Infantry Weapons
Infantry weapons in the Republic are, in contrast to most other races, simple kinetic energy weapons. Despite association with other nations that utilised more advanced weapons, the Stratia has in a sense lagged behind on adoption of higher-tech solutions due to a combination of factors, such as cultural inertia, a desire to see these 'higher-tech' weapons developed into functional status before equipping them prematurely, and the old adage of not fixing something that isn't already broken.
Achilles Support Gun - The Achilles is an up-scaled version of the Kefefs. Mounting large sixty-round drums, the Achilles is designed to serve a Pempas as a light weapon to provide heavy support. Firing the same ammunition as the Kefefs, it possesses a longer and heavier barrel, allowing it more range, better accuracy, and to keep up sustained fire. Normally fitted with a vertical grip to allow the user to rest on the ground while firing, the Achilles is a very accurate and lethal weapon.
Artemis Sniper Rifle - The Artemis, named for the ancient goddess of the hunt, is an adapted civilian rifle that was originally designed by a Corinthian firm for farmers defending their livestock from native predators. Firing heavy metal slugs, the Artemis is capable of downing a predatory grypon bird in one shot, and the military version is equally adept at penetrating the heaviest of conventional body armour. As a slow bolt-action weapon, the Artemis is not normally called upon unless a particularly hard target is encountered.
Dian Mu Experimental Directed Energy Weapon - This particular weapon is built as a joint venture between the Stavridis-Hwang Cartel and Wei-Xia Global Defence, and based on the same principle as the prototype directed energy weapon the company has offered to the Nautikon since 202 AE. The Dian Mu itself is a hand-held chemical laser in the infra-red spectrum, and has an output of one megawatt, allowing it to serve both as anti-infantry and . As a chemical laser, the Dian Mu negates the requirement of a heavy power-source unit by using deuterium-fluoride batteries. Each battery is rated for twenty projections before it needs replacing. Speculation as to whether the Dian Mu will enter full service depends on whether the issues surrounding the environmental impact and their reuse of the DF-cartridges outweighs the combat potential of the weapon itself.
Feng Bo Heavy Rifle - Designed especially for the Lei Gong AAU, the Feng Bo is a 'rifle' built around a caseless 20mm round. Intended for use in anti-personnel work, the Feng Bo is built with a tough and sturdy design at the expense of any form of manual aiming, being electronically linked to the operating Lei Gong's sensor suite. Built as it is for an AAU to heft, the Feng Bo is incredibly heavy to the point of being nigh unusable for even a fully prosthetised individual. In recognition of the benefits an AAU possesses in close-quarters, each Feng Bo can be equipped with a 'bayonet' that in normal hands would be classed as a sword. Field testing of this feature has yet to occur.
Hephaestus Heavy Pistol - Despite its status as 'only' a pistol, the Hephaestus is, besides the heavy machine-guns and sniper rifles in service of the Stratia, one of the most powerful hand-held weapons in the entire Republic. The pistol is a single-shot weapon that fires the widest variety of ammunition known with the exception of a basic round. The Hephaestus is strictly speaking an emergency weapon for use by those with the physical strength necessary to compensate for the recoil of its 12mm round, not to mention the sense of when it's appropriate to unleash its firepower. This weapon is very popular with the Stratia's Asthetairoi units that specialise in long-range reconnaissance where it provides a versatile, if short-ranged, support weapon.
Hippodamia Multi-Purpose Missile Launcher- As an organisation that prides itself on tactical flexibility, the notion of an infantry-portable heavy weapon for anti-vehicle use appealed greatly to the senior commanders of the Stratia. The Hippodamia is a trade-off, firing hyper-velocity missiles capable of fitting anti-tank, anti-infantry and anti-air warheads. With this versatility and light weight, it suffers from a small-magazine capacity, lack of 'punch' against sufficiently heavy vehicles, and an over-long lock-on phase, rendering the weapon unable to be 'dumbfired' without substantial against regulations tinkering.
Houyi Battle Carbine - The Houyi is a relatively recent development. After a senior officer of the Asthetairoi branch visiting Cao-Xhan found himself in the middle of an attack on the settlement by the native warrenbeasts, he gathered a group of Xhanese settlers about him with the intention of venturing into the tunnels to exterminate the pack. With him went the Kefefs rifle standard to all branches of the military at the time, and it was there that he discovered the relative lack of stopping power the rifle offered against armoured or thick-skinned targets such as the warrenbeasts. After successfully killing the pack's bond-pair and returning to Sagittar, the officer submitted a report and privately commissioned a new rifle for himself, citing concern over the Kefefs failings.
The result was the Houyi. A compact yet bulky weapon firing 10mm rounds in the original prototype, the head of the Asthetairoi intervened in the design process. The resulting design relies on a cylindrical sixty-round magazine loaded in front of the handgrip, contrary to the design of the Kefefs, with the benefit of offering greater capacity with no real increase in the weapon's bulk. The front of the gun itself was stretched upward, housing the original rifle barrel beneath a 30mm gas-operated grenade launcher fed by a top-loading magazine containing three rounds. The unusual tandem-barrel design of the Houyi also emphasised allowing the user to use as many kinds of ammunition as physically possible, and it rightfully earned the title of jack of all trades following successful field testing. Following adoption by the Asthetairoi, the rifle was upgraded with a digital round counter displaying both caseless and grenade rounds, a multi-mode sight capable of direct-linking to the user's helmet, and equipped with add-on points for all the miscellaneous upgrades in use with the military.
Ixion Standard-Issue Service Pistol - The standard pistol in service, the Ixion is issued to every single member of the Stratia, as well as in use with the law enforcement of the Republic. Firing lightweight 9mm rounds, it is designed solely as a backup in combat or for use against regular criminals in the case of law enforcement. The pistol comes with either standard iron sights or digital pop-up sights that allow the user, providing they have an appropriate data-link, to aim just by looking at the target, as well as a digital read-out on the side of the grip that allows the user to simply glance down and see how many rounds are left in the magazine. Asthetairoi units often modify their weapons with silencers and extended magazines for covert operations.
Kefefs Assault Rifle - Ever since the end of the Sicyon War, a continuous stream of small arms have left the factories of Sagittar as industrial competitors endeavour to outdo each other. This has long left the Stratia with endless choice in their supply to the point where they can comfortable put out tenders for high-end specifications. The result of one such tender in 198 AE was the Kefefs, a bullpup design which was itself unusual in the weapons industry, but became even more so thanks to its innovative use of caseless rounds. Even so, the designers made provision for the chances of a misfire, and allowed operators to simply eject the round through the dual-ejection ports mounted on each side of the rifle. This, in addition to a mirrored system for the fire-selector switch, allows the Kefefs to be operated by both right and left-handed personnel with no discomfort.
Firing the new 4.73×33mm rounds, the Kefefs was designed to be cheap, reliable, and effective no matter who by or where it was operated. Fitted with a carrying handle mounting a red-dot scope as standard, the rifle also uses a rail system to allow attachments as required by the tactical needs of a mission, including foregrips, underslung grenade launchers, electro-shock devices for incapacitating non-combatants, and the RAM, or Retro Action Motor, designed to allow the Kefefs to be used in zero-gravity without displacing the operator through recoil.
Yun Tong Close In Defence Projector - Fitted to every AAU, the Yun Tong is a system of micro-grenade launchers fitted onto a specially-made harness. Each Yun Tong is tied into the respective AAU's sensors, and operates completely automatically. In the first rounds of testing this design choice led to a number of friendly casualties when the test units moved to block the line of fire at friendly troops, and the decision to install a cut-off was made quickly. While originally intended to only carry fragmentation grenades, speculative work on special smoke charges has proceeded, and rumoured to be of use in negating laser beams.
Vehicles
Asterion Cataphract - Named for the Minotaur of legend, the Asterion is a high-powered and heavily armoured battle tank. Equipped with a long-barrelled 120mm cannon, the Asterion is built for the sole purpose of destroying enemy armoured vehicles too tough for the Kentaurus anti-tank missiles. A single co-axial machine-gun is equipped for the purpose of attacking enemy infantry while a cupola-mounted machine-gun is used for operations in built-up areas. Given its larger weight, and thus lower speed, it is only rarely seen in use, and most were assigned to garrison duty in the Phanes System and it seems inevitable that the construction of the successor to the Asterion seems to herald its well-earned retirement.
Asterion 2 Cataphract – The Asterion 2 is a step beyond its ancestor. Fitted with an experimental railgun firing 20mm ferric tungsten flechettes, the tank is the most heavily armed vehicle in use with the Stratia. In addition to the railgun, the design mounts a modified Achilles support gun in a remote weapon system on the top of the turret, allowing the three man crew to cover a multitude of threats without having to leave the safety of the vehicle’s interior. It also carries a much-heavier amount of armour than the first Asterion, with a multi-layer mix of composite armour, non-energetic reactive armour, and explosive reactive armour. This leaves the Asterion 2 as far bulkier than its predecessor, and even the addition of a much improved engine leaves it with a negligible speed increase over the original design.
Cheiron Hippotoxotai - Based on the reliable and efficient chassis of the Kentaurus, the Cheiron is a fast-moving and lethal vehicle. Named after the patron of Sagittar, the centaur Cheiron, it is equipped with two turreted gatling-type 20mm cannons equally capable against aerial targets and ground infantry, as well as the HOPLON system. HOPLON integrates the inbuilt radar of the Cheiron as well as laser-detection equipment in addition to a rear-mounted battery of vertically-launched micro-missiles designed to shoot down incoming missiles. However the system does not react at all to 'dumb' warheads, and was only designed to act against air-launched missiles, negating the likelihood of successful interceptions against ground-launched missiles.
Huli Jing Drepanèphoros - While the Zhenniao represented a phenomenal improvement over the Argos, the heavy amount of firepower it contained and its large troop capacity led to an almost inevitable confusion of use by commanders, with many Zhenniaos often being used to conduct offensive seek-and-kill operations rather than simply softening up the landing zones it was intended for. Combined with its large outline and relatively low speed, it was quickly realised that in any serious conflict they would be rendered useless through misuse and enemy action and that a purpose-built design was necessary to accompany it.
It didn't take long for the progenitor of the Huli Jing to appear. Built around an identical cockpit design to the Zhenniao, it was arranged around a pod-and-boom design allowing for a much more slender profile. Able to take the same turret options as the transport, it carries a pair of internal weapons bays running along the lower flanks, each capable of holding a variety of munitions as needed. Most commonly the Huli Jing will be seen with a mixed load out of Kontos ATGM's and Kestrosphendonè MWM's.
Kentaurus Hippikon - The Kentaurus is the main infantry combat transport of the Stratia. A tracked vehicle equipped with a single light 30mm autocannon, it also carries four turret-mounted Kontos anti-tank missiles in box containers. This mix of light and heavy firepower, combined with its reliability, versatility and speed, long ago led to its recognition as the true backbone of the Stratia. The design carries the usual fossil-fuel engine of other ground vehicles, but also carries a solar battery for auxiliary use, though some consider this particular feature a mere sop to Gytheian enviromental sensibilities. Nonetheless, the chassis' formidable qualities have seen it become the forefather of an extended family of combat vehicles, and it is highly unlikely it will leave service for some decades yet.
Kuklōps Hippotoxotai - Likewise based on the chassis of the Kentaurus, the Kuklōps is a tracked self-propelled gun carrying a 155mm gun. Developed to provide long-range support for Stratia units with no access to aerial backup, the Kuklōps specialises in so-called 'shoot-and-scoot' tactics, firing a shot as needed before moving off to a better location. As a result, it does not carry more than a mere twenty rounds for its main gun, and is not designed for sustained operations. Although it still sees a great deal of use when dealing with fortified positions, the general use of the Kuklōps in the future is believed to be increasingly more unlikely, and work has already commenced on a mobile missile platform as its replacement.
Lei Gong Assisted Armour Unit - Named for the Xhanese god of thunder, the Lei Gong is an attempt to weaponise prosthetics on a large scale. First created by Tiějiang Foundries in conjunction with Suidochi Synthetics in 215 AE, the Assisted Armour Unit is a massive suit of armour designed to allow the 'pilot' to connect with it via neural interfaces in a manner similar to prosthetic connections. Standing at just over nine feet in height, the AAU is a hard carapace with just enough space for an average-sized human to fit inside, with what little space remains devoted to fibre-bundles, armour plate and sensors.
In a first for Republic vehicles, the suit is fitted with a system inspired by the concept of bifocal vision; the user's normal field of vision is displayed on the inside of the helmet's HUD, while the remaining field behind the user of around one-hundred and sixty degrees is displayed on a strip above. Each suit is also fitted with manipulator arms based on prosthetics as well as an inbuilt communications suite, allowing it to carry a range of up-sized weapons designed especially for it such as the Feng Bo or the Dian Mu. Only a few Lei Gong's are currently in existence, with most assigned to the 49th Independent Systasis, a unit assigned to the strategic reserve on Taurus.
Pēgasos Attack Craft - The Pēgasos is, comparatively speaking, a masterpiece of Republic design; a sleek, variable geometry, fighter, it is one of the two fixed-wing, endo-atmospheric designs used by the Stratia, and serves as their main aerial combatant. Fitted with a single long-barreled thirty-millimetre gun in the centre-line, the Pēgasos also contains two hardpoints under the fuselage, as well as one on either side of the fuselage, allowing for a total of four Mesangylon air-to-air missiles to be carried.
In emergencies, the Pēgasos can also operate as a light air-to-ground strike craft, though it can only carry six Kontos ATGM's in this manner as the side-mounted hardpoints lack sufficient height clearance for two. Republic commanders are advised to use something like the Pēgasos in this role only in the absolute worst-case scenario, and many pilots are glad that they've not been called upon to do so.
Zhenniao Troop Transport - The Zhenniao is something new in the history of the Stratia. During the Trade War, Sagittarian forces relied on bulky mining craft and personnel shuttles to convey them from their transports to the surface. Even the later Cetea-class warships were forced to rely on the venerable Argos-class transports which were only retired in 201 AE. Since then, the Stratia has lacked any real means of conducting orbital assaults or aerial manouvres, a major flaw in the mobility-orientated doctrine it almost exclusively favours.
It was only the success of the Ikaros class dropship that convinced senior strategos to look into creating a replacement, with the result being the Zhenniao. A hybrid gunship/transport, it can carry either a 30mm cannon or a 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret, while wing slats are provided to carry up to eight Kontos ATGM's or four 57mm rocket pods. The Zhenniao also carries room for up to eighteen passengers, though work is taking place on a cargolifter variant with added capacity for mass transport and cargo-runs. At the moment only a limited number of units have access to the transport since acceptance in 210 AE, and full use is only anticipated to be deemed complete by 217 AE.
Zhenniao Guī Heavy Transport - Based on the original Zhenniao's cargolifter variant, the Guī variant is designed to carry a full six-strong team of Lei Gong AAU's. In an effort to provide as much speed as possible without compromising lift capacity, most of the original airframe's weaponry was stripped out with the exception of the chin-mounted turret. The sides of the frame have been reworked to allow them to slide back, allowing each AAU to rappel out of the heavy transport by a heavy duty carbon nanotube cable derived from the same design used to make the walls of the deuterium-fluoride batteries of the Dian Mu.
Zhūgě Nǔ Hippotoxotai - A variant of the familiar Cyclops, the Zhūgě Nǔ is a rather more specialised vehicle. The powerful 155mm gun is gone, instead replaced with a shorter assembly of three 60mm barrels designed to allow sustained fire without wearing the barrels unusable. Each one is assembled on a rotary frame, with an ammunition drum mounted beneath loaded with ninety projectiles, ranging from air-deployed mines to fragmentation rounds to small-calibre fusion munitions. While in action, the gun somewhat resembles the 20mm gatlings used as point defence by Nautikon warships, leading more than one casual observer to liken it to iron hail.
The Zhūgě Nǔ's are far more favoured by mobile strikeforces for their lighter weight and superiority in volume of fire compared to their Kuklōpes ancestors, and it's for this reason that production of them is slowly outstripping the older Hippotoxotai. It is in fact well known for commanders to mass their Zhūgě Nǔ's together, an effort that can wipe half a grid square out in minutes when equipped with their fusion munitions.