GATE: the clash of the titans V2

by Qun Nguyn1

Mostly AUs. A Gate has opened in Tokyo by a Roman-esque Empire, familiar scenario with familiar faces but the people marched through the Gate is from a vastly more powerful magic world. The stage is set. Earth Alliance vs The Holy Empire. Science vs Magic. The power of the thousand sun vs The Beast of the Apocalypse. Let the clash of Titans begin. Let the worlds have War.

19. Chapter 19 UEADF's Gun (Filler)

Chapter 19 : The UEADF's Guns (filler)

Executive Office, Alexander Arms Corporation, Radford Arsenal, Virginia, USA, 2030

"Mister Alexander Sir, it's a Colonel Matthews from the Defense Logistic Agency." Alexander's secretary sounded urgent.

"Put him through then Jeanie." There was a click on the line "Bill Alexander here."

"Mister Alexander, its Colonel Matthews here from the DLA. If you haven't heard already, you will be fairly shortly, our 20mm rounds and M47s aren't showing up very well in Falmart, they run out of ammunition too fast. Our boys don't have enough bullet to finish off a Praetorian Guard with his magic armor. So, we need to change approach fast. You're making M109T5 PPC plasma pulse cartridge for the Airforce, well, you can start expanding that production line right now. We need you to start mass-producing M109T5 right away. We'll be faxing you the paperwork later this telephone call as authorization to start work."

"How many?"

"Our initial production target will be four billion per month. For your information, the new rifle will be the M-25A1 and the M-25A2 phased plasma rifle ."

The room was swimming around Alexander's eyes. "We're a small company, there's no way we can make that number of rifles. And the ammunition."

Matthews sounded more than slightly irritated."Then license other producers. Talk to Ordnance, they may have facilities you can take over. Listen man, this country is awash with weapons producers, if you can't meet the production targets, make some arrangements. Our boys have died out there because their rifles didn't do the job. And youknow where they go when they die. You're a manager, so get the lead out of your pants and start managing. Don't make us write more letters to mothers telling them their kids died because they didn't have the tools they need. Understand?"

Alexander didn't have a chance to answer before he heard the telephone bang down. He stared at the receiver in his hand for a long moment that was only interrupted when his fax machine started to spew pages out. "Jeanie? Get me a list of all our subcomponent suppliers, we have to jack production up soonest. And get me the heads of Bushmaster

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PLASMA BASED WEAPONS

2021 A.D. to 2049 A.D.

An overview of technology

Q: How do plasma weapons work? (redirected from the Miscellaneous Data page)

A: Plasma weapons are more rugged than their far more fragile laser weapon counterparts and would be ideal for use in heavy combat. The easiest way to explain how a plasma weapon works is as follows:

Refined weapon grade fuel (usually hydrogen) is siphoned off from a 'magazine' or reservoir and injected into a containment vessel that is protected internally by very intense magnetic fields which will keep the hydrogen / fuel from actually coming into contact with the material surface of the containment vessel. This containment vessel is often referred to as a magnetic bottle. Later generations of plasma based weapons feature layered magnetic fields, in effect, magnetic sheathes.

A high energy laser (or group of high energy lasers) flash boils the refined weapons grade hydrogen fuel contained in the magnetic bottle until it turns from a cool liquid to a superhot gas plasma (+4500 degrees flow wash temp). The magnetic fields of the containment bottle keep this process in check by preventing the superhot plasma from coming into contact with any material surface. A small part of the plasma production process can be siphoned off again as energy to help maintain the magnetic containment fields. Later designs of plasma weapons utilize layered magnetic fields in a sheath instead of just a single monofield application.

One part of the containment field is weakened or lowered in the magnetic bottle, allowing the super hot ionized plasma gas to 'escape' or be handed off through a rapidly cycling sphincter type array that controls both the length and diameter of the bolt. The "escape" or hand-off of the plasma is induced mostly by the accelerator coil ladder field extending partially into the magnetic bottle to siphon off plasma. The acceleration coil ladder seamlessly merges the siphoned off plasma into a secondary acceleration sheath, a small magnetic pocket within the acceleration coil ladder assembly.

The acceleration coil ladder then energizes each linear velocity coil in a rapid, stepped manner. Each coil along the ladder stack pulls the magnetically sheathed plasma towards it, faster than the last coil but slower than the next so that an effect of constant acceleration is produced along the length of the acceleration coil ladder through a consistent hand-off method. At the end of the acceleration coil ladder, the magnetically sheathed plasma is released toward the target.

As soon as the plasma sheath leaves the confines of the acceleration field array, the magnetic sheath begins to rapidly decay, allowing the plasma to "bloom" or rapidly disperse in the ambient atmosphere (which reduces both its power and effect. The speed of the plasma bolt can be tailored to the decay of the magnetic sheath giving the arrival on target of the plasma bolt at being before the decay of the magnetic sheath allows for the plasma to fully bloom and dissipate. Slower velocity bolts have shorter ranges. Higher velocity bolts have longer ranges.

By rapidly cycling the loading / ignition / release sequence, rapid fire shots akin to that of a machine gun could be simulated. Weapon heating would be handled by the design itself and partially alleviated by the containment fields.

Range of the weapon would be determined by the rate of expansion (bloom) of the bolt. This would be controlled in turn by the velocity of the bolt. The faster the velocity, the farther the bolt will travel before it starts to lose temperature, cohesiveness, becomes unstable and finally dissipate. The bolt will lose both velocity and penetration power with an increase in range.

The plasma bolt will suffer integrity degradation as it passes through lesser materials, eventually losing power through absorption attrition.

The superheated plasma bolt would inflict damage from high velocity / kinetic impact of the plasma, from the high temperature thermal dynamics of the ionized gas, and if delivered in suitable quantity, it would also 'splatter', producing fragment-like damage to nearby surfaces and wounding or damaging targets surrounding the primary target.

Superheating of standing liquid trapped in soft tissues and dermal surfaces combined with the rapid expansion of steam induced shock waves would result in massive damage to organic targets through large scale steam explosions.

Wounds from plasma weapons would be akin to severe burns with most organic material of the primary wound site being vaporized. Fluids would flash to steam, organic material would turn to ash and most direct hit plasma wounds would be fatal in nature. Effects from the "splash" of a plasma weapon would consist of severe burns that might be capable of "burn through" of soft targets. Regardless, wounds received from plasma based weapons would take a long time to heal and require massive amounts of attention. Near misses might produce severe burns and heat trauma while fragments from large diameter bore weapons might be crippling or lethal with splash-like side effects. The explosive decoupling of large amounts of free standing matter (ground, terrain, armor plate, etc.) would also produce high speed lethal fragmentation in a large area around the point of impact.

Damage to inorganic materials would be limited to the ability of the plasma bolt to punch / melt through the target material. Residual heat soak would permeate most materials for some time afterwards until the affected surfaces could once again fall to ambient temperatures through natural cooling and heat loss.
Flammable materials struck by plasma fire would instantly combust.

Early series of plasma based weapons operated off of 'clips' or 'magazines' containing plasma 'bullets' or 'cartridges'. Indeed, the energy required to activate the weapon, power the containment fields, operate the firing cycle, and the minute amount of fuel required as 'ammunition' might all be contained in a readily disposable cartridge, loaded individually inside a magazine type container. This cartridge might look very much like a 20th century cased bullet. This type of feed system would allow the plasma weapon to operate much like a modern day assault rifle (M16A1, etc.).

Plasma Weapons - 2021 A.D. to 2049 A.D. - an overview of technology

Energy weapons, often the realm of science fiction, became science fact in the 1990's and were well on their way towards being issued to individual soldiers on the battlefields of the early 21st century. Lasers would prove too fragile and temperamental for mobile battlefield use but they provided excellent aerospace defense systems when adequately protected in hardened and defended emplaced positions. The same could be said for particle accelerator weapon systems. Plasma weapons offered an efficiency of design not available to other types of weapons, especially to the more common, lower technology based projectile weapons. Energy weapons had advantages over the more archaic projectile weapons in that their lethality could be provided with smaller amounts of raw materials.

The advent of plasma gun technology was not new when ULTRON was activated. Indeed, plans for several different designs of both man portable as well as semi-portable plasma guns had been held by the R&D teams at both General Dynamics as well as Westinghouse years before ULTRON went online and these plans (as well as some prototype weapon systems) were present in ULTRON's Order of Battle and Manufacturing (OBAM) protocols.

In the Far East, Japan was known to be experimenting with limited applications of directed plasma as a weapon system with their homeland based JSDF forces while both China and Russia were expressing increasing interest in high powered energy weapons. Early intelligence reports of long barrel prototypes from Kalishnikov and Dragunov proved that while the Russians were several years behind the Western allies in both energy weapon technology and sophistication, it was a gap that was rapidly being closed by the Greater Russia.

The first generation plasma weapons, for all of their destructive power, were bulky, heavy, somewhat temperamental and had a very slow rate of fire. Each new generation improved range, performance, rate of fire, power/fuel storage capacity and became lighter and easier to wield. Phased plasma weapons, which utilized a Phased Stacking Array (PSA) to hold the plasma longer (in order to produce near fusion temperatures), appeared during the fourth generation.

ULTRON started to produce first generation plasma based weapons shortly into the 21st century. Several advances marked clearly recognizable epochs in the development of the high energy plasma weapons. Rapid Pulse Modulators (RPM) (3rd Gen), Variable Duration Apertures (VDA) (4th Gen), and Phased Stacked Arrays (PSA) (4th Gen) were just three of the many evolutionary steps that increased the effectiveness and lethality of the various generations and series of high energy plasma weapons throughout the War. Improved gain plasma weapons appeared during the 2nd and 3rd Generation, increasing the ratio of output (plasma) to the amount of energy input (fuel, power) by twenty-four percent. Fourth generation and all later generations of plasma weapons were considered to be high gain weapons where the ratio of input to output increased by thirty-five percent.

The Phased Stacking Array was introduced into regular production runs during the early part of the fourth generation weapon families with this one improvement, when paired with a high gain weapon design, adding over forty-three percent improved effectiveness compared to a non-high gain, non-phased plasma designed weapon system.

Improvements to the containment bottle systems as well as the accelerator coil fields in third and later generations of plasma weapons allowed for hotter, tighter bolts to be discharged with significantly improved range and performance over earlier models and families of weapon systems.

By the end of the War, ULTRON was mass producing and equipping its main line combat units with variable duration aperture (VDA) advanced sixth generation phased plasma weapons and rapid pulse, VDA fifth generation phased plasma weapons.

After the War, researchers and scientists sorting through the technological databases of ULTRON discovered that the computer-god had working prototypes of several fusion based directed energy weapons (whereby the plasma bolt would be held and charged longer so that the plasma would begin actively fusing). ULTRON was ready to put several seventh generation phased plasma weapons into late developmental testing at a variety of automated facilities and was prepared to start production on four new series of VDA rapid pulse sixth generation phased plasma weapons systems.

In contrast, by the end of the War, the Empire was regularly fielding fifth generation and fourth generation VDA rapid pulse phased plasma weapons with a few sixth generation VDA phased plasma weapons entering operational status (these newer energy weapons being mostly obtained from hot zone salvage ops or production site theft and with the resulting outcome usually being that these heavier weapons were mounted on mobile assets for quick deployment to and from as well as all around the combat zone).

Hypervelocity electromagnetic linear acceleration reduces time to target impact

Unlike a projectile weapon, the velocity of a plasma bolt was much higher than that of a bullet, often traveling at hypersonic speeds (6kps to 12kps) via magnetic induced linear acceleration. The acceleration coil ladder of a plasma weapon accepted the magnetic field sheathed bolt from the containment bottle via a shared merged field handoff coupling.

As the plasma bolt was "siphoned" off from the ready plasma in the containment bottle, it was compressed into a long, thin bolt, encapsulated and completely isolated in a strong magnetic field "sheath" which would start to rapidly decay the instant that the plasma bolt left the last acceleration coil. Plasma bolt cohesion over distance was achieved through the aspect of velocity, higher velocities gave less time for the magnetic sheath to decay thus increasing the range of the weapon. Slower velocities reduced the range of the plasma bolt by allowing more time for the magnetic sheath to decay over a shorter distance traveled. Variable velocity settings were tried in some weapons, thus allowing for the future introduction of variable duration apertures.

The time on target for a plasma bolt, from the instant it left the barrel of the weapon to the instant of impact, was much, much lower for an energy weapon than for a projectile weapon, even at maximum range. Due to the low flight time and rapid on target impact of the plasma bolt, energy weapons were far less affected by environmental conditions like wind direction and wind speed. Energy weapons also enjoyed an almost completely flat trajectory in their operation, an aspect that greatly added to their accuracy, especially with automatic fire control systems.

Ammunition - weapon applied input power and refined fuel storage / injection

Ammunition storage for energy weapons was very compact (even for the first crude plasma weapons which UEADF began its holy crusade against the Holy Empire with) and the storage capacity for energy weapons only increased, sometimes exponentially, over the years and decades that followed. From a practical standpoint, plasma guns were both an evolutionary as well as revolutionary element to 21st century warfare.

Early low gain plasma guns shared some basic operating features with the projectile weapons that they largely replaced in quick order. Both types of weapons relied on kinetic impact of high speed projectiles to penetrate armor and cause damage. In the case of a projectile weapon, the power source and ammunition were self contained in a single application; the cartridge or bullet.

Each bullet housed enough power and fuel (in the form of cap ignited propellant) to accelerate a piece of shaped metal to very high velocity over a dropping trajectory flight path to the target. The early designs of low gain plasma guns mimicked this simple mechanical loading operation in that first generation low gain energy weapons used a box style spring loaded magazine to carry and store individual power cells.

Spring loaded plasma cartridge magazines, operating nearly identical to those found on clip-fed assault rifles, provided an easy transition for the soldier during training and plasma weapon deployment. Each power cell was roughly the size of a 7.62mm NATO standard rifle cartridge and contained enough fuel (encapsulated refined hydrogen) and power (in the form of a rapid discharge capacitor to produce a single fixed length and duration plasma bolt.

Each power cell was disposable with some of the cell casing being consumed and used to form mass for the plasma bolt. Ejected spent power cells retained enough residual thermal energy to cause light burns but generally not enough to be a source of combustion if they should come in contact with flammable materials (like straw or dry grass).

The first generation of plasma weapons were plagued with overheating problems. Prototypes sometimes retained enough residual thermal energy to "cook off" the next round resulting in a catastrophic destruction of the weapon.

Protocols of weapon operation and mechanical safe guards almost always guaranteed that such cook offs couldn't happen in actual combat (with the emphasis being on the word "almost"). Standard firing protocol for early high energy weapons dictated one shot every three seconds in order to allow for proper loading of the power cell, bolt generation, bolt launch, power cell extraction and weapon cooling. Rapid fire of early low gain high energy weapons produced some disturbing results. Residual thermal signatures within the main action of the weapons would become so great under stepped fire that some parts of the weapon would tend to glow red (with the exit port often moving through the visual thermal range from red hot to white hot). Some weapons became uncomfortable to hold while others had to be released for extended periods of time in order for them to cool down before their onboard diagnostics would allow further operation.

Early weapons were also plagued with temperamental ejection systems based on regular production projectile weapons. High operating temperatures and rapid fire (greater than 45 bolts per minute) could (and often did) result in a curious operational anomaly associated only with the first generation low gain high energy weapon systems. Under high operating temperatures and with a high rate of sustained fire, the mechanical ejection system would sometimes mis-synchronize with the onboard operating system, extracting a still too-hot spent power cell from the ignition chamber.

The resultant spray of molten metal would be enough to cause second or third degree burns to the right hand and forearm of the user as well as spread molten metal across the loading port of the weapon, effectively welding it shut until the user could get out their combat knife and chip away at the splattered metal to free the loading action hardware, a task that was made even more difficult when the weapon itself might be almost too hot to hold.

Second generation low gain high energy weapons employed an improved closed loop liquid nitrogen cooling system which eliminated the deformation of extracted power cells, even under heavy sustained rapid fire operations.

First generation based heavier, rapid fire plasma support weapons used chain fed electrical loading mechanisms drawing from dedicated ammunition hoppers or modular cassettes. A dedicated electric motor would spin the ammunition through the receiver array at high speed, thus generating very high rates of fire. The cooling systems were much larger on the crew served weapons thus heavy rapid fire was not as much of a problem or danger as it was with the smaller energy weapons. However, so much volatile ammunition on board a vehicle could prove disastrous if enemy fire struck the ammunition storage area. Drawing from then-modern main battle tanks (MBTs) designs built to minimize vehicle / crew damage in the event of a critical hit to the ammunition storage capacity of that vehicle, early ULTRON combat designs carried the plasma ammunition in a reinforced bulkhead with a blow out hatch. The blow out hatch was specially designed to protect the machine in the event of a catastrophic ammunition hit or failure. The bulkhead was reinforced in the floor and walls but not in the ceiling so that a plasma charge cell explosion would be directed up and out, away from the carrying machine. All of the ammunition in the bulkhead would be lost but the machine would remain fully functional. Simple maintenance at an automated depot could repair the machine while powered reloaders could replenish the ammunition cassettes in a matter of minutes.

Power fuel cells / charge slides

All of ULTRON's third generation (and later) energy weapons disposed of the cumbersome and inefficient individual power cells with their spring loaded magazines in favor of a much more efficient power fuel cell which combined both weapon input power and refined fuel in one integrated containment cassette. The newly designed power fuel cell looked like a magazine, to a certain extent, but the operation of the power fuel cell was certainly different. Like the magazine design before it, the power fuel cell was nothing more than a container for power and fuel used by the plasma weapon. However, instead of storing power and fuel in a series of disposable cartridges, the power fuel cell stored energy and fuel as two separate commodities within the same container. Upon activation of the weapon, input power was siphoned off from a dedicated, rechargeable high density capacitor within the power fuel cell housing. This initial pull charge powered the weapon, energized pre-containment fields, ran diagnostics and energized the fuel injector(s) to draw a charge of refined fuel from a high pressure storage tank within the housing of the power fuel cell. and inject that refined fuel, under pressure, into the containment fields at the introduction point of the magnetic bottle. A quick discharge from the high density capacitor provided the power required to activate the high energy laser ignition system and flash-boil the refined fuel to a plasma state. After that, a small bit of the energy produced by the active plasma in the magnetic bottle was drawn off through field induction to both maintain the ready state of the plasma in the containment area as well as to replenish the charge siphoned off from the power fuel cell. A plasma weapon could be carried in a "hot" state for a long period of time, that is, an active plasma bolt could be carried in the containment bottle, using the thermal heat energy of the bolt to power the containment field. This was not standard practice though as the plasma bolt was, in essence, eating itself to maintain the field containment units, drawing power and energy from the bolt itself in order to sustain the magnetic containment fields which held it in check. Adjusting the duration of active containment would result in a direct correlation between the strength of the bolt, an application of design that would play a critical role in later, heavier plasma based energy weapon systems.

Larger semi-portable, crew served and mounted third generation plasma guns were fed by support hardware that carried an integral high density power storage array and a separate fuel tank of refined weapon grade fuel. Third generation and later Machine mounted heavy weapons drew startup power from the power core of the machine itself, using the dedicated power storage array only as a feed conditioner buffer or if the main power core was taken offline. ULTRON's standardized designs called for centralized refined weapon fuel storage that was linked to all plasma weapons installed on the chassis. Each weapon would draw operational power and fuel supply from the central power core and the central weapons grade fuel storage cell. If the central power core or central weapons grade fuel cell were to be damaged or destroyed, the weapons could still fire for some time using the backup, integrated power fuel cells located at or near the installation point of the weapon in the chassis.

Notable advances in plasma weapon technology

VDA Variable Duration Aperture Assembly

Initial first generation weapon designs used half meter to full meter long plasma bolts fired at low cyclic rates (approximately 45rpm to 60rpm). The discharge was both wasteful of available weapon fuel and overkill when it came to anti-personnel applications. As plasma weapon technology quickly improved over the years, ULTRON managed to be able to coax more performance, effectiveness and damage from its plasma weapons by reducing the length and diameter of the plasma bolt, adjusting the velocity of the bolt and increasing the cyclic rate at which the plasma bolts were discharged. A more thorough understanding of electromagnetic science led to hotter and higher velocity plasma bolts produced with less fuel and less input energy (which led to the subsequent development of the improved gain and later high gain plasma weapons). The VDA Variable Duration Aperture was introduced by ULTRON in 2034 A.D. as an answer to making the plasma gun not only more effective but also to opening a wider range of combat operations to the plasma gun.

The VDA allowed individual plasma guns to fire a variety of different sized (variable length / diameter) bolts, from long duration, low frequency bolts intended for maximum impact against immobile or slow moving targets / groups of targets to short duration, high frequency bolts intended for fast moving or agile targets. By 2045 A.D., the battlefield was lit by all shapes and sizes of plasma bolts, most of which could be found as having originated from a single class of energy weapon system. Plasma guns became tunable to target parameters and combat environmental conditions, able to adjust their discharge based on whether a target was static or dynamic in range of motion.

RPM Rapid Pulse Modulators

Third generation plasma based weapons benefited not only from a standard variable duration aperture assembly but also from the introduction of a rapid pulse modulator to the overall design. The rapid pulse modulators appeared during the third generation series of weapons and were standard on each generation and series of weapons afterwards. The rapid pulse modulator allowed each design of plasma weapon to cycle its VDA very rapidly thus providing select fire to each series of plasma weapon. Increased cooling systems were required for the RPM to be effective and these cooling systems were not available until the third generation of weapons began to be developed. Along with increased cooling systems, there came the need for quick load / quick siphon systems which necessitated a redesign of the second generation magnetic bottle array. Rapid cooling combined with rapid pulse and select fire gave the plasma based weapon systems true rapid fire capacity. Combined with the VDA, a plasma gun began to become a truly configurable weapon system able to respond, engage and eliminate a variety of threats.

PSA Phased Stacked Arrays

ULTRON's research into plasma weapons quickly improved the containment bottle design and the laser ignition system until the point where the core plasma reaction could be held slightly longer, really only a matter of fractions of a second but just long enough that the improved laser ignition system could heat the core plasma charge hot enough that a quasi-fusion reaction began to take place. This "phasing" of the plasma bolt from one thermal range to a higher thermal range improved bolt effectiveness in all areas of its performance by 40%, a noticeable improvement. The PSA itself wasn't a complex modification to the basic system, being an evolution of the core system rather than a revolution in technology. The PSA consisted of reinforced sheathed leaf containment field generator, three boost phase input field generators and a multi-stage fast cycling laser ignition system that was far "hotter" than non-PSA based weapons.

The first phased stacked arrays tended to be slower in output than non-PSA equipped weapons due to the increased time required to raise or "phase" the bolt and the time it took to (safely) cycle the entire plasma production and emission process. By the advent of the sixth generation plasma weapons, ULTRON's PSA engineering was at a point where PSA enhanced weapons had rates of fire equivalent to previous genreation non-PSA weapons. This improvement was brought about with the introduction of a fast cycling high energy laser ignition system and a variable stutter field modulator incorporated into the sheathed leaf containment field generator.

WEAPON SERIES

CHARACTERISTICS

1st Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2024 to 2028 A.D.
Output: Cyclic, mechanical
Yield: Low gain

High energy weapon system capable of anti-personnel and anti-material combat roles Primitive cooling systems hamper sustained performance Slow rate of fire through mechanical actuation (average 60 pulses per minute) and safety protocols which (mostly) prevent weapon damage and subsequent destruction. Overheating occurs through sustained rapid fire, especially on smaller scale weapons which have the least effective cooling systems Heavy and cumbersome High felt recoil Primitive diagnostic systems are mostly mechanical with simple weapon temperature, containment bottle / field status, and rounds remaining counters. Disposable power cell feed, simple designs reduce weapon efficiency Stacked power cells in spring loaded magazines and overall shape of hand weapons reduce training and weapon familiarization time when migrating from concussive driven projectile weapons to plasma based high energy weapons High attenuation ("bloom") of generated plasma bolt results in shorter effective range

2nd Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2026 to 2030 A.D.
Output: Cyclic, electrical
Yield: Improved gain

Improved designs of disposable power cell feed results in more efficient and more effective discharge with increase in weapon gain Overall, 2nd Gen plasma weapon 30% lighter and 25% more efficient than previous generation Introduction of electrical fire actuator systems to replace simple mechanical controls Simple onboard diagnostics improve weapon efficiency Improved cooling systems features high flow coolant pumps, enlarged coolant reservoir. The overall operating system improvements reduce overheating and allows faster rates of fire ( 60ppm ). Catastrophic weapon failures are greatly reduced in number and occurrence. Improved acceleration ladder array increases bolt velocity by 15%, subsequently also improving plasma bolt range. Second generation onboard diagnostics are still simplified mechanical tell-tales but now offer easier visibility and are more accurate. Improved two stage over-sheathing of hand-off packet packaging increases half-life of encapsulated plasma by 20% Integral magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces felt recoil from weapon to 50% of actual recoil

3rd Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2028 to 2032 A.D.
Output: Select, electrical
Yield: Improved gain

Introduction of Variable Duration Aperture allows profile and target specific formatting of plasma bolt while increasing efficiency through manual intervention Improved cooling systems result in a truly stable series of weapons. Catastrophic malfunctions are reduced to zero. 10% more efficient than previous generation Improved acceleration ladder array increases generated plasma bolt velocity by 12% Integral magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces recoil from weapon to 20% of actual recoil First true integrated power fuel cell technology allows for introduction of VDA assembly

4th Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2030 to 2040 A.D.
Output: Select, electrical
Yield: High gain

VDA Variable Duration Aperture standard Introduction of Rapid Pulse Modulator standard Improved cooling systems Improved plasma containment field systems Improved onboard diagnostics (OBD-Alpha Stip) allow integration with modular components Overlapping containment fields improve plasma transfer to siphon field handoff Magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces recoil from weapon to 12% of actual recoil Improved acceleration ladder array increases bolt velocity by 15%. 8% more efficient than previous generation Improved integrated power fuel cell technology increases effectiveness of both VDA and RPM modules.

5th Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2035 to 2049 A.D.
Output: Select, electrical
Yield: Very high gain

VDA Variable Duration Aperture standard RPM Rapid Pulse Modulator standard Introduction of Phased Plasma Array increases weapon lethality by 40% Improved cooling systems incorporate larger interchillers and subflow purge venting Improved plasma containment field systems introduce reinforcement through variable two phase cross sheathing. Improved onboard diagnostics (OBD-Alpha Stip2) allow integration with modular components Overlapping containment fields now incorporate sheath buffers to improve plasma transfer to siphon field handoff Magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces recoil from weapon to 12% of actual recoil Improved stacked acceleration ladder array increases bolt velocity by 15%. 10% more efficient than previous generation Improved integrated power fuel cell technology

6th Generation Plasma Gun

Produced: 2035 to 2049 A.D.
Output: Select, electrical
Yield: Super high gain

VDA Variable Duration Aperture standard RPM Rapid Pulse Modulator standard PPA Phased Plasma Array standard Improved cooling systems included force routed coolant recycling for 30% increase in cooling capacity Improved plasma containment field systems incorporate two phase cross sheathing Improved onboard diagnostics (OBD-Delta Stip) allow for real-time modular integration with component systems Overlapping containment fields improve plasma transfer to siphon field handoff Magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces felt recoil from weapon to 8% of actual recoil Improved acceleration ladder array increases generated plasma bolt velocity by 15%. 12% more efficient than previous generation Improved integrated power fuel cell technology incorporates high density storage array and high pressure fuel cell for improved performance over previous generation

7th Generation Plasma Gun

Status: Research complete

Produced: 2050
Output: Select, electrical
Yield: Ultra high gain

VDA Variable Duration Aperture RPM Rapid Pulse Modulator IPPA Improved Phased Plasma Array increases weapon power by 30%. Improved cooling systems incorporate very high flow turbo coolant pumps, two step recondensers and primary flux stage intercoolers. Improved plasma containment field systems incorporate three phase cross sheathing Improved onboard diagnostics (OBD-Delta Stip 2) incorporate real-time modular integration with component systems Overlapping containment fields improve plasma transfer to siphon field handoff Magnetic recoil damper field generator reduces recoil from weapon to 5% of actual recoil Improved acceleration ladder array increases bolt velocity by 15% over previous generation. 25% more efficient than previous generation Improved integrated power fuel cell technology results in improved performance

WESTINGHOUSE MODEL M-18A2 LA3PG

Light Anti-Personnel Phased Plasma Gun

M18-A2 LAPPPG Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4,
Tulsa OK, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

05:15:2037 to 07:04:2049 A.D.

TYPE:

Integrated very high energy plasma weapon system - anti-personnel

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments. Gyrostabilized mounting for full accuracy of fire during movement.

OPERATION:

Level III magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. Caseless fuel / power integration.

BORE SIZE:

6mm / 3mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT:

2.86kg, unloaded.
Loaded power cell containing enough fuel and battery energy
for 100 plasma pulses weighs 1.25kg

Total loaded weapon weight: 4.11kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 0.35 meters (705mm)

AMMUNITION:

M37B Integrated Fuel Power (IFP) type stacked array containing enough refined hydrogen core fuel and battery power to initiate and produce 250 plasma pulses. Later capacity increased to 500 shots with introduction of M40A high capacity power clip.

FEED SOURCE:

250 pulse capable refined hydrogen fuel cell combined with coaxial high density Type V crystal storage array. Later models are fed by 500 pulse capable fuel cell combo. M18A2 LPPG's mounted in combat chassis arrays retain feed source but also are hooked directly into chassis power subsystem for sustained feed which results in a practically infinite supply of

RATE OF FIRE:

60 pulses per minute sustained given cooling cycle and single rate of fire. Unit capable of select fire in three round bursts or full automatic fire. Cyclic rate of fire on full auto is 500 pulses per minute. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels.

PROJECTILE:

0.45 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off linear velocity coils magnetically accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

900 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.1 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

300 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.03 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 3 mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 3mm x 200mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 3.25cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 100 / 4.2 representing at effective range the 3 mm x 200mm bolt will penetrate 100 cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 4.2 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY-

ULTRON filled its need for a light anti-personnel plasma gun with the M18A2 series weapon system, built on technology first developed by the Westinghouse corporation. Compact and high powered, the M18A2 served as the main high energy weapon system for many of ULTRON's integrated anti-intruder perimeter and installation defense systems as well as the primary offensive ranged weapon of the smaller series of HK units like the scuttlers and the runnerpods, among others.

From the start of research and later at the beginning of production, the M18A2 series weapon was intended to be anti-personnel or rather anti-titan in nature of design and operation.

ULTRON had long since witnessed the Holy Darwinian Empire magicians capture, reverse engineer and later turn its own weapons and technology against it and its human master. By creating a high gain, low yield plasma gun, ULTRON in effect created an ideal weapon for its forces; something that was effective against Imperial war beasts but not very effective against the main elements of its deployed forces.

The M18A2 was designed to be highly effective against unarmored or lightly armored targets, striking with better lethality than a .44 magnum handgun round but offering carbine or light rifle accuracy and range. Special damping fields allowed the weapon to be stabilized so that recoil was negligible and it could be fired on the move, even at most units maximum ground speed.

It was inevitable that the M18A2 would fall into the Empire hands and be used in an anti-machine role, ULTRON foresaw this outcome during the early design process of the weapon, but by making the energy weapon primarily an anti-personnel weapon from the outset, effective against soft targets, ULTRON limited the power that could be channeled into the design, thereby limiting its role (and limiting the ability of the Holy Empire to turn the weapon on its own creator).

The M18A2 series of plasma weapons enjoyed far more success when wielded by ULTRON's units than when wielded by Imperial forces. The M18A2 could still be effective in an anti-machine role, but it was generally only used in such a role when multiple units could be brought to bear on a single target and then only at close range. When salvaged from a machine and reinstalled in a pistol based stock, the M18A2 made an excellent personal defense weapon in the hands of the Imperial Army. Although the weapon could draw the same processed fuel and energy to replenish its charge cell, the small nature of the charge cell meant that it was incompatible with other plasma weapons, being proprietary in nature and design to the M18A2 series weapon exclusively.

The first recorded field use of the M18A2 series weapon was when the Imperial Army auxiliary cohorts encountered the air mobile / air deployable "mini-hunters" that became the prevalent rapid fatigue automated hunter killer units from 2039 A.D. to 2040 A.D.

WESTINGHOUSE MODEL M2O-A PHASED PLASMA CARBINE

M20-A Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4,
Tulsa OK, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

03:02:2035 to 07:04:2049 A.D.

TYPE:

Personal, fully portable very high energy weapon system

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and poly fiber carrier, misc. high density plastics and spun-blown metals with integrated superconducting filaments.

OPERATION:

Level IV magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. Caseless fuel / power integration.

BORE SIZE:

10mm / 5mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT:

4.75kg, unloaded.
Loaded power clip containing enough fuel and battery energy for 250 plasma pulses weighs 2.0kg
Total loaded weapon weight: 4.75kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 0.70 meters (705mm)

AMMUNITION:

M35 Integrated Fuel Power (IFP) type stacked array containing enough refined hydrogen core fuel and battery power to initiate and produce 100 plasma pulses. Later capacity increased to 150 shots with introduction of M38 high capacity power clip.

FEED SOURCE:

100 pulse capable refined hydrogen fuel cell combined with coaxial high density Type IV crystal storage array. Later models are fed by 150 pulse capable fuel cell combo.

RATE OF FIRE:

60 pulses per minute sustained given cooling cycle and single rate of fire. Unit capable of select fire in three round bursts or full automatic fire. Cyclic rate of fire on full auto is 180 pulses per minute. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels.

PROJECTILE:

0.25 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

1200 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.13 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

600 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.06 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 5 mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 5mm x 250mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 3.25cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 135 / 6.8 representing at effective range the 5 mm x 250mm bolt will penetrate 135 cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 6.8 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY-

ULTRON had just began production of the Combat Jacket Mk4 when it reached a critical decision junction. A soldier needed to be armed and ULTRON was logically wanting to equip the Earth ground units with the best weapons it could design. The M-25A2 series weapon had been surpassed now in research by newer, more powerful technology. ULTRON's continued research into small displacement fully portable plasma ejectors reached another level of achievement in 2034 A.D. with the introduction of a more powerful weapon than the M-25A1/A2 series; the M20-A.

The M20-A was a smaller version of the follow up M95A1, in essence, a sawed-off plasma rifle. Some theorize that the M95A1 was produced first and the M20-A secondly while others speculate just the opposite.

In any case, the year 2035 A. D. saw the introduction to ULTRON forces of a superior phased plasma gun combo; a large, heavy duty pistol format plasma ejector and a much larger bull-pup configuration heavy duty plasma rifle. "Pistol" may not exactly be the right word, though it was certainly used as such in the grip of the exoskeleton powered armour that the weapon was assigned to. When a human without a power armour tried to use the weapon, it became more of a carbine in format.

The design of the new series plasma weapons was such that the core configuration could be graduated in size either up or down the production scale. A 30% smaller weapon was achieved by modeling the system in a smaller scale. The traditional bullpup configuration was discarded and total weapon balance was moved forward in the design by repositioning the fuel / power cell forward of the pistol grip and firing actuator assembly.

The newly designated M20-A was intended to provide Earth mobile infantry units with a lighter, more compact, rapid fatigue plasma generator capable of engaging any mobile target while at the same time being less costly in time and production materials than the larger M95A1 model. ULTRON could produce three M20-A plasma guns for each M95A1 plasma gun that it produced, a considerable cost in time and materials to arm UEADF mobile infantry units.

By 2036 A.D., mobile infantry units carrying dual M20-A plasma guns became common sights in contested areas, coinciding with the across the board upgrade of most of ULTRON's front line combat units with the new series 3 model A44-X5 combat microprocessor and the Mod 5 sensor upgrades for which the M20-A was a perfect compliment.

The M20-A heavy snub-carbine plasma gun (human designation, also referred to colloquially among veterans as the "blunderbuss," source unknown.) and M20-A heavy plasma pistol (ULTRON designation) are the same weapon. The bulk of the snub plasma projector was such that it was effectively a one handed weapon when employed by the current series of exoskeleton combat jackets and a two handed weapon when employed by light infantry fighters.

A modified model 3A front EM suppressor assembly provided protection from plasma flash / thermal wash flashback during prolonged firing. With a 50% smaller plasma generator system, a substantial weight and space savings was noticed at an equally substantial loss to overall range. The M20-A also became the mainstay of installation support and security units, where a heavier more intense plasma discharge might not be advantageous to surrounding capital or critical priority equipment as it didn't have the punch of the larger M95A1 series weapon.

The M20-A was designed for select fire, from single pulse, to three round pulses, to full automatic though the limited cooling of the weapon made full automatic fire something of a risk during prolonged bursts. The Series 2 power / fuel cell gave 100 pulses before being exhausted. The Series 3 power / fuel cell of the M20-A2 weapon class increased this capacity through containment management to 150 pulses between replacement. Refueling was accomplished either by replacing the entire power cell. ULTRON's facilities had plenty of recharging racks and were often full of power cartridges.

Since its introduction in 2035 A.D., the M20-A heavy pistol has been adapted by many elements of the Imperial Military as a carbine or submachinegun-type weapon, especially among covert teams and those which the Falmartian refer to as "MAGI-TECH" and "TECH/COM"; technical commandos and highly intelligent demi-human raiders who often operate in restricted areas and environments where the power of a full size energy weapon is needed but the overall bulk of a full sized plasma projector would be detrimental to operating conditions and speed on the move.

Several factory lots of the weapon have also fallen into the hands of magician raiders and the M20-A is seeing wider dispersion among the imperial special forces as the older M-25 becomes harder to find or field. In three instances, ELINT forces have recovered weapons which not only appear to have been adapted to an Imperial built reinforced stock, but also two which were mounted with the primitive optical enhancement sights using salvaged parts from several exoskeleton models and mounted with crude mounts thus proving that the Empire wizards are readily adapting captured technology to their needs, a fact that greatly disturbed the United Earth Alliances.

Other later examples included swivel point attachments for over and under combat slings, clip-on magazine stacking, auxiliary infra-red and / or high intensity white light devices and what appeared to be a bolt on collapsible / adjustable stock for use by Imperial Army in improving long distance accuracy.

WESTINGHOUSE MODEL M-25 PHASED PLASMA RIFLE

M-25A1 Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4,
Tulsa OK, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

02:10:2025 to 09:20:2035 A.D. Limited production batches until 2049 A.D.

Model A1 production run from inception to 2028 A.D. Improved Gain Model A2 production run from 2028 A.D. High Gain model A3 production run from 2031 A.D. until 2038 A.D. Replaced in service by M95A1 weapon system at that time.

TYPE:

Personal, fully portable very high energy weapon system

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments.

OPERATION:

Level III magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. High percentage of component mass of plasma pulse cartridge forms core of pulse and transitory lining of magnetic bottle during pulse initialization.

BORE SIZE:

7mm / 4mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT:

3.35kg, unloaded. Loaded box magazine of 40 plasma pulse cartridges weighs 1.5kg
Battery (charged or discharged) weighs 1kg

Total loaded weapon weight: 5.85kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 1.05 meters (1050mm)

AMMUNITION:

M109T5 PPC plasma pulse cartridge, 7mm x 50mm, loaded into staggered box magazine

Type 3AM8 very high density crystal matrix battery, provides power for 120 shots (3 magazines)

FEED SOURCE:

40 round box magazine, standard. Optional 60 round staggered box magazine and 120 round drum magazine.

RATE OF FIRE:

60 pulses per minute (ppm) initial, 30 ppm sustained given cooling cycle. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels. Semi-automatic cycling only.

PROJECTILE:

0.32 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

2000 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.22 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

750 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.083 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 5mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 5mm x 400mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 4cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 95 / 3.5 representing at effective range the 5mm x 400mm bolt will penetrate 95cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 3.5 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY:

When ULTRON went online, personal energy weapons were still on the drawing boards of the Americans, the Russians and the Chinese. It wasn't a matter of "if" so much as it was a matter of "when" and America seemed to have the lead in research.

Though no standing First World army had any examples of these weapons in their arsenals, they were on the drawing boards and at least America had two working prototypes in development, Russia wasn't far behind and China was trying its best to steal either of the other two countries designs since its own designs were still lagging behind.

Most scientists agreed that the first working field issue prototypes would probably appear within the next two decades, give or take a handful of years either way.

ULTRON, as part of its core operations, had been programmed with all the theory, research, application and science of American designed personal high energy weapons and it continued to develop this chain of technology as rapidly as it could, realizing the potential advantage.

As ULTRON learned and developed at an incredible rate, so did it's ability to research and develop practical as well as theoretical technologies.

Three years of research into magnetic fields allowed ULTRON to produce smaller and smaller magnetic bottles for the containment of plasma reactions. This led directly to the advent and introduction of the first infantry-class high energy weapons.

The first truly portable infantry-class personal high energy weapon, the M-25A1 phased plasma rifle, was developed at The American High Energy Testing Center (HETC) at White Sands and The Tulsa, Oklahoma Westinghouse automated macro-assembly plant in 2028 A.D. by ULTRON using automated production routines. The weapon was considered acceptable, at the time, for use by ULTRON's ground forces and mass production began in late 2028 A.D.

The operation of the M-25A1 plasma weapon was simple. A magazine held a power cell and a small amount of refined hydrogen fuel. When the trigger (firing actuator) was pulled, both hydrogen and energy were siphoned off from the magazine and fed into their respective parts of the weapon.

The hydrogen was injected into a magnetic bottle where it was compressed by powerful magnetic fields. The siphoned energy from the magazine powered a rapid flex high energy pulse laser to nearly instantaneously superheat the compressed hydrogen to a highly volatile, excited plasma state, producing an ionized gas with a temperature of several thousand degrees.

The magnetic bottle was then opened on the 'barrel' end and a series of staged magnetic fields both guided and accelerated the superheated plasma bolt down the barrel. A high intensity infra-red pilot laser in the weapon vaporized a line of sight path through the atmosphere to the target a microsecond before the actual bolt was produced, resulting in less atmospheric diffraction of the bolt and tighter cohesion of the plasma packet.

The plasma bolt followed the pilot laser beam at a muzzle velocity in excess of 8500 meters per second, packing a considerable amount of kinetic energy as well as thermal energy upon impact. With the trigger held down, this routine happened several times a second, allowing rates of fire equal to the best large caliber automatic rifles.

Excess temperature was a problem, and full automatic fire often resulted in overheating and premature weapon shutdown, with some extreme cases resulting in weapon damage or even catastrophic detonation of the fuel cell on weapons with low serial numbers and early batch production codes.

Cyclic fire selectors were built into the design, allowing for single shots or short bursts and offered the weapon time to cool to safe operating temperatures in part to . Heavier weapons were built with integral cooling systems and thus were capable of higher rates of sustained fire.

Armor was easily penetrated by the super hot plasma bolt which could burn its way through more than a half meter of case hardened steel (one quarter meter of composite laminate) in an instant. Organic targets struck by the bolt suffered severe kinetic damage from the hyper velocity impact of the semi-solid bolt as well as massive collateral and thermal damage from rapid fluid expansion, bolt dispersion and subsequent plasma splash over.

The high temperature plasma effected super heating of standing body fluids, resulting in massive steam explosions which could explode apart a living person or neatly amputate and cauterize a limb. Near misses produced horrible third degree burns. A close hit against a more substantial material (such as armor plate or a concrete wall) produced a 'splatter' effect where some of the plasma became deadly, high speed super hot fragments.

Modern personal body armor (Kevlar) proved to be useless as protection against phased plasma weapons with heavy vehicular composite armor such as Chobham and other late development laminates providing largely diminished and only somewhat effective protection.

Weighing in at only a kilo more than the standard issue American M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle, the M-25 was housed in a polymer one piece stock, in a compact bullpup configuration. The magazine (battery and fuel cell) for the M-25 was only slightly twice the weight of a standard 30 round M16 magazine. In 2031 A.D., the M-25A1 was supplemented by the M-25A2, a product improved model with slightly longer range and superior cooling capacity. By 2032 A.D., the M-25A1 phased plasma rifle began showing up in the hands of demi-human imperial auxiliary units.

Several shipments of M-25A1 rifles, produced at the Westinghouse macro-plant, were hijacked by coordinated Imperial elements early in 2033 A.D. These weapons were then used against UEADF's forces in a variety of operational theaters and priority fronts in the Indyjski islands.

Throughout the War, from 2033 A. D. until the end of the War in 2049 A.D., the Type 95 magic rifle, a carbon-copy version of the M-25A1 (and later the A2) variants formed the mainstay of Imperial weapons put into use against the UEADF.

Magical modifications to the M-25A1 and A2 series included reworking the upper stock for the addition of various mechanical and digital vision enhancement devices as well as using a clip to hold an extra magazine to the side of the magazine already inserted (thus allowing for quick change during combat by dropping the spent magazine, flipping it in your hand then slamming the fresh magazine back into the weapon) and the inclusion of fore and aft swivels for combat slings. Some humanoid fighters mounted flashlights or infra-red spots under the fore grip of their weapons, especially veterans with some years of experience in the field.

WESTINGHOUSE MODEL M-30A1 PHASED PLASMA CARBINE

M-30A1 Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4,
Tulsa OK, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

02:12:2030 to 06:15:2035 A.D. Limited production batches until 2049 A.D.

Model A1 production run from inception to 2032 A.D. Improved Gain Model A2 production run from 2032 A.D. High Gain model A3 production run from 2035 A.D. until 2038 A.D.

TYPE:

Personal, fully portable very high energy weapon system

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments. Unit construction and batch production techniques fall under Set 4 parameters.

OPERATION:

Level III magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. High percentage of component mass of plasma pulse cartridge forms core of pulse and transitory lining of magnetic bottle during pulse initialization.

BORE SIZE:

6mm / 5mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore with boost phase acceleration coil array.

WEIGHT:

3.25kg, unloaded. Loaded box magazine of 30 plasma pulse cartridges weighs 1 kg
Battery (charged or discharged) weighs 1kg

Total loaded weapon weight: 5.25kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 1.10 meters (1100mm)

AMMUNITION:

M105PT4 PPC plasma pulse cartridge, 6mm x 50mm, loaded into staggered box magazine

Type 3AM8 very high density crystal matrix battery, provides power for 120 shots (4 magazines) Battery is identical and interchangeable with M25 series weapon.

FEED SOURCE:

30 round, reloadable box magazine, standard.

RATE OF FIRE:

30 pulses per minute (ppm) sustained given cooling cycle. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels. Semi-automatic cycling only.

PROJECTILE:

0.25 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

1500 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.16 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

500 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.055 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 5mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 5mm x 320mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 3cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 80 / 2 representing at effective range the 5mm x 320mm bolt will penetrate 80cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 2 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY: The M30A1 series fully portable phased plasma weapon system was designed by ULTRON as a light duty plasma weapon to be integrated into some of its smaller Machine designs where the heavier series weapons such as the M25 and the M95 were simply not required for mission profiles. Following the same bullpup design of the M25 and M95 series weapons, the M30 was smaller, lighter, and less powerful than either of the other two series of weapons. Even though the designation M30 fell after the M25 and before the M95 series weapons, the effective ranking of the weapons are as follows; M30, M25 and M95 in that order.

The M30 was installed as the primary offensive weapon on many light model anti-personnel oriented Machines and as a defensive weapon on several of the larger models of HK Machines. The M30 was also configured in a bullpup design as a stand alone fully portable energy weapon for use by lighter Hunter Killer / Terminator units. Given the same amount of materials, ULTRON's production facilities could turn out approximately three M30 units for every two M25 units or every one M95 unit and the effectiveness of the M30 series weapon in its intended anti-personnel role was just as effective as either the M25 or the M95 series of weapons.

As such, it was inevitable that members of the Empire would capture examples of the stand-alone configured M30 either in the field as battlefield salvage (the spoils of war) or by raiding ULTRON staging areas and that large numbers of the M30 series weapons would fall into Imperial use against UEADF forces. Effective against light to medium armored vehicles, the M30 lacked one-shot / one-kill knockdown power against later models of better armored HK and Terminator series anti-personnel Machines and was even less effective against the larger models of HK Machines.

Ammunition for this weapon was also more plentiful as ULTRON produced huge quantities of the 6mm x 50mm M105PT4 PPC plasma pulse cartridge, large amounts of which were often available to raiders at any ULTRON staging area that had standing quantities of the M30 in storage.

Common field modifications to the stand alone series of M30A1 weapon included a simple flip-up red dot "pipper" sight for quick target acquisition but without any low light or magnification capacity. The carrying handle for the weapon was actually part of the construction / storage process and served, after production and with only slight modification, as the base mount for a variety of low-light, telescopic, and target acquisition devices included the standard Flexy-Sight.

Tactical lights, laser target designators (visible and infra-red in pulsed and beam format) as well as adjustable carrying slings and magazine clips (for doubling the carrying capacity of the weapon) were common.

The weight distribution of the M30, divided into three major components of feed/action, accelerator system and discharge array, was almost evenly balanced gaining the M30 some favoritism among Empire members and its human users. The M30 also had a reputation for being doggedly reliable and of having a willingness to take severe abuse and still function. However, the M30 had one reputation that wasn't so well received ...

The much deserved "Hand Burner" reputation ...

The stand alone M30 suffered from a less effective anti-flashback stepped field generator and while this wasn't a problem when the M30 was wielded by ULTRON automated machines, it did present a minor challenge to human soldiers due to the increased thermal blossom aspect of any discharge leading to some minor plasma burns to the whatever hand held the front grips. Rapid fire of the weapon only increased the chance of superficial thermal trauma to the user's off-hand while prolonged use often led to second and even third degree burns. M30 users often wore thick gloves offering protection from the thermal blossom aspect of the weapon's discharge.

Westinghouse M95A1 / A2 Phased Plasma Rifle

M95A1 / A2 Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4,
Tulsa OK, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

03:02:2035 to 07:04:2049 A.D.

TYPE:

Heavy individual fully portable, high gain, very high energy weapon system, high capacity feed

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments.

OPERATION:

Level IV magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. Caseless fuel / power integration.

BORE SIZE:

20mm / 15mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT:

6.0kg, unloaded.
Loaded power clip containing enough fuel and battery energy
for 100 plasma pulse cartridges weighs 2.0kg

Total loaded weapon weight: 8.0kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 1.0 meters (1000mm)

AMMUNITION:

M48T5 Integrated Fuel Power (IFP) type stacked array containing enough refined hydrogen core fuel and battery power to initiate and produce 100 plasma pulses. Later capacity increased to 150 shots with introduction of M50T5 series high capacity power clip.

FEED SOURCE:

100 pulse capable refined hydrogen fuel cell combined with coaxial high density Type VI crystal storage array. Later models are fed by 150 pulse capable fuel cell combo.

RATE OF FIRE:

60 pulses per minute sustained given cooling cycle and single rate of fire. Unit capable of select fire in three round bursts or full automatic fire. Cyclic rate of fire on full auto is 180 pulses per minute. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels.

PROJECTILE:

0.65 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

2000 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.22 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

1400 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.15 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 10mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 10mm x 1000mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 10.5cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 180 / 10 representing at effective range the 10mm x 1000mm bolt will penetrate 180 cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 10 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY-

The M95 series of weapons were produced by ULTRON exclusively for the mobile infantry units. The M95 was heavier than either the M-25 series or the M20 series and as such, it was not a popular weapon with the Home Guard Volunteer (as few humans could heft and carry the eight kilogram mass of the plasma ejector without a powered armor). The handgrips were purposely designed more for the exoskeleton units, thus making the M95 series even more awkward to use by the enemy (this last mod in a fit of growing paranoia that Falmartian was using ULTRON's own technology against it, a reality in and of itself).

The M95A1 had a tremendous amount of recoil to it, the A2 series incorporated a prototype inertial damper which eliminated most of the felt recoil and brought it down to that of the older M-25 series weapon systems.

The M95 series weapon, of which the A1 was the first model, was the most effective fully portable plasma ejectors created during the War. Its abundant cooling reservoir and ample fuel / power storage gave it great endurance in the field, especially the later models with their higher capacity fuel / power cells.

It was built so that an exoskeleton or other power armored unit could carry two and use them at the same time. Individual weapons could be reloaded in the field by ejecting the spent power / fuel cartridge and reinserting a fresh cartridge or it could be docked into a recharging rack (power feed module located at the upper left in the diagram) for replenishment (an act which took seventy-two and a half seconds).

Later models of ULTRON's heavy HK units, especially the tracked HKs, carried recessed charging cradles for these weapons, allowing exoskeleton units to recharge their weapons from an allied source in the field. Usually the HK recharging rack was fully stocked and a soldier would simply remove a fully charged M95 series weapon and replace its discharged weapon in the rack. That way, freshly charged weapons were always at hand for units operating in the field.

The M95 was a tactical success in that it gave UEADF's ground units far more effective range and a very high damage index from the larger, longer bolt that the M95 could produce and discharge. Exoskeleton power armored units could now engage the Imperial forces at a range that was optimum for their weapons but disadvantageous for the Imperial soldiers.

The introduction of the Mod 3 Base Series 12A liquid crystal optics upgrade on most Mk4 Combat Jackets and above exoskeleton models in 2049 A.D. allowed for precision shots being made at maximum effective range by ULTRON units possessing both the optic upgrades and the M95 series weapon.

The increased power of the M95 and the increased precision of the optics upgrade caused the humans to go even deeper into hiding in the ruins, exposing less and less of their selves to open or free shots and moving from cover to cover with more effectiveness than before.

The explosive decoupling of large amounts of standing material struck by the plasma bolt removed a great amount of potential cover from any humans as the bolt was able to punch through walls and debris piles with little degradation of bolt coherency.

The nature of the larger containment bottle and the increased power of the containment field gave the M95A1 and A2 series weapons almost twice the effective range of the older M-25 series weapons, a difference that began to make a telling account on the battlefield soon after the introduction of the new weapons to ULTRON's order of battle.

The M95, along with the M20-A, remained ULTRON's premiere ground combat plasma weapons from 2035 A.D. up until 2049 A.D.

GENERAL DYNAMICS RSB-80 HEAVY PHASED PLASMA GUN

RSB-80 Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER:

General Dynamics Advanced Automated Manufactory,
Block D5, Sector 2,
Austin, TX, USA, North America

Also available in template form at any Series III or higher construction facility

PRODUCTION:

09:08:2032 to 07:04:2049 A.D.

TYPE:

High gain, high capacity feed semi-portable plasma gun

CONSTRUCTION:

Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments.

OPERATION:

Level VII magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system.

BORE SIZE:

20mm / 15mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT:

35.5kg, unloaded.
Loaded power cartridge containing enough fuel and battery energy
for 300 plasma pulses weighs 5.0kg

Total loaded weapon weight: 40.5kg

DIMENSIONS:

Length overall, 1.75 meters (1750mm)

AMMUNITION:

M90T1 Integrated Fuel Power (IFP) type stacked array cassette containing enough refined hydrogen core fuel and battery power to initiate and produce 300 sustained plasma pulses. Later capacity increased to 500 shots with introduction of M42T2 series high capacity power cassette.

FEED SOURCE:

300 pulse capable refined hydrogen fuel cell combined with coaxial high density Type VII crystal storage array. Later models are fed by 500 pulse capable fuel cell cassette equipped with Mod 4 Type VII high density crystal power storage matrix. Linear input feed port for use in mounted applications can draw fuel and power from onboard asset resources for unlimited duration firing.

RATE OF FIRE:

60 pulses per minute sustained given cooling cycle and single rate of fire. Unit capable of select fire in three round bursts or full automatic fire. Cyclic rate of fire on full auto is 360 pulses per minute. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels.

PROJECTILE:

0.75 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY:

Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE:

2500 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.27 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE:

1500 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.16 seconds.

PERFORMANCE:

Contact hit produces 15mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 15mm x 1000mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 15cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of impact due to explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX:

Consistent Damage Index of 240 / 15 representing at effective range the 15mm x 1000mm bolt will penetrate 240 cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 15 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.

HISTORY:

The RSB-80 was a support grade rapid pulse phased plasma gun intended for use with light as well as medium combat chassis equipped models, namely the Mark IV through Mark VI series. Larger and heavier than the M95 series weapons, the RSB-80, produced at the General Dynamics Advanced Assembly Center (GDAAC) in Austin, TX, became the main weapon of most of ULTRON's light and medium combat models from 2035 to 2041 A.D. The Westinghouse automated facility did not have the capacity to produce a high gain, high capacity plasma weapon like the RSB-80 but the General Dynamics automated installation, where most of ULTRON's heavy energy weapons were designed and manufactured, did.

The RSB-80 was long and heavy, nearly two meters in length and weighing in at over 40 kilograms fully fueled. The RSB-80 excelled as a light rapid fire tactical support weapon and was used in a variety of different models and chassis combinations produced by ULTRON. The rapid cycling Type 3 Level VII containment bottle gave the plasma bolts a greater integrity hand-off field envelope, producing a much stronger bolt over a longer distance. In single shot mode, the RSB-80, when mounted to a stable chassis, could make precision shots out to maximum effective range. The explosive decoupling of material struck by the high power bolt meant that there was less effective means of cover for human size targets and that even a near miss might result in lethal plasma or fragment based spall.

The RSB-80 proved popular with the mobile infantry as well though its weight and mass was troublesome. Too heavy for an average human to pick up and wield, the RSB-80, like most of ULTRON's other large frame high gain plasma guns, was easily adaptable to a variety of standard NATO support tripods and ad hoc custom built mounts, some powered, others not.

It was inevitable that the technology of the RSB-80 would fall into Imperial hands and tentative deep penetration raids by mobile infantry units often found captured RSB-80 guns mounted to where they could be used to defend avenues of approach to the Imperial warrens and reserves. The RSB-80 proved to be an effective anti-material weapon as well, as was documented by many instances of penetrating exoskeleton units falling to rapid damage matrixes incurred from repeated hits at close range by the high gain plasma guns.

The newer Mk5 series Combat Jackets and later series of heavy combat power armored were not only equipped with the enhanced hydraulics and reinforced frame / chassis to carry and brace the RSB-80 series weapons, but they were also programmed to take advantage of the RSB-80's unique operational characteristics. The RSB-80 formed the core weapon selection of the heavy tracked HKs in the beginning, being the mainstay of the movement from the cumbersome and mechanically complex chain-fed heavy weapons to the more simple yet effective liquid fueled plasma weapons.

Only later in 2039 A.D. was the RSB-80 series weapon replaced in main attrition unit production by the higher capacity RSB-125 series of high gain plasma guns. The use of the newer high gain plasma guns didn't remove the RSB-80 from active use, it was merely relegated to a secondary echelon of deployment, being used in many different roles from autonomous gun emplacements and pillbox type bunkers guarding key areas to being carried by individual mobile infantry and special forces on deep penetration missions and underground bunker raids. The power of the RSB-80 was incredible within its effective range and still had good anti-personnel capacity out to almost its maximum range. This performance envelope allowed UEADF's units to quickly eliminate any threat subjects in the effective range despite those targets being in relatively hard cover.

History shows that about one in twenty-five exoskeleton units operating in coordinated effort on the battlefield was equipped with a RSB-80 weapon, and it seems likely that this was done more out of a squad support type role in the overall order of battle. The RSB-80 was also used in a variety of static defense positions at ULTRON controlled installations, mainly in powered remote gun emplacements with independent sensor and scanner as well as target tracking and acquisition / engagement systems. Power was usually supplied through dedicated ground lines along with fueling conduits for the plasma intake manifolds. Backup power and fuel systems were also included in the design of the automated turrets.