Heavy Asymmetrical Recoilless Rifle-970

The Heavy Asymmetrical Recoilless Rifle 970 (HARR-970) is a Compact-Channel Linear Accelerator weapon designed by for the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). It was developed to supplement the already widespread and features a variety of new technology to greatly increase its performance against vehicles and in general field use. It is currently undergoing field testing in the hands of select Spartan Branch personnel who have been deemed experienced and qualified enough.
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==Development History==
With the entrance and subsequent widespread popularity of the ARC-920 within Spartan Branch, Acheron Security sought to take their monopoly on handheld electromagnetic weapons to greater lengths which culminated in Project JACKHAMMER. 
Project JACKHAMMER was started in 2556 to develop a more capable and more powerful complement to the ARC-920 in a heavier Anti-Vehicle role. Specifically the project called for a multi-round internal magazine, an adjustable on-board power source and a larger variety of ammunition to deal with varying forms of targets. The first prototype models came with large, backpack like fusion reactors for possible use with un-augmented personnel while the versions for Spartans had direct plug-in's to the Mjolnir/GEN 2 Fusion Reactors. These were both quickly denied as they stood to negatively effect the user in too many ways and making the weapon, by now called the XARR-970, less viable in its given role. 
By 2557 some progress had been made with regards to the weapons overall body and ammunition. As expected the weapon was longer and heavier than its smaller counterpart weighing 4.7 kilograms more and being 6 inches longer as well as 2 inches taller. While the weight at full load did bring it dangerously close to that of the the size was arguably the greatest accomplishment with only minor increases in length and height to accommodate the magazine which was mounted directly ahead and under the ammo counter in a double stacked position.
 
As of mid-2557 however the weapon had twice surpassed expected R&D costs as Acheron Security made several attempts at miniaturizing fusion cell technology to be able to keep the weapon within usable parameters in combat. As it stood prototypes were weighing in at over 40 kilograms. By late 2557 the company was considering cancelling the project as its R&D costs had come up to nearly double that of the ARC-920. However, this was stopped when Acheron Securities Weapons Division was authorized to approach the Armor Division to source components from their latest suits the and . 
After sourcing the designs for Compact Fusion Reactors from the suits and in particular the strain resistant reactor case and adjustable output capability from TRACKER and the simplified withdrawal and replacement system from HAZOP. It took only 6 months for the Weapons Division to showcase their new power system and the greatly improved protection of the reactor itself. The weapon exhibited a far greater energy output compared to the ARC-920 being able to charge faster, depending on the setting, and deliver significantly more damage. 
However as a result of the splicing of technology from Mjolnir systems the subjected the weapon to far rougher and longer periods of testing before even allowing them for field tests which began in April 2558.
==Design Specifications==
The HARR-970 uses two parallel conducting rails to accelerate its projectiles, A large electric current flows from one rail into the projectile and then to the other rail; the electromagnetic effects of this interaction accelerate the projectile to an immense speed. While the action of doing so in the weapons smaller counterpart, the , gave the appearance of 'coils' making the weapons designation as a railgun confusing. The HARR-970 however passes its current between the black nodes attached to the rails referred to as 'teeth' to make the speed of conduction faster and allow for a less visually obvious firing process. 
The rifle requires a brief charging period before firing one of its various rounds, most often and FTP-AP, accelerated to incredible speeds which vary according to the chosen energy output. The various output settings give the weapon a degree of versatility absent in its smaller counterpart as it allows the weapon to adapt to environments and ranges on the fly. The weapon unlike the ARC-920 has attachment points both above and below the rails for various optics or grips to suit the user.
===Power Source===
The weapon is a pioneer in its field of on-board power generation as it uses a reverse engineered Micro-Fusion Reactor derived from . Unlike the reactor in the GEN 2 Armor, the reverse engineered version present in the HARR-970 is smaller, hence the Micro-Fusion Reactor name, but does have an overall lower output. This near limitless power source allows the weapon to have a multi round magazine as opposed to the expendable Fusion Cells of the ARC-920.
However this has its downsides as testing has shown that should the reactor meltdown or be sufficiently damaged it runs the risk of exploding, killing the user and anyone within a 2 meter radius. As a result of the safety hazard the reactor housing is designed to keep the reactor intact and protected even being able to resist several rounds from 12.7mm Machine Guns. However in the event of a reactor breach there are a slew of failsafes to delay any explosion and allow the operator to get clear.
===Ammunition===
Unlike the ARC-920 the HARR-970 utilizes an internal magazine allowing for several shots to be fired before reloading, this is a result of the on-board micro fusion reactor. The magazine is situated ahead and below the ammo counter which slides up and allows for the loading of rounds into the single stack magazine for a total of 6 of varying types. 
The legacy Ferric-Tungsten Projectile ammunition shared between the rifle and its smaller counterpart was also advanced upon with several forms including dedicated M647 Armor Piercing (AP) rounds, M648 Armor Piercing, High Explosive (APHE) an advancement over those used in the variant of the ARC-920, M646 Proximity Airburst rounds which advance on the existing ones used in the variant of the ARC-920 as well as the standard rounds.
==Role and Usage==
The HARR-970 was developed as a heavier supplement to the existing and as such has shown greatly increased effectiveness against vehicles and fortified positions. Within only weeks of its distribution field reports contained repeated instances of the weapon being powerful enough to punch through the frontal hull of vehicles like and , the former having the driver killed and at higher power settings even going so far as to reach the engine while the latter was all but completely destroyed after a single shot. 
When tested against UNSC Vehicles such as and the weapon performed similarly with it being able to easily eliminate the former but could either eliminate or incapacitate the latter as the increased power allowed for exploitation of other weak points such as the turret base and even directly crippling the treads.
Against fortified structures however the weapon was shown to have difficulties at lower power settings while most forms of ammunition were ineffective in defeating tougher walls aside from the FTP-AP and the FTP-APHE. The weapon has also performed above expectations when tested against infantry both regular and armored as the adjustable power settings allows for a slightly slower charge time but similar levels of lethality to the ARC-920. However, Acheron Security has cautioned that the mass and size of the weapon could make its use in closer range engagements risky and has since dissuaded it.
===Advantages===
The weapon, when used in it standard or higher power settings, is a great deal more powerful than the ARC-920 which along with the variety of ammunition developed alongside it makes the weapon adaptable to most adversaries. Furthermore the ability to capture this level of firepower in a relatively compact package allows augmented personnel such as spartans to bring substantially greater firepower to locations where other weapons of equal power would be either too cumbersome or have too great a risk of collateral damage. The customization offered by the weapon also allows it to be modified to the users liking or to fit the mission at hand.
===Disadvantages===
Despite the success of with the Micro-Fusion Reactor and keeping the weapon relatively compact it is still a considerably heavy weapon making it unwieldy in the hands of inexperienced or untrained personnel and even testing skilled personnel if they have to rapidly switch targets as the rear mounted MFR makes the weapon feel considerably imbalanced. The Reactor itself, despite the many safeties and redundancies such as reactor blocks, failsafes and the remarkably durable housing, is still a very clear and present hazard should it be damaged in any way. Particularly the reactor shell, while being extremely bullet resistant, does not perform as well against plasma based weaponry which is capable of melting through the Titanium shell with only a few rounds. 
==Remarks==
==Gallery==
 
==Notes==
*The Model for this weapon was designed by Osman 3D on ArtStation for the game Pantropy, all credit for the model goes to him.
Category:UNSC Weapons