Weapon Technology

Over several centuries, weaponry has evolved alongside technology to become deadlier and more effective, while still drawing on tried-and-true combat doctrine.

## Small Arms

These are weapons that have been designed to be operated and transported by foot. They are designed to fire small cartridges that get most of their power from their high speed at low-to-medium range engagements. The vast majority of them are guns: chemically-propelled projectile launchers with a rifled barrel.

### Assault Rifles/Carbines

The standard issue weapon for nearly every soldier. Firing intermediate cartridges in toggleable semi-automatic and automatic modes, they provide a balance of firepower and accuracy. Carbines are assault rifles with reduced barrel length, making them ideal for support troops and close-range combat.

Examples: FN-HK G38/G38C, Leonidas Systems M5A2 Standard Infantry Weapon, QBZ-09 Zhuxi, AK-2/2S, United Front Main Battle Rifle

### Ancillary Defence Weapons

A semi-retronym coined for weapons designed around low-penetration, self-defence performance. This includes the historical classifications of submachine guns, pistols and personal defence weapons, which have been generally superseded by low-power carbines in the military. However, these weapons are still in use with the police and civilian sectors, and their defensive labeling does not stop them from being viable assault weapons. They may be semi-automatic, automatic or both. Certain ADWs fire high-calibre, low power cartridges, which limit them to use against unarmoured targets, while newer models use specially-made miniature rifle rounds that can defeat standard body armour. The main problem with ADWs in open warfare is that they rapidly lose energy, dealing much less damage after traveling even short ranges.

Examples: FN P90, Glock X2, Norinco-Bisheng L/C2, Raptor ADW, LAR Grizzly

### Long Arms

Long arms are rifles with extended barrels, which may be derived from existing models in another class or designed from the ground up. These are often used in the sharpshooting role as dedicated marksman or sniper rifles, since the longer barrel length allows for higher bullet velocities, translating to longer range and better penetration. This often also means that they fire high-powered cartridges, like the 7.62mm or 12.7mm variants. To maximise force transfer from the exploding propellant to the bullet, these guns sometimes have a locked-bolt design, requiring the wielder to manually purge a spent cartridge and load a new one. They are almost never automatic due to their tactical role.

Examples: BAE Accuracy AWL, Soleil Mle 2257, Leonidas System M5A2M

### Machine Guns

Originally a term used to refer to automatic weapons in the early 20th century, the category now only encompasses guns designed for sustained, automatic and direct fire that suppresses the enemy, supporting the performance of friendly elements. Machine guns share many characteristics with long arms such as bulky, strong barrels to endure the strain of continuous fire and precision accuracy at range provided by high-energy cartridges. They are, however, heavy and are rarely fired on the move, making machine gun operator.s deadly but somewhat vulnerable. Some light machine guns are designed for "walking fire", which involves both advancing and suppressing the enemy at the same time, but these skirt the line between machine guns and assault rifles.

Examples: ALS Suppressor, RPK-40, United Front 12.7mm Squad Support Weapon

### Support Weapons

These weapons are a loosely defined family of guns that occupy a niche in the support role that traditional direct-fire machine guns cannot. Commonly seen types are grenade launchers and mortars that target enemies behind cover with indirect, artillery-esque fire, and counter-armour weapons that destroy heavily protected targets through the use of explosive penetrating munitions.

Examples: Koan M55 MGL, Mk 19 40mm Grenade Launcher, 23-Shiki 120mm Mortar, FGM-170 Sunspear

### Melee Weapons

A melee weapon is any weapon that does not fire a ranged projectile, instead functioning as an extension of the user's arm to engage in extremely close-range battles. They are often improvised, such as pieces of rebar, but many militaries issue them as a last resort.

Examples: M3 bayonet, United Front Standard-04 Entrenching Tool

### Unique Weapons

Sometimes strange and downright uncanny weapons make their way onto the battlefield. They range from antiquated relics like bows to exotic weapons like flails or whips. The reasons why some choose to use them are as varied as they are mysterious.

## Mounted Weaponry

Weapons that require a vehicle or machine to use, and therefore are not brought around by dismounted infantry, are classified as mounted. For most purposes, striker frame weapons are under this category.