Leathern Guns: The SLDFiE's Light Weapons
Sustained-Fire Laser
The sustained-fire laser was developed specifically for SOG’s Air Cavalry program, but first saw use in ground vehicles and as an infantry support weapon with the Striker Cadre. The goal was to provide a weapon which would be ideal for arming combat VTOLs expected to most often encounter light forces particularly infantry. Therefor hitting power against armoured targets was not critical, but range and weight of fire were.
SOG’s technical branch started with two prototypes; one, based on a small-laser test bed, and another which was a new-build from the ground-up. Both sought to boost range and increase rate of fire and succeeded, though they did it very differently. The first took a Diverse Optics small laser, added a new refinement of extended-range focussing lenses sacrificing burn-through for reach and fed it through a hopped-up infantry-scale pulse initiator and fit the whole thing in a cooling jacket, all for a negligible increase in weight, the last mainly gained through a sacrifice of the heavier cooling fins and insulators for lighter, faster-cooling, but less capable models, easily capable of taking the lower-per-shot heat output.
The other team took the Small Laser’s basic laser core, chopped off the comparatively heavy-duty focusing tube and replaced it with a rotating battery of lighter, air-cooled barrels, either three (in the original model) or six (in some later sub-types), depending on the exact model, with different gauges of the new-rate focusing lenses.
Both prototypes, essentially using infantry-scale technology produced a similar result, but the rotary-barreled model(s) were found superior for most aircraft roles. By this stage the ground forces and the Striker infantry think tank had taken an interest and they preferred the single-barreled version for AFVs and infantry support.
Eventually all three went into production and continue to see export and service use. The technology is easy to produce compared to modern spheroid weapons, but maintenance remains beyond the grasp of most low-tech clients; thus the existence of export models of many ICOM products, such as the Dusty and Slick VTOLs.
While the name, itself is suggestive; this weapon does not function at all like a cutting beam, but rather like an accelerated-action pulse-laser. The SF Laser works by firing a stream of very rapid laser pulses; these have the effect of burning a tunnel in atmosphere and through dust particles in space and other environments. This keeps the laser beam from ameliorating fully until a range of about 1000m (in a Terran-standard Atmosphere) is reached. Beyond this point, even Clan Tech cannot overcome the diminishing rate of returns. Barrel burn-out is a common maintenance concern, with either the heavy single-barrel or the rotary matrices. Contrary again to appearances; the rotary barrel models are cycling throughout their rotation. The rotary mechanism is part of an air-induction process to keep the focusing chambers and lenses cool.
Due to the high-rate of fire of the SF Laser, crews find it much easier to walk fire onto a target; even moreso than a pulse laser.
Heat: 3
Damage: 1 +3d6 vs infantry
Range: 4/7/10
Weight: 0.5 Tons
Critical Spaces: 1
Cost:14,000 (in C-Bils Equivalent)
Availability: XXE
Notes: -3 to-hit.
Light Support AutoCannon
The Light Support AutoCannon was developed beginning in 3069 upon receipt of examples of Davion Light AutoCannon Technology. SLDF Soldiers, Techs and Engineers saw some utility to the Davion LAC/2 and '5 in certain niche roles, however the weapons suffered from an enforced requirement for backwards compatibility of ammunition. This was a wise move in some ways; in that it brought easier access to different kinds of AutoCannon ammunition then in service with FedSuns warriors, but it meant that the weapons themselves couldn't be as light as they might otherwise be and that much of the potential in the ammunition itself was wasted. As-presented, LACs only worked when built-around heavy-gauge AutoCannon ammunition that did its damage with it's explosive warhead. This mandated further design compromises.
At the time; the New Model Army's ground forces were literally dying for *something like* the Light AutoCannon and so were the AirCavalry. But while the Mech and Armoured Vehicle Branches were satisfied with what they would soon have on hand; the LAC/2 and '5 would not be suitable for the requirements of the Infantry Branch.
The Light Support AutoCannon was a Light-weight AutoCannon built from the ground up. Rather than stand on the insistent use of existent stocks of ammunition, SLDF Techs and Engineers took one of the standard AC/2 rounds; the 30x173mm original Star League-Standard and shortened the case to a 135mm Belted Case, changed the powder and installed a shorter, lighter projectile. This reduced the bulk and weight of the new round by half, while ensuring there was little wasted energy in the ammunition itself. This had the added advantage of making close-infantry cooperation easier for unprotected troops operating with units equipped with LSACs; something export customers in the Calderon Protectorate, Andurian Pact and various 3rd League Member-States would come to appreciate.
From here; the new guns were designed from the ground-up around the ammunition they would fire. This whole cloth approach ensured that the prototypes were not ready until mid-3070, but also that there were none of the issues NAIS ran into tickling the dragon's tail and seeing how much metal they could take out of the LACs before their ammunition blew them up.
The prototypes came in three configurations; a 3-barrled rotary gun; a conventional single-barreled weapon and a rotary-chambered, electrically-driven chaingun. All boasted effective ranges in excess of 1200 meters and a rate of fire more than twice that of an AC/2.
The LSAC first saw service from 3073-onward onboard mid-production models of the SLDF's Rhino/Green Dragon APCs and were quickly fitted on improvised side-mounts on Dusty Gunships. It has remained a popular weapon with the Infantry Branch and a lucrative export item in some circles, but wider acceptance has not been forthcoming with the SLDF as a whole. However, as the main armament of the SLDFiE's primary tracked-APC, this still means that LSACs are effectively ubiquitous weapons in every SLDFiE Brigade.
The high technological refinement of the LSAC and proprietary ammunition are a brake on export sales, but once in-hand; they are easy to operate and maintain in any configuration.
Heat: 1
Damage: 4
Range: 4/7/13
Ammunition: 100 Shots/ton
Weight: 3 Tons
Critical Spaces: 1
Cost: 135,000/1150 reload (In C-Bills, Equivalent)
Availability: XXE
ICOM Heavy Flamer
ICOM; or "Integrated Comprehensive Systems" is the name of the production, engineering and development concern first founded by SOG in the late 3050s as a means to field particular items of equipment necessary to their operations. Overtime it grew into the umbrella corporation under which the Military-Industrial Complex of the New Model Army and later SLDFiE would flourish.
At the time it was founded, first as a simple manufacturer of military load-bearing equipment and heat-sink gaskets on Menke, however; Commander McKenna took pains to mask any direct connections between ICOM and SOG. This later proved prescient, as during the Jihad; the industrial arm of those Mercenaries who had them were targeted ruthlessly by the Word of Blake. During this time, ICOM's residual Inner Sphere-Based production concerns, dispersed and decidedly "Cottage" as they were, suffered no more than incidental damage from the fighting.
The in-house version of the Heavy Flammer was a very early weapons project and the first to see great success in the form of a production weapon.
As a unit designed and built and engaged in the fighting of various kinds of dirty, little wars from its inception, SOG was intimately familiar with the strengths (sheer terror, high effectiveness) and weaknesses (short range) of flamer weapons. But it was desired to produce and field an enhanced weapon for use in counter-insurgencies, urban warfare, sapping operations and the capture of enemy mechs; due to overheating, which was a constant interest for a unit always light on 'Mechs. Building an enhanced version of the fusion flamer was ruled out as both beyond the financial and technical capabilities of the firm and unlikely to grant the assets sought in a final product.
The original proof of concept is the work of SOG Chief Tech Albone (A former Solaris-7 master tech who knew the value of flash in the Arena), which ICOM built on and refines for several years. ICOM hired chemists and engineers familiar with pump equipment used in construction and agriculture. They produced a binary chemical agent to act as the fuel source, which was electrically ignited. This was mated to an enhanced, independent series of pressure tanks and compressors based on Albone’s design, rather than piggyback the mounting-unit's onboard air pressure system. The prototype was controlled and aimed with the aid of industrial triple-strength Myomer valves and nozzles. Even the famously crotchety half-man was forced to admit the “White Coats” had managed to improve on his work, even if only in detail.
The result was a weapon of much greater range and power than anything else then on hand. Later enhancements to flamer-weapons are only comparable to ICOM's earlier effort. ICOM's Heavy Flamer is easier to operate and maintain than even some models of flamer which have been around since the days of the Terran Hegemony. The design features a small number of large, robust parts and version-control has remained tight since the last recall for field-updating to Myomer gaskets in 3082. One major drawback when compared with similar systems; especially the Jade Falcon's own Heavy Flamer, now also used by the Lyran Commonwealth and others is the greater weight and bulk of the system and its voracious appetite for fuel.
Operationally; the fuel the ICOM Heavy Flamer uses is safer and more stable than that commonly used by other, similar systems. However; the flame-projectors themselves are vulnerable to battle damage and experience and testing has revealed a worrying unity in the likelihood of a mass explosion if the compressors or tanks that power the system and give it it's reach are damaged in any way.
The design was a closely-held secret in SOG until becoming part of the SLDF as cadre for the New Model Army. As such, technical details were basically unknown outside those circles directly related to parties actually using the weapons, until mid-way through the Jihad when The Word of Blake managed to capture a lance of SLDF-FireStarters intact during a boarding action. These were studied at length for the better part of a year, before being re-captured by Coalition forces in an unnamed system. Early intelligence on this SLDF capability may have contributed to the souring of Delvin Stone's opinion on the SLDF forces he was forced to ally himself with.
Today; the SLDFiE uses the ICOM Heavy Flamer on various combat and support vehicles, but the weapon is truly showcased in the controversial "Special Attack" Formations where it is prominently mounted on 'Mechs such as the FireStarter and FireStarter-II. Some export sales have taken place, but these have been few, small and rarely repeated. One exception is the Rim Collection, which appears to find the weapons engaging as part of their own local FireStarter Upgrade Program.
Heat: 5
Damage: 3+12 heat, +6d6 vs infantry
Range: 0/3/5/8
Ammunition: 8 shots/Ton
Weight: 2
Critical Slots: 2
Cost: 30,000/3,400 reload (In C-Bills, equivalent)
Availability: XXF (3062)
Notes: -1 to-hit. Explodes when hit for 4 Damage
Atomatic Grenade Launcher
The Automatic Grenade Launcher was developed through ICOM in the early 3060s, initially as a weapon for SOG's armoured vehicles. But development was troublesome and drawn-out until early 3065 when there was difficulty finding a willing user through the new Model Army Ordnance Board, even after a finished, fieldable product had cleared trials.
Occurring as it did in the midst of the upheavals of SOG's fighting in the FedCom Civil War and acceptance of the 2nd Star League's offer to form the cadre of the New Model Army, the program was nearly cancelled several times and survived on a shoestring budget through FYs 3062 and 3064.
Fortune smiled, as it often has in such stories in the form of the AirCavalry Command; part of the then-nascent Infantry branch. the AirCav were looking for a weapon system to fill a particular role of wide-area suppression and "drop-down" indirect-fire capability. The Automatic Grenade Launcher fit that bill to a *T*.
Initially developed with an eye to giving Armoured units a multi-shot weapon mimicking the varied capabilities of the Vehicular Grenade Launcher; the AGL evolved into a weapon dedicated to the suppression of infantry and light vehicles in close-terrain.
The SLDFiE's Automatic Grenade Launchers are recoil, blow-back or electrically-driven weapons, depending on version; firing bursts of low-velocity explosive projectiles which explode on contact, proximity or air-burst just above the ground. They commonly use a High-Explosive, Dual-Purpose warhead, which is equally adept at damaging infantry or armoured targets. Originally; a vast array of ammunition was developed, but due to the weight and bulk of the rounds and the platforms that tend to mount these weapons, little variation is found today and the HEDP and training chalk grenades are basically the standard.
The Automatic Grenade Launcher has seen some limited export success, but often finds itself employed as part of an emplacement. Notably; the DCMS and Capellan Confederation have bought a number of the weapons to retrofit into their surviving mega-fortifications.
Heat: 4
Damage: 1/hit R0 +1d6 vs infantry
Range: 3/5/8
Ammunition: 36 Volleys/Ton
Weight: 1.5 Tons
Critical Spaces: 2
Cost: 25,000/2,500 reload
Availability: XXE (3065)
Notes: 4 shots per volley as UAC, jams on a 2, with un-jam
ICOM Machineguns
The humble machinegun was the first item of ClanTech ICOM tried to reverse-engineer to the supply the New Model Army. This proved easier said than done. The Clan's consider the Machinegun a disposable weapons system to be used until it breaks and then discarded, scrapped and replaced. Engineered to ragged edges of safety; a broken ClanTech Machinegun will offer few usable spare parts to an armourer's workbench. In practice; they aren't built to be parted-out and such efforts are almost never worth the time. But it is these compromises, which allowed the Clans to cram the same amount of firepower into a package half the weight of a Star League-Era gun of the same performance, such as the Kicker.
ICOM had to try to manage the same performance in a package that met SLDF-NMA Guidelines for serviceability and service life. This proved immensely challenging and a successful prototype was not available until late 3073.
This experience, however, was invaluable to SLDFiE Engineers and technicians working on the project and the guns, once they became available, as it gave them ground-level familiarity with how the Clan's use advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to product their equipment. Many other, later reverse-engineering projects benefitted from these dividends to the present day.
The eventual end-product met the goals of the program and all New Model Army specifications, but cost slightly more than directly equivalent Clan equipment.
By this time, examples of the Clan Light and Heavy Machineguns had become available and these too were closely examined.
it was found that the "Light" machinegun---actually a longer-ranged weapon of the same scale, firing a smaller projectile---could easily be replicated once stocks of ammunition could be produced locally. This proved of no consequence for the old Omni-Munitions plant; now grown into a sprawling above-and-below-ground complex.
But the Heavy Machinegun was rejected as generally unsuitable for service. Built to the same-standards as the common Clan Machineguns; it was a stupefying less-efficient weapon. It had a shorter range and was twice as heavy, consumed twice the weight of ammunition and only managed to put 50% more of it on the target.
By this time, however; ICOM Engineers were highly experienced with all aspects of ClanTech and mating it to Spheroid standards of workmanship and production schedules. They honestly thought they could do better. R&D Command was sceptical and offered a bare "Life Support" budget for the project and set daunting technical specifications for what they would consider acceptable. While this was going on; SLDFiE Forces and Ordnance Board were still making due, mainly with a hodgepodge of Inner Sphere and Clan-Spec machineguns of all models; both as salvage and factory-production items.
If the SLDFiE was to utilize a "Heavy Machinegun" with the added expense of scarce ClanTech resources allocated to it, then it needed to be no more than twice the weight of a standard Clan MG or LMG, use the same ammunition and have the same range all at the same level of efficiency down-range. The Ordnance Board shook hands and figured that for a pittance, they had heard the last of the long-suffering Clan Machinegun projects and at the end of the Fiscal Year; with nothing to show for it, they could safely cancel the project. Job Done.
Eleven months later, the HMG team booked range time to test-fire their prototype. What they had was basically the earlier ICOM ClanTech MG model with a longer, heavier-gauge receiver; enhanced recoil mechanism and a longer, heavier barrel, mounted to a dual-feeding, electrically-driven rotary chamber. It was, in short; a beast of a gun. Over-engineers and built for rapid, sustained fire from a self-propelled mounting.
The test-fire failed after one round when the number-1 firing pin snapped off on firing.
But the next week it worked like a charm. Proving Ground Trials with refined prototypes would later establish a range 33% greater than demanded by The Board, with only a slight drop in accuracy. At normal ranges, if anything; the ICOM HMG was too-accurate and the beaten-zone (Crucial for anti-infantry work) was 25% smaller than expected and the designers were unable to correct this, without sacrificing 100 meters of effective anti-hard-target range. A compromise that The Ordnance Board could live with, although a near-fatal case of bureaucratic inertia saw general availability delayed for some time. SLDF CID made opted to make no arrests in the matter.
Today, ICOM Machineguns are only now beginning to supplant the massive and mixed inventory of less-advanced weapons of the same class fielded by the 3rd League. In common with the rest of the SLDFiE's refit program; demand has far out-stripped supply. What has changed now is that when newly-built equipment comes from the factory, or an older machine returns from a refit; it has much more locally-produced components than before. As of 3091, ICOM has completely supplanted the factory-side supply of machineguns to so-called "Modernized" units. However, they cannot quite keep up with the refit schedule and so some MGs imported through the Diamond sharks and many, many old-tech examples are still common throughout the ranks of the SLDFiE.
Exports of ICOM MGs have been minimal due to domestic demand. But as directed by the 3rd League's Diplomatic Corps and SLDFiE Plenipotentiaries (to the extent to which those two categories differ), ICOM has made an effort to make a small quantity available to Member State customers within the 3rd League itself. This is seen as an important example of not-just inter-league cooperation, but the greater benefits that the Clan and "Domestic" Member States can gain from working together.
In-service; the ICOM MG family is well-liked by SLDFiE Techs; The most common model is basically an updated Sperry-Browning, with a few quirks; so conversion between types is easy. Clan Member State Techs have been less enthusiastic, as a repairable Machinegun equals more work for them and most of their Warriors care litte for such measly weapons. Technical limitations preclude the compromises needed to mount the HMG on Battle Armour, so the Elementals will be no help in this matter.
Their slightly greater cost makes these weapons less desirable to the Diamond Sharks as a trade commodity; so, they are exclusively carried by domestic shipping lines.
LMG
Heat: 0
Damage: 1 +1d6 Vs Infantry
Range: 2/4/6
Ammunition: 200 Shots/Ton
Weight: 0.25 Ton
Critical Spaces: 1
Cost: 8,500/1000 Reload
Availability: XXE (3075)
MG
Heat: 0
Damage: 2 +2d6 Vs Infantry
Range: 1/2/3
Ammunition: 200 Shots/Ton
Weight: 0.25 Ton
Critical Spaces: 1
Cost: 8,000/1000 Reload
Availability: XXE (3073)
HMG
Heat: 0
Damage: 4 +3d6 Vs Infantry
Range: 1/2/4
Ammunition: 100 Shots/Ton
Weight: 0.5 Ton
Critical Spaces: 1
Cost: 9,000/1000 Reload
Availability: XXE (3078)