Project Templar

[Zark San Tekka]

Out of Character Details

• Image Source: The Expanse
• Intent: To create a suit of power armor for the Galactic Alliance Armed Forces to counter canon equivalents in other factions.
• Canon Link: N/A
• Restricted Missions: N/A
• Primary Source: Re-purposed Canon Articles, GADF-BDU-01, Fifth Legion Armour, GADF SOMA-1

Product Information

Manufacturer: Galactic Alliance, I'att Armament (Nationalized.), SoroSuub Corporation
Model: GADF-EXO-M "Templar" Series Power Armor
Affiliation: Galactic Alliance
Modularity: Yes; Interior Attachments (Modular Gauntlets for Different Loadouts), Exterior Attachments (I.E. Combat Webbing, Tactical Toolkits, Enamel Coating [Colour Scheme.])
Production: Minor
Material: Reinforced Lightweight Durasteel Plating, Flex-Armor, Vacuum/Environmentally-sealed Armorweave Bodyglove, Military-grade Electronics, EMP/Ion resistant materials.

Technical Specifications

Classification: Multipurpose Powered Exoskeleton (Labor/Hostile Environment.)
Weight: 150 Kg
Quality: Eight

• Energy Weapon Resistance: Meant to be the ultimate in taking a conventional pounding, the exoskeleton's triple layered combination of heavy exterior durasteel playing, an armorweave bodyglove, and the BDU-01's flex-armor allows the power suit to disperse a continuous barrage of blaster bolts (as long as they aren't fired from a cannon or heavy disruptor). The EXO-M's dense outer layer of durasteel also provides for greater than average defense against lightsabers (able to deflect a solid or glancing blow but unable to withstand a sustained attack).
• Kinetic Resistance: With the metallic density of the durasteel plating reinforced by the addition of flex-armor, the GADF-BDU-01 is able to absorb the lethal trajectory of an archaic projectile with relative ease. This has been noted to stop the bullet, unless it were to come under sustained fire rated at .50 calibre or higher, but is unable to stop the forces of Newton's law from keeping the soldier within truly safe from harm, which more often than not, results in heavy bruising, and/or internal bleeding around the impact site.
• Melee/Shrapnel Resistance: Through the use of the heavy durasteel plating, flex armour, and the armourweave bodyglove, the GADF-BDU-01 provides excellent resistance to various melee weapons ranging from primitive to the more exotic (save perhaps a sustained assault from something like a high powered vibroblade or more powerful) as well as protection from shrapnel/fletchettes (although the suit can withstand most incendiary or fragmentation devices, it still suffers some weaknesses against concussive devices).
• Sonic Resistance: Possessing state of the art audio dampening technology, the vacuum sealed protection of the EXO's Helmet provides very good protection against sonic pulses. And while the power suit is not strong enough to fully defend against concussive charges, it still retains enough protective outer armoring to withstanding the concussive force of focused sonic blasts such as those from a sonic pistol or rife. The state of the art electronic systems within the Helmet allow the suit to autodampen vibrations of enough force to do damage, while allowing the operator to hear their surroundings otherwise.
• EWAR Resistance (EMP/Ion): As the Helmet of the EXO contains sensitive electronics to assist the bearer in battle, EMP/Ion resistant materials were woven into the delicate latticework to protect the integrated digital systems from a myriad of E/War attacks (EMP's, Ionic Discharge, Etc.) so that the soldier may continue to operate with little to no interruption in the constant feed of tactical data displayed across their visor.

Special Features:

Helmet

• Retractable Faceplate.
• Exterior Duraplast Visor Shield.
• Celluar Padding (High Comfort.)
• Audio/Video Player and Recorder (10 Hrs of Content before the Datacard needs to be swapped out.)
• Annunciator/Vocabulator
• Sonic/Aural Dampeners
• Broadband Antenna with Rangefinder
• Short-range Integrated Commlink with Alliance encryption keys.
• Rebreather/Environmental/Oxygen Filtration System.
• Oxygen Supply (Four hours.)
• Polychromatic/ Anti-Flash Visor. (Self Repairing.)
• Holographic Heads-Up Display (Blink Command Capable.)
• Multi-Frequency Targeting and Acquisition System.
• Combat Scanner/ Life Form Scanner/ Sonar Mapper/ Motion Scanner/ Radar.
• Visor Modes: Tactical, Infrared, Low-light/Night, Thermal, Ultra-violet.
• Anti-Ion Mesh
• Helmet mounted Floodlights (Integrated/Concealed Solar Ionization Panels.)

Torso

• Anti-Ion Mesh
• Emergency Power Pack (Redundant System.)
• Energy Shield Generator (Provides Limited Protection when moving from Cover to Cover. Recharges between use.)
• Secondary Oxygen Supply (Ten Hours.)
• IFF Circuitry and Transponder.
• Grenade/Bandolier/ Combat Webbing Clips and Mounting.
• Grav Chute/ Jetpack Backplate Mounting.
• Environmentally Sealed and Pressurized.
• Shoulder Sheathe for Combat Vibroblade.
• Magnetized surface for Primary weapon mounting.

Gauntlets

• Palm-mounted Flamethrowers
• Forearm Mounted (Above) Heavy Repeating Blasters (Internal cell drums for extended magazine capacity.)
• Forearm Mounted (Above) Scatterguns
• Forearm Mounted (Below) Grenade Launchers (One reload each.)
• Anti-Ion Mesh.
• Magnetic Adhesion/ High Traction Grips.
• Liquid Cable Launcher.
• Dampener Aerosol Projector (4 Charges, Reloadable Cartridge.)
• Wrist-mounted Vibroblade (Retractable.)
• Forearm mounted Communications/Holo-projector/Data Streaming Device. (Interchangeable between Left and Right Gauntlets.)

Greaves

• Anti-Ion Mesh.
• Magnetic Adhesion/ High Traction Soles.
• Cellular Padded Insoles. (High Comfort.)
• Additional Combat Vibroblade Sheathe.
• Knee plate mounted Dart Launcher (Paralytic Toxin, Four Darts - Reloadable.)
• Reinforced Knee Plating/Bracing (Reduces risk to Soldier's legs giving out under the strain of intense maneuvers.)
• Magnetized Thigh-plates for Secondary weapon mounting.

Strengths:

• Light-Weight Power Armor: With the use of reinforced durasteel plating, this prototype combat can provide a Soldier with additional protection from enemy fire, be it plasmatic, kinetic, or sonic, while remaining lightweight enough to allow them to operate safely in front of, or behind enemy lines. With a thick layer of protective outer layering, the armor's exterior can even deflect quick blows from lightsabers - however, the plating is unable to withstand direct penetration and thus will fail when attacked by a skilled duelist. Though the plating itself covers the entire soldier's form, for the sake of mobility and redunancy, the GADF-EXO-M utilizes Flex-armour to cover joints and other areas where the outer armor is at its weakest so that the most vital areas of a Soldier's range of motion are still offered mostly comparable protection. Thus, while not as effective as higher classifications of power armor, the lighter weight EXO-M represents a new wave in the evolution of powered infantry.
• Jump Jets: The EXO-M's more slender design is all about maximizing the power suit's potential for unrestrained movement, and to that end unlike other bulkier models, the power suit's high powered jet pack allows the operator to retain some limited jump jet capability even on the surface of planets with moderate to heavier atmospheres. Not enough to achieve any sort of extended flight capability, but enough to enable the operator to traverse difficult terrain with more relative ease.

Weaknesses:

• Weak Points: Designed to conform to the wearer as much as possible to allow for more standard infantry tactics, the EXO-M sacrifices its thick protective shell in certain vulnerable areas such as the joints and neck. While the battle tested flex-armor does what it can to make up for this drawback, the EXO-M line nonetheless remains more vulnerable to precision fire than comparable, bulkier suits. It is also somewhat more vulnerable to sustained barrages of blaster fire over time.
• Situational Awareness: While the design of the EXO-M does its best to limit these kinds of drawbacks, at the end of the day the mechsuit's state of the art heads up display cannot completely make up for the sacrifices made to the operator's awareness of their surroundings. With a visor that limits full three hundred and sixty degree vision, operators have to rely on their systems to give them a full understanding of everything that is going on around them. And all the innovation or advanced tech in the galaxy can't make up for the fact that the EXO-M is a power suit and thus, the wearer won't have the same sort of agility even a heavy trooper might.
• Training Requirements: Because the GADF-EXO-M is a complex piece of machinery, and comes with a plethora of highly technological advancements, there is a significant training pre-requisite needed before a Soldier can fully operate the suit to it's fullest potential in the field. This drawback means that more strength, endurance, and cardio training is required by the Soldier's that wear this armor to counteract the increased strain that's placed upon their bodies. With the addition of a sophisticated suite of military-grade electronics within the pressurized helmet, a secondary training regime is needed so that a Soldier can familiarize himself with the automated blink commands that filter through various visor modes and functions of the HUD.

Description:

The latest in a continuing effort by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliance to upgrade and outfit their Armed Forces with the most advanced and highly effective equipment to fend off ever encroaching threats to the Alliance's very survival. Pleased with the manner in which I'att Armament's BDU series addressed the limitations to the army's force multiplication capacity but desperate for even greater lengths under the shadow of the looming order, the High Command directly commissioned I'att to develop a proprietary prototype mechsuit for use on the front lines by GAAF soldiers.

Eager to comply but somewhat at a loss for exactly how to go about it, the research and development team took months to settle on a working prototype design. Having very little experience previously with power armor, I'att suffered several false starts before ultimately deciding to look to the past and apply the lessons they had learned from the BDU series to design a sleeker, light weight, somewhat less protective form of highly advanced power armor that could be utilized across a variety of different roles. Reaching out to longtime friendly rival and ally to the Alliance SoroSuub Corporation, consulting engineers came on board to apply lessons learned from the SOMA-1 series of marine special operations armor as well as a few tips on aesthetic choices and the finishing touches were applied to the design.

Producing the M series or "Templar" military designation first to fulfill their initial contract while finishing the touches on the EXO-C series for civilians in the lab, the engineers at I'att would have preferred more time to run the EXO line through a more rigorous series of combat and stress simulations, but with the war with the First Order growing hotter and closer to home every day, High Command has pressured I'att to push the power suit out the door and into the hands of eagerly awaiting GAAF special forces.