Weapons are highly-developed ballistic weaponry for combative personnel. The Sol Defence Corps has contracted a wide variety of manufacturers to research and produce firearms for the SDC.
Weapons
Sidearms
| Name | Caliber | Standard Capacity | Type | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE9 | 9x19mm | 18 | Pistol | Royal Arms Manufacturing | Standard-issue service pistol of the SDC, chambered in 9x19mm. In usage since the 2080s. One of the first weapons to be made entirely in-house by the military. |
| HSP-12 | 10x25mm | 15 | Pistol | Avery Ballistics | Final Frontier Project-issue pistol, specialized for usage with a hardsuit. |
| P27A | 10x25mm | 16 | Pistol | OBD | Introduced in 2109, the P27A is a newly-introduced pistol slowly phasing out the AE9. Chambered in 10x25mm. |
| RV-94 | 10.9x33mmR | 6 | Revolver | Heidei Arms Inc. | Heavy revolver alternative sidearm, usually preferred by high-ranking officers. Chambered in 10.9x33mmR. |
| ACL-11 | Energy | 30 | Energy Pistol | AXIOM Corporation | AXIOM Corporation-developed energy pistol. Uses highly-concentrated beams of ultraviolet radiation and light to scorch a target and cause massive heat damage. |
Primaries
| Name | Caliber | Standard Capacity | Type | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M7A3 | 7x47mm | 30 | Carbine | Royal Arms Manufacturing | Wartime-era assault rifle of the SDC. Reliable, modular, and cheap to manufacture. It fires in three-round bursts and has an integrated flashlight. |
| SA5D | 7x47mm | 30 | Designated Marksman Rifle | Avery Ballistics | Marksman rifle, the predecessor to the M7A3. Comes with an integrated fixed-zoom scope and muzzle break. Designed for quick, successive medium to long-range shots. Phased out but remains in armories due to its abundance and simplicity; however, parts are becoming less common. |
| R405 | 7x47mm | 33 | Prototype Carbine | OBD | Prototype firearm designed for usage in space combat. Successor to the M7A3 in normal SDC usage. Packs more technology and features, but is more costly and fail-prone as a result. Developed by German manufacturer OBD. |
| M7AS | 10.5x47mm NAVSOC | 30 | NAVSOC Carbine | Royal Arms Manufacturing & NAVSOC | NAVSOC variant of the M7A3 featuring a suppressor and proprietary 10.5x47mm NAVSOC ammunition for extreme stopping power. |
| MLP-22 | 5.8x35mm | 35 | PDW | Heidei Arms Inc. | Compact fully-automatic PDW capable of firing pistol ammunition. Intended for usage in close-quarters combat, extremely fast ROF. |
| HSG-37 | 5.8x35mm | 50 | PDW | Avery Ballistics | Designed for close-quarters combat, designed to penetrate armour. Its unique top-fed magazine system, borrowed from the P90, ensures an unparalleled ammo capacity. |
| DMR-225 | 7x47mm | 20 | Designated Marksman Rifle | Royal Arms Manufacturing | Bullpup designated marksman’s rifle, excellent for medium-to-long-range combat. Boasts a targeting computer that automatically adjusts for windage and bullet drop. |
| TITAN-C | 7x47mm | 120 | GPMG | Heidei Arms Inc. | Special GPMG designed for operations requiring high-powered weaponry. Features an actively cooled barrel. |
| RSG-12 | A12G | 12 | Semi-Automatic Shotgun | Hestia Defense | A heavy 12-gauge rotary shotgun suited for proximity combat. Features an alternative three-round burst firemode, allowing for rapid succession of shots. |
| ALR-10 | Energy | 55 | Energy Rifle | AXIOM Corporation | A prototype laser rifle developed by the AXIOM Corporation. Uses concentrated bursts of ultraviolet radiation and light to scorch and burn targets. |
| M21C | M433AP/11x80mm | 10 | Sniper Rifle | Royal Arms Manufacturing | 11x80mm armor-piercing sniper rifle designed for long-range engagements, especially on planetary surfaces. Features a digital scope, retractable bipod, and gyroscopic stabilization. |
| ZK-24 | 10.5x47mm | 30 | Battle Rifle | Royal Arms Manufacturing | 10.5x47mm prototype close-quarters battle rifle intended for breaching and devastation at close range. Its short barrel makes it ineffective at longer ranges. |
| VTMP - 3 | Max ~A12G | N/A | Coil Rifle | Freedom Congolmerate | A non-SDC design created for use by illegal or covert enterprises in combat against law enforcement and military forces. It has a magnetic barrel which uses angled magnets to simulate rifling and allows any magnetically affected projectile to be used at the cost of accuracy and power. |
Calibers
The SDC's firearms use a wide variety of calibers. 2 for long guns, 1 for PDWs, 3 for handguns, and 1 shotgun cartridge. Additional efforts are being made to narrow the selection of cartridges even further in order to better standardize ammunition and make logistics handling more streamlined than it already is.
Composition
Casing
All bullet calibers in current usage utilize cased cartridges of strong, thermally-conductive graphene-polymer composite to wick heat away from the weapon. The polymer, built to withstand the extreme pressures and loads that are undergone in an exploding bullet, is specially designed to have similar characteristics in thermal conductivity to brass while substantially decreasing weight. Advancements in strengthening polymers and the increased availability of graphene has made caseless ammunition obsolete in favour of polymer casings. The casing itself contains an inner thermal-conductive layer responsible for transferring heat out of the gun and into the casing, and the outer white shell acts as an insulator. Contrary to brass, freshly-spent casings can be picked up without being extremely hot to touch.
Propellant
The propellant is a volatile block of solid composite high-yield, moderate-burn propellant, with its characteristics tweaked and optimised depending on the weapon and caliber, named XFP (Express Firearm Propellant). XFP has a much higher energy density than smokeless powder, allowing for much higher pressure loads in similar sizes and, as a result, higher-velocity bullets than would be otherwise achievable with conventional propellant.
XFP is safe at proper temperatures and cannot be detonated by an electric spark or via external means; the propellant can only activate when triggered exclusively by the primer.
All these factors combine to create cartridges with much more power and kinetic energy than an equivalent 21st century round. 7x47mm, for example, has a muzzle energy rating of 5,120 J with a 130gr bullet, compared to 3,470 J of 7.62x51mm NATO. This is all accomplished while providing longer range, higher velocity and greater armour penetration capabilities.
Rifle Calibers
7x47mm (.300) / M74
Main Article: 7x47mm
7x47mm (seven-four-seven) is the standard-issue rifle caliber of the SDC, meant as a compromise between previous-generation calibers of 5.56, 7.62 and 6.8. Uses a durable lightweight polymer casing, a solid-block explosive propellant with zero fouling capability, and comes with multiple bullet types and pressure configurations for filling diverse roles.
7x47mm ammunition has an effective range of 1.55 kilometers with a 5.3 kilometer maximum range. M74 Standard has a velocity of 1.1 kilometers/second. The bullet is designed for minimal loss of energy over distance, greatly reducing bullet drop and dramatically increasing its effective range compared to predecessor cartridges.
Compared to 5.56x45, 7x47 has greater stopping power, longer range, lighter weight and tighter tolerances, resulting in additional bonuses to accuracy.
Due to its polymer casing and lightweight propellant, 7x47mm is also much lighter than predecessors, with the whole cartridge only weighing 133gr (8.6g) with a 105gr FMJ bullet. Almost 80% of the weight of the round is taken up by the bullet only. This does have the minor downside of making the bullet extremely top-heavy, so the primer base is given additional weight to counteract it.
11x80mm (.433) / M433
Anti-materiel rifle cartridge used for heavy weapons such as anti-materiel snipers, HMGs, or small autocannons. Uses the same design and core components as 7x47mm, extended into a larger round. The base variant has an effective range of 2.55 kilometers with a 7.5 kilometer maximum range, with a standard velocity of 1.3 kilometers/second.
| Model No. | Type | Weight | Tip Colour | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M433 | Standard | 380gr | None | Alloy jacket with bismuth core. Used as either anti-materiel or an ultra-long-distance sniper cartridge. |
| M433T | Tracer | 380gr | Red | Tracer-tipped M433 variant. |
| M433AP | Armour Piercing | 400gr | Black | Tungsten carbide penetrator round that can pierce up to 50mm of steel armour. |
| M433APF | AP Flechette | 230gr | Light Grey | Armour-piercing discarding-sabot flechette round that uses a kinetic energy penetrator. Penetrates up to 180mm of steel plating. |
| M433AT | Anti Tank | 570gr | Black/Red | Anti-tank round that uses a miniature shaped charge to deliver explosive payload. Penetrates up to 145mm of steel plating. |
| M433HV | High Velocity | 410gr | White | Overpressure cartridge with massively increased range and velocity, used for ultra-long distance engagements upwards of 2 kilometers to 4 kilometers. Extremely loud and causes significant recoil. May cause weapon damage if fired on rifles not designed to handle the round. |
| M433MK | Marksman | 394gr | Dark Grey | Marksman match grade M433 variant. Used for long-distance sniper engagements. |
| M433/S | Smart | 750gr | Cyan | Fin-stabilised smart projectile able to manuever itself in the air to lock onto enemy targets. Can reliably hit moving targets at medium range. |
| M433APF/S | Smart Flechette | 250gr | Grey/Cyan | Fin-stabilsed flechette round that can maneuver itself through the air to strike a specific or moving target. |
| M433/0GS | Smart 0G | 810gr | Purple/Cyan | Smart projectile that uses monopropellant thrusters to maneuver itself through space. Can reliably hit moving targets at medium range. |
| M433AX | Airburst Explosive | 680gr | Magenta | Airburst explosive round. Effectively a miniature autocannon round, can be loaded into HMGs or autocannons for devastating suppressive or supporting fire. |
| M433XFR | Explosive Fragmentation | 650gr | Magenta/Blue | Special-purpose round designed to explode and fragment when embedded in a target's flesh. Optimised for neutralising large animals and can take down any large animal on Earth, from bears to sharks to elephants, with a single shot to the abdomen or head. Can instantly stop a charging rhinoceros or black bear. |
| M433SW | Shockwave | 670gr | Yellow | Explosive impact round designed to generate a shockwave to debilitate or disable enemies in its blast radius. Close proximity to the explosion is lethal. |
10.5x47mm NAVSOC (.413) / M105
An in-house subsonic cartridge designed by the SDC's NAVSOC division, designed specifically for usage in special operations firearms where close quarters stopping power is prioritized for firearms. While it has a shorter range, it is much more powerful up close than 7x47mm and as a result is regarded as the caliber of choice for room clearing and indoor combat.
| Model No. | Type | Weight | Tip Colour | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M105 | Standard | 250gr | None | Heavy ammunition. Provides less armour penetration but greater stopping power and kinetic energy. Subsonic by default. |
| M105AP | Armour Piercing | 310gr | Black | Tungsten-tip ammunition designed for penetrating body armour - and walls. Designed to penetrate up to 7 cm of solid concrete or 70mm of steel armour without losing velocity, with maximum penetration of 15 cm of concrete. |
| M105FR | Fragmentation | 315gr | Blue | Polymer-tipped fragmentation round designed to stop and drop an unarmoured opponent in a single shot anywhere to the body. |
Shotgun Calibers
A12G (12ga)
The standard-issue 12-gauge shotgun round. Present for almost two hundred years, the modernized version of the shotgun shell is optimized for higher efficacy versus armoured targets, as well as coming in several varieties intended for different scenarios.
Designated as A12[XX] in SDC military designation.
| Model No. | Type | Colour | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A12BK | Buckshot | Red | Standard .00 bismuth pellet buckshot. Very little penetration but its extreme stopping power and spread make it an optimal choice in CQB. |
| A12LL | Rubber/Less Lethal | Bronze | Less-lethal A12 variant used to disable a target. |
| A12SG | Slug | Green | A singular tungsten carbide rifled slug. Longer range, hits like a truck, and has decent armour piercing capability. |
| A12SB | Sabot | Blue | Discarding-sabot flechette slug, designed for maximum armour penetration with a tungsten carbide penetrator and fragmentation core. |
| A12HE | High Explosive | Violet, range stripes | Bismuth slug loaded with a miniature explosive charge that detonates on impact. Devastating against personnel and vehicles alike. |
Pistol Calibers
9x19mm / 10x25mm
These two handgun calibers form the bulwark of the SDC's self-loading sidearms, with 9x19mm being gradually phased out by 10x25mm. Both share characteristics of their 21st century namesakes and templates, but have been modified with 22nd century manufacturing processes as well as adopting the polymer casing and solid propellant employed by all other modern weapons.
10x25mm has been retrofitted from its earlier designs to have smoother recoil and greater penetration than its 21st-century predecessor, ensuring it has a similar longevity of service to it's smaller predecessor.
5.8x35mm (.228) / M58
A PDW/pistol armour-piercing caliber intended as a higher-velocity, penetrating counterpart to trauma-focused pistol rounds. Notably featured on the HSG-37 and MLP-22.
10.9x33mmR (.44 Magnum) / M44
This highly venerable revolver round is only used on the RV-94 six-shot revolver. Often regarded as a legacy cartridge it too has received the same modernization treatment as its other cousins in the modern arsenal; however, support for it, as well as revolvers as a whole, is planned for being phased out in favour of pistols. While it is in service, however, it has found a considerable niche for delivering slow but powerful rounds that outmatch even the largest pistol calibers available, delivered in a reliable form factor that has existed for over 300 years.
Technology
In addition to new bullets developed, technology has developed as well to make firearms excel in performance as well as improving standards, reliability, and efficacy.
Pulse-action
A relatively new development in firearms is the widespread adoption of pulse-action firearms. Pulse actions use electric discharge to ignite a bullet primer, allowing the weapon to function without usage of a firing pin and, as a result, minimizes moving parts. The recoil mechanisms of pulse-action firearms often have linear alternators built into them to recycle energy emitted from the bullet back into the weapon itself, which can be used towards the firing mechanism or towards any electronics integrated into the weapon itself. Most rifles in SDC service use pulse-action, with their recoil mechanisms augmented by linear alternators.
Modern pulse actions can artificially control the speed of a bolt reciprocating backwards and forwards in combination with the recoil buffer, and as a result can drastically reduce the cycle times of weapons, allowing for a much faster fire rate.
Pulse actions can have their firerate fine-tuned and controlled at will, due to having an electronic action mechanism. As a result, weapons can be adjusted to lower their firerates for higher accuracy, or to increase the firerate to provide suppressing fire. Overheating and ejection malfunctions serve as risks to increasing the firerate of assault rifles, however, so it is often limited to either emergency usage or on specially-converted machineguns.
Pulse action is prohibited in civilian markets where fully-automatic weapons are prohibited or regulated -- concerns about hacking a firing control system to modify a semi-auto gun to fire in full-auto have led to civilian market versions replacing pulse-action with mechanical actions instead.
When initially introduced, pulse actions had severe reliability issues that still haunt some reluctant users to modern day. However, these issues were quickly rectified over the next few years, leading to pulse-action becoming an extremely reliable and efficient firing mechanism for weapons due to having very few moving parts and requiring far less cleaning or maintenance than a mechanical action system.
Artificial intelligence
Newer rifles have artificial intelligence and pairing built into the weapons, pairing a weapon AI to a user. While this AI is not robust enough to act as a personal assistant, it is capable of learning from behaviour. Once slaved to an owner, the weapon can track user's shooting behavior and patterns and make recommendations as to when to reload or advise the user on optimal ergonomics. In addition, a rifle AI can monitor a weapon and determine its mechanical lifespan and durability from changes in the ways a rifle works, including advising when to repair or clean the weapon and when to replace its power cell.
Recoil Management
Electromagnetic recoil dampeners
Electrifying a firearm also has the advantage of allowing the usage of electromagnets to replace the recoil spring in recoil control. Not only does this make the weapon have a longer lifespan, it also allows for the user to dynamically adjust the recoil dampening of the weapon. Increasing recoil dampening lowers cyclic rate, and vice versa. In addition, the electromagnets can help to alleviate problems with ammunition, eliminate gaps, and help prevent stoppages and jams.
Gyroscopic stabilization
In addition to electromagnetic recoil dampening, newer rifles also come with built-in gyroscopes that track weapon movement and work to make sure any recoil is directed directly back towards the shooter. This prevents recoil climb or deviation, allowing the user to continuously focus on the same point and fire without needing to adjust their weapon.
In addition, gyroscopic stabilization can assist with marksmanship, as the gyroscopes can be adjusted to prevent weapon sway as well, allowing a sniper to keep a mark on their target more easily.
Accuracy
Smart optics
Integration of computers into optical targeting technology and on soldiers has allowed for optics to function with much more than simply aim reticles. "Smart" optics allow for various computations to be made to maximize accuracy as well as minimize friendly fire.
IFF Interrogators
Most standard-issue optics in the SDC operate an IFF interrogator system which locks a gun in the event an ally is down the sights, preventing friendly fire if a teammate strafes in front of a shooter. Due to concerns about enemy exploitation, this feature can also be readily disabled with an ergonomically-placed button on most new firearms.
IFF interrogators also have the additional ability of highlighting enemies or vehicles that do not return an IFF signal, allowing easy lock-on to enemy targets. This capability can be further enhanced if the user is wearing smart goggles, which will cooperate with the optic to highlight enemies in viewing range.
Automatic rangefinding
Marksman and sniper scopes have built-in rangefinding systems that automatically calculate for bullet drop, windage, and target movement. These systems feature a built-in artificial intelligence that attempts to predict a target's next moves based on the surrounding environment, and adjust the aiming reticle accordingly to make sure a bullet fired will almost always strike its target. Snipers can even activate automatic trigger pull on their rifles, which automatically fires the weapon if the reticle lines up perfectly with the target. For obvious reasons, the marksman community frowns on this practice and regards it as a crutch in shooting; however, in life-threatening situations, it is often used to rapidly take down a target.
Multi-spectrum optics
Some models of smart optics feature a screen able to project itself over the optic. This screen can switch spectrums to allow the shooter to see in infrared, ultraviolet, night vision, or even provide x-ray vision. Overlays on the screen can be toggled on and off to allow optics to display various other information, ranging from mundane such as compass directions, to practical with highlighting body armour thickness and weak spots on enemies.