AN: Hey gang! These are just a few non-essential xenopedia entries I've put together for a few miscellaneous items that the Xenonauts have as of this point in the story.
XENOPEDIA: BALLISTIC PISTOL
The current service-pistol of our organization is the Beretta 93R, a select-fire machine pistol with a removable stock. This pistol was selected because of our concerns over the enemy's personal energy shields that seemed ubiquitous amongst their forces in the Iceland Incident. There was some concern that a conventional pistol would be effectively useless, as even rifle rounds took multiple hits to bring down an enemy's shields during the Incident. As such, it was determined that our pistol rounds lack of power would be compensated for by sheer volume of fire. Initially we accomplished this through adding extended magazines to our earlier service pistols, but recent developments in Machine Pistol design have led us to seek out a more modern option.
The handgun has two modes: three round burst, and semi-automatic, with a twenty round magazine. It has a retractable foregrip and attachable stock (which likely won't see as much use by us as its designers intended). It will mainly be used to arm base personnel and as a sidearm for our troops in the field, but some specialist units may opt for the hand gun over a heavier weapon. The three round burst is a compromise, intended to offer a greater volume of fire without making the weapon wildly inaccurate from the recoil. It's unclear how effective pistol rounds will be against enemy shields. The weapon shouldn't be expected to carry the day, but it's nevertheless a useful tool in our arsenal.
XENOPEDIA: BALLISTIC ASSAULT RIFLE
The current service-rifle of our organization is the US-made M16A1 5.56mm assault rifle. The 5.56 cartridge was chosen over heavier cartridges such as the 7.62 due to our theory that volume of fire will matter more than raw kinetic energy, and as the 5.56's smaller size enables our troops to carry more ammunition, the decision was made. The rifle itself was chosen not for any particular excellence on its part, but rather due to logistics. The weapon is ubiquitous, and it's easier on our logistics to use NATO weapons and ammunition rather than Warsaw Pact equipment, and a bottleneck in our supply lines is not something we can afford to risk just to use another, marginally different, rifle. Despite rumors to the contrary, the M16 is a reliable and proven design, and it will serve our Xenonauts faithfully, providing the same tactical flexibility in combat with the aliens that it does in combat with our fellow man.
XENOPEDIA: BALLISTIC SHOTGUN
The Xenonauts' acquisition of the Franchi SPAS-12 for our arsenal is a relatively recent development, as the weapon is still brand new. While some would have preferred that we adopt a more proven design, I think that this weapon will prove a valuable asset to our arsenal. The SPAS-12 variant in use by us uses a 8+1 tube magazine, and is capable of firing in either semi-automatic or pump-action mode.
The utility of a shotgun in our war against the aliens is something of a matter for debate amongst our peers. However, I believe that the sheer versatility of the weapon and the wide array of ammunition available to us will prove extremely useful. There are few small arms rounds more powerful than a twelve gauge slug, and the added volume of fire from a buckshot round could be extremely useful against enemy shields. The other, less conventional ammunition (some of which could potentially be developed by us in the future) means that a shotgun can be as much a tool as it is a weapon. The shotgun will be a potent addition to our arsenal, albeit a situational one.
XENOPEDIA: BALLISTIC SNIPER RIFLE
The Xenonauts' use of the SVD-63 "Dragunuv" sniper rifle is somewhat unusual in that it is the only Soviet-made gun in regular use by our organization. The reason for this is actually quite simple: most of the marksmen in the earlier years of our organization happened to be drawn from Soviet and Soviet Satellite states, and those Xenonauts requested they be allowed to use the familiar weapon over a NATO design. The logistical profile of a marksman rifle is smaller than that of an assault rifle, and so the concern of ammunition bottleneck was deemed negligible.
The rifle itself is an excellent design. Nothing particularly remarkable, just a quality, proven design. It will serve our marksmen well on the battlefield.
XENOPEDIA: BALLISTIC MACHINE GUN
The standard machine gun in use by our forces is the FN MAG. While not particularly remarkable, the design is proven and battle-tested. We have modified the design to take both regular belt-fed ammunition, as well as smaller 50 round "clips" that enable it to be more easily used by a single Xenonaut.
We suspect that our machine guns could very well prove the difference between victory and defeat in many of the early battles of this war. Sheer volume of fire will have to make up for our relative lack of kinetic energy in comparison to our alien enemy's weapons, and the machine gun is the most prodigious provider of volume of fire. It is a heavy weapon, unwieldy, suited more for providing supporting fire from a distance than for storming an enemy fortification. Used wisely, this may be the most potent weapon in our arsenal.
XENOPEDIA: ROCKET LAUNCHER
The rocket launcher in use by the Xenonauts (dubbed the XRL-1) has the distinction of being the only homebrewed weapon currently in use by our organization. It is reliable, inexpensive, and highly versatile. The custom design allows us to use many of our own custom-made rockets, making it an incredibly versatile weapon, capable of firing even the most unorthodox warheads we could devise. While the launcher is a potent weapon, I would advise that our troops use it conservatively. Scavenged alien technology and equipment is a lot less useful when it's been blown to pieces by a rocket.
