going to get an inch of penetration, let alone three feet. 12 gauge slugs get 3724 joules of energy, so by the chart gets about 10 millimeters of penetration, if you're lucky. Of course, it's correspondingly lighter: Considering it's essentially just a Pancor Jackhammer with a larger bore, I think you'd be able to get away with about 5 kg. Most likely going to have difficulty penetrating a lot of body armor around these days as well (although it'll do a nice bit of blunt force trauma).

As for weights of the other guns, I'd say it's better. 10 kg for the one I previously mentioned, and about 12 for the other seems fair. Of course, that's assuming materials of standard weight. If you want extremely heavy duty construction, you might have to go to 15 and 18 respectively.

As a final note, the average modern soldier carries about 18-20 kg, and that's really the upper limit. And that's before you get fun NS stuff like battle armor (the non powered stuff), really big guns, etc.

((FYI: It's more around 32 kg in Iraq))


Army officials concede the standard body armor with neck, groin and shoulder protection is already too heavy at 24.1 pounds. A pair of the ceramic side plates — costing $900 – will add seven more pounds. On top of that, soldiers typically carry up to 50 additional pounds of gear into combat.

Because of the extra weight and heat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marines, like the Army, are leaving it up to field commanders to determine whether their troops must wear the plates.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/nation/stories/2006/02/natarmor0206a_2DOT.html

As it is the only entry in the small scale catagory, the Republic will accept the M26a rifle submitted by Otagia for testing.
May we enquire as to the price of 4,000 of these weapons?

In the heavy weight catagory there is currently debate as to whether or not to accept the Otagian submission or the Animarnia AI-GL-1 MK. Debates as to ammunition conspumption in regards to our Orkoid population have led some parties to dismiss the Animarnian design as ineffecient due to expense and low capacity.

4000 M26 HVARs will come to a total of 7.6 million USD. Your order will be shipped upon receipt of payment. We hope that you will find these weapons satisfactory.

Yours,
Daniel Quetzal
CEO of Pale Rider Arms

Payment has been forwarded, we look forward to working further with Pale Rider Arms.