SLER-32 Rocket Launcher

The SLER-32 Anti-Vehicle Rifle is the primary infantry anti-tank weapon of the Imperial Tekkelien Ground Forces. An acronym for "shoulder-launched explosive rocket," It is known as a cheap, lightweight and easily operated system that can be equipped at the squad level. It is primarily designed to eliminate enemy armored transports, light combat vehicles and support platforms, but its high-density explosive gives it decent performance even against main battle tank side and rear armor.

This launcher has been a staple of Imperial land warfare, enabling infantry squads to survive against a much larger variety of enemy forces and installations, therefore adding much more mission flexibility to the average unit.

## Development

Since the first armored vehicles entered the battlefield, various man-portable launchers have been employed to destroy them. For much of the history of mechanized warfare, the infantryman was considered the lowest, most vulnerable point of the military, but the gradual improvements made to both anti-tank warheads and the doctrine of urban warfare suddenly shifted the balance of power back in favor of the infantry.

The Tekkelien Empire had been domestically producing rocket launchers from the late 21st century. As with most of its designs, they favored gradual improvements to a proven concept in order to cause more damage, be more reliable, and, most importantly, be portable enough to keep up with the rapid pace of maneuvering and offensive advance.

29th-century ground combat is extremely dependent on individual rifle squads. Many colonies are established on normally-uninhabitable worlds, where enclosed cities may be the only places with breathable atmosphere. The narrower streets make it hard for heavy vehicles to maneuver, and the interconnectedness of many buildings make it easy for infantry to reposition and fire rockets from good cover. The tactical advantage given to infantry plus the ubiquitousness of motorized, partially-armored transports in every army makes it necessary to have larger number of rocket launchers per unit than in the past.

The SLER-32 was the most recent major improvement, now featuring a mostly polymer construction. Its predecessor, the aging SLER-30, was made from high-temperature steel, which was nearly three times heavier. With muscle fatigue being a major issue in the Empire's maneuver warfare doctrine, and a squad only being able to move as fast as its slowest man, reducing the weight of the weapon was crucial. It fires reworked propellant that better disperses the backblast, allowing it to be used in smaller enclosed areas than before.

## Operational History

The SLER-32 was adopted by the Imperial Ground Forces in 2845: 20 years before the start of the Human-Dominion War. Mass replacement of the older launchers began throughout the next five years due to an arms race with the Han Federation that eventually led to the Sino-Tekkelien War in 2850. However, due to the size and dispersion of troops across so many solar systems, some remote or rear units are still not equipped with it, relying on 1 or even 2 generations of launchers behind.

During the various counterinsurgencies during the interwar period of 2855-2865, the SLER was given a new role in counterinsurgencies. Security and anti-terrorism forces were equipped with various antipersonnel rounds that could flush out hidden guerillas before they could get away. Incendiary and fragmentation rounds were the most effective, since the insurgents tended to fight in dispersed formation and in natural or at otherwise flammable hideouts.

After the onset of the Human-Dominion War, the SLER was crucial to stopping the armored advance of Aradynic troops. In the handful of places where the Empire counterattacked, the rockets were used effectively to weaken enemy hardpoints with more precision than heavier weapons like artillery and airstrikes. During the Battle of Gagarin I, the Winged Hussars, in coordination with a unit of marine infantry, used rocket launcher to destroy an alien armored vehicle guarding their captured power plant, allowing them to retake it and restore power to the city.

The recoilless backblast system allows the user to fire it very accurately and with less training, however it has two distinct disadvantages. It cannot be fired in small, enclosed rooms due to the rear-facing explosion it produces, and the backblast leaves a very noticeable flash and cloud behind the user, giving away their position.