Milo Tyranne
Character
- Type 11 Anti-Armor Launcher -
Intent - Low-tech anti-tank weapon intended for Miln characters.
Development - N/A.
Manufacturer - Various Miln corporations.
Affiliation - Miln Astrogational Corps, other Miln organizations and individuals.
Modularity - No.
Production - Limited.
Material - Steel warhead casing, launching tube.
Classification - Infantry-portable anti-tank weapon.
Size - Handheld.
Length - 0.7 meters.
Weight - 4 kilograms.
Ammunition Type - Warhead.
Ammunition Capacity - 1 round.
Effective Range - 100 meters.
Rate of Fire - Single-shot.
Special Features -
- Recoilless design.
- Fin-stabilized hollow charge projectile.
- Simple, durable construction.
- Excellent armor penetration capability.
- Easily portable.
- Can be fired in a vacuum.
- Small size is ideal for urban combat.
- Unguided.
- Poor effective range.
- Single-shot fire only.
- Tube is not reusable.
The Type 11 Anti-Armor Launcher is a simplistic Miln anti-tank weapon, designed centuries ago as a refinement of early Miln anti-vehicle devices, which saw service during the Miln-Imperial War prior to 0 ABY. Primarily designed for ease of production and simplicity of use, they are little more than a steel tube with a bulky projectile on the end.
The Type 11 works on the principle of a recoilless gun; when fired, part of the projectile's propellant charge is vented out through the rear of the launcher tube, balancing out the weapon's kick. The projectile itself is a hollow charge; stabilized in flight by pop-out fins, it is tipped by a simple contact fuse which detonates the warhead on impact. The cone-shaped cavity in the charge focuses the force of the resulting explosion, concentrating it against the target. This effect is augmented by a metallic lining inside the cavity, which is inverted by the blast and adds kinetic force, punching through armor and allowing the explosion to enter the interior of the vehicle, bunker or whatever other target the weapon is employed against.
The casing of the Type 11's warhead is also lined with tiny ball bearings, which generate shrapnel upon detonation and make the weapon useful against infantry as well.
Imminently simple to operate, the Type 11 is fired from the crook of the arm, with a simple sighting mechanism on the triggering arm. To fire, the user presses down a tab at the base of the arm, causing it to fly up on a spring, releasing the retainer on the warhead and triggering the propellant charge; exhaust gas is vented out of the rear of the firing tube. After firing, the tube is discarded.
Though its crude sights and unguided projectile make it difficult to use in space, the Type 11 can be fired in a vacuum; Miln troops often carry them during extravehicular operations, as their recoilless design and armor penetration capability make them useful in a pinch.
Under standard gravity and atmosphere, the Type 11 has only about a 100 meter range; this means that wielders must be within this distance of, say, a repulsortank and its myriad armaments in order to reliably knock it out. As mentioned before, the round is also unguided, meaning that the charge can only be fired in a straight line or, less commonly, a parabolic arc.
Despite these drawbacks, the Type 11 is a simple to use and reasonably reliable weapon. Thanks to its small size, it is very useful for urban fighting, though it requires a clear backblast area. It is also extremely cheap and simple to produce, making it ideal for issue to troops and civilian militias during wartime; for this purpose, the Hafnip Federation government keeps an immense supply of Type 11s in storage, as well as having built hundreds of small, concealed factories to keep producing them even under an occupation.
Type 11s are usually shipped in boxes of 6, enough to equip 3 soldiers with 2 weapons each. They are normally carried on a shoulder strap with 2 retaining clips.
