COMPENDIUM OF MODERN FIREARMS
Part V: Heavy & Advanced Weapons
Machineguns
Heavy Weapons
Rocket & Missile Launchers
Advanced Weapons
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MACHINEGUNS

GAME STATISTICS

* See Description for details

DESCRIPTIONS

Ares SR-50
	A fairly typical Squad Support Weapon (SSW), the Ares SR-50 is chambered for the 7.62x51mm round, well known for its power and penetration capabilities. Though generally used with a tripod, the SR-50 can be fired on the move by a sufficiently strong trooper (STR and BLD +1 or higher).

Saco Defense M60E5

The M60E5 was the final upgrade to the venerable M60 series of US squad-level machineguns. The E5 version is considerably lighter than any of its predecessors, owing much to updated materials technology. The E5 variant has a lightened bipod, barrel, and receiver, as well as a forward grip and redesigned flash hider. The M60 is typically utilized with either a 100rd disintegrating belt feeding from a polymer box magazine, or in a sustained-fire role, the M60 can feed from long, continuous belts. With a 100rd belt and box, the weapon masses 10.5kg. As with most support weapons, the M60 can be fired on the move by a sufficiently strong trooper (STR and BLD +1 or higher). The M60 family of weapons is manufactured by Saco Defense Inc.

CIS Ultimax

Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) developed the Ultimax in the 90s as a squad support weapon lightweight enough to be utilized by paratrooper units. The selection of the 5.56 round allows for an extremely large ammunition capacity for low weight. With the pictured 100rd drum mag ($100), the entire weapon only weighs 6kg! The Ultimax may also use 30rd M16 magazines ($30). A "backpack" of 4 100rd drums weighs only 7kg.

Heckler & Koch MG36

The HK MG36 is functionally identical to the G36 assault rifle, with only minor modifications for the light support weapon role. The MG36 retains the integral scope and folding stock of the G36, and adds a folding bipod and a modified cyclic limiter (allowing for a higher rate of fire). Additionally, the MG36 is typically used with a 100rd Beta-C magazine, though it may also use the standard G36 magazine as well.

Steyr AUG/LSW

This is a light machinegun variant of the venerable Steyr AUG weapon system. Functionally identical, except for an increased rate of fire, the AUG/LSW adds a much heavier barrel with muzzle compensator and an integral folding bipod. The heavier barrel allows for substantially longer periods of sustained fire than the standard model. The HBAR-T model of the LSW utilizes a special scope-mount housing, allowing for the use of any standard sighting device.

Sternmeyer M56 "Smartgun"

The Sternmeyer M56 "Smartgun" is the only squad support weapon to date that was designed and issued with an integral smartchip, making this one of the most deadly accurate LMGs in the world! Though heavy, the M56 is usually deployed with a full harness stabilizer, allowing the trooper to fire on the move. For heightened mobility, the weapon fires from a 100rd drum magazine, mounted left of the firing axis. However, when firing from a fixed position, the M56 will accept feeding from a standard belted ammunition. In order to receive the +1 ACC bonus, firer must have smartlink capability (implant or smartgoggles)

Tempest SSG-3
	A new release from Tempest Armories, the Squad Support Gun (SSG) 3 is a very unique weapon, as it possesses a fluted cermet barrel nearly one meter long! The bullpup-configured SSG-3 is also very lightweight for its class, coming in at just over 6kg with the 20rd magazine ($30) shown.

General Electric GAU-6 Minigun

First developed by General Electric in the mid-20th century, their gatling minigun design didn't see the frontlines as a support weapon until 2011 when materials research finally brought the weapon down to a respectable 12kg plus ammunition. The voracious appetite of the weapon (up to nearly 5000rds/min!) requires massive volumes of ammunition. The GAU-6 Minigun is also available with chrome finish for an additional $500. Also available in 7.62x51mm (15kg, x30, $3000). Must fire at ROF1 or higher. Requires minimum +2 BLD and STR to fire on the move!

Tsunami Arms Helix

This massive weapon is arguably one of the most devastating support weapons in existence! About 1.5 meters in length, this gun's six compensated barrels are each a respectable 55cm long. The helix has an inclined rear pistol grip as well as a top-mounted forehandle. The ammo feed, located centrally beneath the body of the gun accepts either a belt feed or a box magazine containing 100 rounds of 7.62x51mm ($100). Must fire at ROF1 or higher. Requires minimum +2 BLD and STR to fire on the move!

Tsunami Arms Helix-C

Even larger than the Helix, the Tsunami Arms Helix-C is a heavy support weapon designed to be carried by heavily augmented troops -- Full-conversion cyborgs or power armor! Chambered for the heavy 9mm AMG round, this weapon can lay down incredible fields of lethal fire. The ammo feed is similar to the original Helix, however the box magazine can only hold 60 rounds (Box mag $200). Vehicle-mount versions are also available. Must fire at ROF1 or higher. Requires minimum +3 BLD and STR to fire on the move!

Stoner M-63 SSG
	The Stoner M-63 is a venerable squad support/light machinegun, popular with several armies around the globe. The reliable M-63 is belt-fed with integral folding bipod and quick-change barrels. Minimum +1 BLD and STR required to fire on the move.

IZHMASH PKM

The IZHMASH PKM has been the Russian Federation's primary light machinegun for nearly half of the last century. Chambered for the relatively archaic 7.62mm Nagant (7.62x54mm) cartridge, the PKM still manages to be a very serviceable support weapon. Since the PKN's replacement in 2015 by the RPN-15, there are incredible numbers of PKMs available on the open market, and the Kalishnikov reputation for reliability have made it a very welcome member in the arsenals of many freelance groups as well as several less wealthy government organizations.

FN/Browning M2 .50cal

The venerable and equally massive M2 "Deuce" heavy machinegun is a weapon that was originally adopted in 1923, making this one of the oldest weapon designs still in frontline combat use today. The M2 has been improved innumerable times since its debut. The M2 utilizes the short-recoil mechanism of operation, and is fired with spade grips and a very simple butterfly trigger. Vehicle-mounted variants are often reconfigured with electromechanical triggers. Modern materials technology has dropped the mass of the M2 down from its original 38kg empty weight down to a nearly man-portable 25kg. The M2 is typically fired from a tripod mount ($600, 10kg, weapon gains +1 ACC), but may also be mounted on a modified gyrostabilizer harness or other augmented armor system. Variants rechambered for the 11mm AMG are also available.

HEAVY WEAPONS

GAME STATISTICS

* Grenade launchers use modified ROF rules: 5rds per ROF point, 10rds ROF in saturation.

DESCRIPTIONS

Type 17 Auto-GL

The Poseidon Arms Type 17 Automatic Squad Support Grenade Launcher is a very potent weapon, generally seen in a heavy support role. Due to its immense size and weight, it is usually only issued to augmented troopers. Fairly typical of other man-portable AutoGLs, the Type 17 either feeds from a cylindrical drum on the left side of the weapon or standard belted grenades. Requires minimum +2 BLD and STR required for burst fire w/o fixed mount.

Colt/Mauser M-2X Cannon

This powerful semiautomatic fires full-sized 20mm shells from an over-the-shoulder position. This unique feature allows for a long-travel recoil absorption rod. A BLD roll versus 6 must be made if the weapon is fired from either a standing or moving position. Failure means the firer drops the weapon. Fumble results yield in heavily bruising the shoulder of the firer (-1 penalty w/ that arm for 2d6 hours).

SPIW Penetrator
	This massive rifle (though less-so than the M-2X) is chambered for the 15mm cannon round. As in the M-2X, the Penetrator is fired from an over-the-shoulder position, where a large recoil-absorbing rod absorbs a great deal of the recoil energy. Popular with many ESWAT teams the world over for its kinetic penetrating power, enhanced with the use of armor-piercing (AP) or saboted (APDS) rounds.

Offensive Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW)

The OICW project, started at in the final years of the 20th century for the United State's Force XXI (Force 21) project, the OICW attempted to update the portable firepower of the infantryman. Combining a M16-derived assault rifle in an underbarrel configuration with a "light" 20mm cannon typically firing airbursting munitions. The most significant characteristic of the weapon is not in the combination of weaponry, but in the targeting and fusing system involved in the airburst system. Both models at left show the sophisticated laser-rangefinding and sighting system which is used to download distance-to-target information to the 20mm shell prior to or during firing. Through the use of other 20mm munitions (HEAT, HEAP, HESH, etc) the infantryman had substantially greater capabilities against light-armor assets such as APCs and later, exo-suits. Unfortunately, the weapon mass and cost significant (12kg, $12000) prevented the wide-scale distribution as a standard trooper weapon. The Western Free States' have resurrected a similar design, and typically outfit 1-2 troopers per squad with them.

60mm Light Mortar 90mm Medium Mortar

Unlike the mortars of old which required teams of highly trained mean, these light and portable weapons can be carried and deployed by a single trooper in mere seconds. They typically fire high-explosive shells (x120 for the 60mm, x140 in 90mm) in a arcing, overhead trajectory. There is also a wide variety of alternate munitions available, ranging from training rounds (no damage), to flares, smoke, incendiary, fragmentation, and even laser-guided shells. Many of the more expensive and technically-advanced models include a modular aiming system that aids in determining the appropriate trajectory to a given target. The standard HE warhead has a 25m blast radius in 60mm, and a 40m blast radius in 90mm. They require one action to reload.

ROCKET & MISSILE LAUNCHERS

GAME STATISTICS

* See weapon description for details.

DESCRIPTIONS

M72A6 LAW (60mm) M202 "Flash" (60mm)

The M72 Light Anti-Armor Weapon first debuted in the late 1960s, and has since fathered numerous revisions and imitations. Even nearly 80 years later, the LAW concept is still in use in countries around the world for putting hard-hitting anti-armor capability into the hands of the basic infantryman at low cost. The disposable aluminum-lined composite collapsible cylinder contains a single 60mm rocket-propelled projectile with a shaped-charge warhead with secondary fragmentation effects. A reloadable 4-shot version in a pepperbox configuration is also available, called the M202 ($4000, 10kg). The M202 is typically loaded with 4 60mm rockets with incendiary warheads (x24/x8, 8/12m blast radius, $100ea). All other weapon stats are identical (minus Disposable). Requires 1 action to prepare launcher for firing.

Stinger IV

Utilizing a third-generation laser-seeking sensor array, the Stinger IV missile system provides excellent anti-aircraft and anti-armor capabilities. The weapon is dual-role capable, as the missile can be programmed for fast-burn high speed for anti-air duty, as well as a slower-burn maneuverability mode for ground targets. The weapon system consists of three components: the launcher, the guidance/designator system, and the missile. Though capable of using friendly designation, the Stinger IV also contains an integral designator for self-designation. However, to reduce costs the designator is not universal -- tailored specifically for the Stinger IV seeker warhead.

Ares Micromissile Launcher (30mm)

This magazine-fed, shoulder-fired weapon fires 30mm cold-launched rocket-propelled missiles carrying any of a number of different warheads. Typically used with a standard HEAT warhead (x80, $25/ea), HESH (x60 AC, $100/ea), HEAP (x100, $75/ea), laser-guided (G, $250), Airburst (x30, AE=10m) and Incendiary (x40, Intensity 4+MOS, $50) are also available. Smart munitions are also rumored to be available (Smt 2, Sk 1, $1000/ea, Avail 8)

ADVANCED WEAPONS

GAME STATISTICS

* Mass includes Powercell: 5kg for Sniper Laser ($2000), 6kg for others ($1000)
** See description for further details.

DESCRIPTIONS

Ares Optics M82 ILC & M88 IPC

Ares Optics has created a very potent military-grade man-portable energy weapon in the M82 Infantry Laser Cannon (ILC) with adjustable intensity. Powered by a 6kg superconductive powercell, the M82 packs enough juice for 30 x20 pulses (-0DRB), 15 x40 (-5DRB) pulses, or 10 x60 pulses (-10DRB). Ares Optics also produces the M88 Infantry Particle Cannon (IPC) which is visually very similar to the M72. However, the M88 uses cadmium telluride pellets to generate a x50 particle beam that has secondary haywire effects. Unfortunately, because of the large energy requirements, the IPC requires one action of "charging" between shots. The M88's 6kg powercell contains enough power for 20 pulses.

Coalition Weapon Industries C-27 IPC
Powerpack not shown	Coalition Weapon Industries' C-27 particle cannon is a heavy support weapon for the Coalition infantry. It is a coveted weapon for its ruggedness and incredible damage capability. The C-27 is an ideal weapon against heavily armored or augmented troops, as well as light vehicles. The C-27 is usually issued with a 6x Telescopic sight with laser distancing capability.

Rhinemetall EMG-85 Railgun

This electromagnetic gun users superconducting technology to launch a 15-gram mylar-coated ferronickel slug at nearly Mach 8! The weapon has an integral magazine in the backpack containing five superconducting loop batteries (good for 5 shots) and a 5-round projectile pack integral with the weapon. Power charging for the battery unit typically costs ~$500, or about 5 hours per shot of wall power. The gyrostabilized harness-mount does not require a smartlink, but does reduce walking speed by 5m/turn. Colloquially known as the "Squishies Boom Gun" in reference to the Glitterboy's high-powered railgun. Enhanced targeting systems are available ($2500) that grant a +1ACC at long and extreme ranges.

Images & relevant names/titles copyright their respective owners. Sources include R.Talsorian Games (Bubblegum Crisis RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, etc.), Palladium Books (RIFTS), Colonial Marines Tech Manual, Masamune Shirow (Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, Dominion Tank Police), Gundam, Autumn Blade, The Blackhammer Project, Moon-Net and various other online resources. No infringements of said copyrights intended.