Approved Tech Merr Sonn MLX5

[Azula Tindara]

[SIZE=14.6667px]

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Image Source: [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]GW Warhammer 40,000 @Sarge would be proud[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Intent:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] A personal weapon for this character[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Development Thread:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Manufacturer:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Merr Sonn[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Model:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] MLX5 Cannon[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Affiliation:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Open Market[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Modularity:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Belt or Drum fed[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Production:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Minor[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Material: [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]Durasteel[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Classification: [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]Mounted Flechette Cannon[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Size:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Vehicle mounted, or portable for especially large species[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Length:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] 1.4m[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Weight:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] 35kg[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Ammunition Type:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Electromagnetically accelerated shells[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Ammunition Capacity:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] 24 in a drum. If disconnected, energy cell lasts ~250 shots.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Effective Range: [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]500m, 50m effective cone, 5m wide from shell detonation for flechette [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Rate of Fire:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Semi-auto[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Special Features:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] Air-bursting rounds[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Description:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] The Merr Sonn MLX5 is designed to be a mounted light cannon used in a variety of scenarios. Either fed by drum or belt, the weapon fires two types of shells. The cannon takes advantage of an electromagnetically accelerated round, utilising a highly efficient energy cell, or running off a platform power supply, and removing the requirement to carry propellant. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The trademark shell of this weapon is a miniature flechette shell. Each shell detonates at a pre-set distance, and then spreads flechette over a cone and makes a loud buzzing sound, as if a swarm of bees has been released.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] The flechette shreds anything unfortunate enough to be hit in the cone of fire. Close to the base of the cone, the flechette can cut through the armour of lightvehicles (example) and will shred many types of heavy infantry armour. Each dart has a very high velocity and has a very slim profile, giving it reasonable armour piercing properties. However, as the darts are relatively light, anything designed to stop heavy kinetic strikes will easily absorb the flechette. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The second type of shell is a simple high-explosive shell. This has a much smaller area of effect, only 5m in diameter, though dangerous to infantry out to 15m. The advantage of this shell is that with a spherical AoE, the airburst can be used to hit targets behind heavy cover. It is also more effective against medium armour. This is still unable to threaten a main battle tank, unless there are exposed/vulnerable targets[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The weapon has been used in a number of roles. It is primarily used as a secondary weapon on a heavy vehicle/gunship to shred groups of infantry in the open. However, since entering service its potential to strike low altitude gunships saw it being mounted in a manner to allow targeting airborne targets. It has also been integrated into anti-missile systems, as it was found that an accurate, computer-aimed shot could disperse a cloud of fletchette that reliably detonated missiles. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Thrukk Gulpdar had a cannon specially modified for personal use. Far too large for a human, at well over eight feet tall and over 400kg, he found he could easily carry the weapon into battle. He finds it particularly useful for clearing out a whole floor of opponents in a few shots. Unfortunately the rate of fire is relatively slow and it requires frequent maintenance to keep it working. Friendly fire is also an issue. To target an enemy at a distance, a laser rangefinder can be used to program the shell to detonate mid air. This can take a short amount of time, as otherwise it has a very short range. A few seconds can be deadly. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The weapon is especially heavy. A normal human would have trouble carrying it more than a short distance in his arms. Even for Thrukk, this is a hefty weapon and not something to be swinging about easily.[/SIZE]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

RESEARCH REVIEW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flechette
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/3179-mk-i-omega-boltgun-special-ammunition/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/46099-argh-and-firemane-mk-3-heavy-bolter/

The cone? I need to know an estimate of the size and spread of this cone, and why a cone of flechettes is so effective against a vehicle.

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Draco Vereen"]

Updated the sub to be more specific and include a secondary type of ammunition

 

[Laira Darkhold]

70m cone, 15m wide from shell detonation for flechette

This has a much smaller area of effect, only 10m in diameter.

This is Huge. For reference your average grenade has an injury radius of 15 meters (meaning this is a grenade launcher with a much, much larger casualty zone)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M67_grenade(15 Meters)
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Thermal_detonator(10 Meters)

This is still unlikely to threaten a main battle tank with a single shot.

This is also referring to the second type of shell. A beehive isn't going to threaten a Main battle Tank hardly at all. I believe this was intended for the first type of round though. If that is the case,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39(20mm Anti-Tank Rifle)
This weapon was used for tank harassment, going for tracks and officers, not for penetrating the hull of Main Battle Tanks

Furthermore actual Tank Guns are made to combat Main Battle Tanks, Such as AAT's which featured Heavy Laser Cannons, AT-TE's were equipped with massive Mass Drivers for combating Main Battle Tanks.

A Flechette is a scaled down Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding-Sabot. I think you need to define what you consider a Medium Vehicle before we continue. I consider a Medium Vehicle to be similar to these:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T2-B_repulsor_tank
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Repulsortank_1-M
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TX-130_Saber-class_fighter_tank

Which I can not see a rifle effectively combating without it being far too large to effectively use against infantry at close range.

A few options, and I'm open to others within reason
Option One:

• Size of the blast cone made smaller (10m widest, 25 meter longest) which is still a grenade launcher
• The Flechette is brought in line to be effective against light military vehicles such as the Chariot or 1-L Imperial under ideal conditions
• Range Brought down to 250 meters

Option Two:

• This becomes an enormous rifle that isn't going to be effective at close ranges.
• Increase to range, decrease to magazine, emphasis on slow rate of fire etc.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Just to note, this isn't supposed to be a rifle used by normal people. This is designed to be mounted, but big creatures, Houk, Hutt etc, can modify to carry them around. The intention is to be something huge, not a light weapon to be thrown about. With than in mind I'm leaning towards the second option, but probably somewhere in between.

Split into two:

Hi-ex

I'll change the high-explosive radius to 5 and 15.

I'll add a statement that this won't threat heavy platform armour in any form. Afterall the AT-ATs in EP5 walk through fire from some clearly massive emplacement weapons without a dent.

I'll add a statement that this is a very large weapon, not designed to be swung around quickly. I thought the 40kg weight gave that away.


Flechette

So an artillery piece firing flechette has a cone 300m long and 90m across.

A typical shotgun has a range of ~40m and a spread of 0.5-1m.

Changes: Reduce cone of fire to: 50m effective range, spread of 5m at this distance.
Is only effective against lightly armoured vehicles, using the examples provided.


[member="Draco Vereen"] How does that look?

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Looks good to me. Still a beast of a weapon, but its got plenty of disadvantages to go with it.

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Draco Vereen"]

updated

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Be careful with this.

Approved Pending Secondary.

 

[Cira]

Approved.