Arca Majour: Military supply contract

[Arca majour]

Arca Majour is looking to modernise its army procurment plan with high tech equipment and patents of international renound and high quality.

If your country has designs it may offer them, along with a short explanation to Arca Majour for evaluation.

We are tending contracts for the following areas:

1.) Future adaptive combat rifle.

2.) Personal defence carbine.

3.) Advanced camouflage scheme.

4.) Attack helicopter.

[Marcheria]

The U.S.S.M State Arms Factory
"More bang for less buck"

The USSM State Arms Factory would formally present our two submissions into your program: The K-24 Modular Assault Weapon and the AH-55 Chancellor Assault Helicopter. These are hot-selling, battle-tested combat systems used by dozens of militaries across the world and I can personally guarantee that your military can't get anything better- for a better price.
-J.J Patterson Alben, CEO

K-24 "Alto" Modular Assault Weapon: Burevolfy’s favorite! This versatile, powerful assault rifle packs a variety of scopes and other attachments, and is perfectly suited to any situation.

-Caliber: 7.62mm short
-Weight: 4.5kg
-Length: 1.23m (with full stock extension)
-Magazine: 35-round box
-Gas operated; rotating bolt with semi, 3-round burst, and full auto modes: 750 rpm
-Effective Range: 575m
-Price: $1000

AH-55 Chancellor Assault/Attack Helicopter

Crew 2:
Transport Capacity: 10 soldiers, no vehicles
Length: 65 feet
Rotor Diameter: 48.7 feet
Height: 12.8 feet (cockpit), 20 feet (highest point)
Empty weight: 15,678 lb (5,165 kg)
Loaded weight: 25,678 lb (8,000 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 31,853 lb (10,433 kg)
Powerplant: 2 USSMSAF TH237 Stealth turboshaft engines
Never Exceed Speed: 197 knots (227 mph, 365 km/h)
Maximum Speed:182 mph
Cruising Speed: 165 mph
Ferry range: 1,180 mi
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (6,400 m) minimum loaded
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min
Armaments:
1 30mm four barreled chaingun
6 external hardpoints
Price:$8.7 million per unit

[Samozaryadnyastan]

Samozniy Military Industries would be willing to put forward for the future rifle, carbine and attack helicopter positions.
Kindly make any orders to the SMI storefront. Please hurry! The SMI is closing down soon! It will close to 'open investment' directly to the storefront on Sunday, but will remain briefly open to tend to arms competitions.

We can provide three possible rifle families:
*Note - in addition to the SA-AR-2 Carbine, the SA-AR-1 Mod 1 line features a carbine-length rifle, and then a 'carbine' which is the same weapon chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum as a PDW*

The lineup for the SA-AR-1 Mod 1 line is long and varied, a series of rifles based upon the original SA-AR-1 rifle.
The Mod 1 programme was originally to be unveiled at the opening of the V2 store, but we shall submit them for this competition, as they were submitted for the SABR (Specialised Assault Battle Rifle). Nominally, these rifles will be chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition, but the Samozniy Technical Improvements Facility would be able to re-calibre any weapons systems into any preferred calibre your nation may have.

SA-AR-1 Mod 1

The original SA-AR-1 (as visible in the storefront) replaced ageing stocks of AEK-971 and AN-94 rifles in the Samozniy Military. The heavy 7.62mm round gave excellent stopping power at range, and higher accuracy at medium ranges.
The weapon utilises the common Gas Operated Rotating Bolt operation, as used on many automatic service rifles around the world. The prominent top-mounted gas tube forms part of the action. The rifle is a simple base, which allows it to be modified into the various DMR, SAW, Carbine and SMG variants as required by this competition.
The weapon features four picatinny-type attachment rails - one above the receiver for sights (the foresight folds, the rearsight is removable), one beneath the handguard for foregrips and even underbarrel systems such as shotguns and grenade launchers, and one either side of the handguard for tactical torches and laser emitters.

Weapon Statistics
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Magazine capacity: 30 round
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 31 inches
Barrel Length: 20.4 inches
Unit Weight: 4.6kg
Muzzle Velocity: 850m/s
Maximum Range: ~700m
Accurate Range: ~400m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 650rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto, 3 round burst and single shot.
Unit cost: $2200

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SA-AR-1 Mod 1 SAW-2

The SAW-2 with its "Casket" type magazine inserted. Along the bottom is the Casket magazine (middle), with a 30-round (left) and original 60-round (right) magazine for comparison.

The SA-AR-1 Mod 1 SAW-2's 60 round magazine had received negative criticism from serving troops in Samozniy forces, because of its long length making storage, carrying and even reloading difficult, and also limiting the vertical arc of fire when deployed with bipod.
Drum magazines were considered, but rejected due to other ergonomic concerns of either holding the weapon at all, or an offset drum destabilising the weapon. As such, the SMI have manufactured, as a test bed, a 72-round "Casket"-type magazine, which utilises a quadruple-stacking mechanism.
The quadruple-stacking means that the magazine can fit twice as much ammunition in the same vertical space, whilst being slightly thinner than a pair of standard magazines. The design of the magazine forces the stacks to taper into a single double stack, so that the magazine can be inserted into a standard magwell, and thus means that this 72-round extended magazine is still compatible with the other rifle-calibre variants of the system.
This magazine, unloaded, is only slightly heavier than the standard 60-round magazine, but lighter than a pair of 30-round magazines. Using a shorter magazine allows for a faster reload and also for standard 30-round magazine pouches capable of carrying twin magazines can be used.

Original 60-round magazine variant.

Original 60-round magazine variant.

The SAW-2 is an extended barrel variant of the AR-1, with a free-floating barrel of 29.2 inches length. It is designed to perform similarly to the SA80 L86 LSW, in performing the roles of both SAW and DMR, though a specialised DMR variant is also available (below). The system features an extending top-mounted 480mm bipod that, when at its maximum splay of 30 degrees, provides 415mm of clearance, as well as an 80 degree horizontal cone of fire and unlimited elevation control.
Note the hooked buttstock, which features an integrated rear hand grip designed to provide extra stability when firing with the bipod deployed, by pulling the weapon into your shoulder, also adding a measure of recoil control.

Weapon Statistics
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Magazine capacity: 72 round extended "Casket" magazine (all other Mod 1 magazines are compatible)
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 39.8 inches
Barrel Length: 29.2 inches
Unit Weight: 9.2kg
Muzzle Velocity: 1050m/s
Maximum Range: ~1200m
Accurate Range: ~600m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 650rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto, 3 round burst and single shot.
Unit Cost: $3100

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SA-AR-1 Mod 1 DMR

Also known as the SA-SR-3 for its DMR role, this is a further-modified SAW-2 that has been optimised for long-range performance. The pictured model displays a red dot sight, with a flip-up magnifier scope allowing for 5x optical zoom - the rearsight has been removed. The DMR variant uses a 20-round straight magazine, and lacks a fully-automatic fire mode. It retains the 480mm bipod of the SA-SAW-2, to allow for stabilised fire over cover and on the ground.
Unlike other DMR-type 'sniper rifle' weapons sold by SMI, this is capable of burst fire and is much more effective at close range, making it a more versatile system.
Note the hooked buttstock, which features an integrated rear hand grip designed to provide extra stability when firing with the bipod deployed, by pulling the weapon into your shoulder, also adding a measure of recoil control.

Weapon Statistics
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Magazine capacity: 20 round 'Marksman' magazine (all other Mod 1 magazines are compatible)
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 39.8 inches
Barrel Length: 29.2 inches
Unit Weight: 9.2kg
Muzzle Velocity: 1050m/s
Maximum Range: ~1200m
Accurate Range: ~600m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 650rpm, semi-automatic only. Selector switches between single shot and three round burst fire.
Unit Cost: $3600 ($4300 with attached sights)

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SA-AR-1 Mod 1 Carbine Supershort

The Carbine Supershort variant is a model designed for tank crews and aircrew, allowing for a super-light rifle to be carried, rather than a pistol or SMG. It is also suitable for internal security forces, airborne units and Special Forces. The 12-inch barrel (the blue vertical lines mark the end of the barrel and the beginning of the flash hider) makes the weapon not much longer than just the receiver.
Given that this removes much of the handguard, a detachable foregrip is supplied, along with a rail-mounted foresight.

Weapon Statistics
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Magazine capacity: 30 round
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 22.6 inches
Barrel Length: 12 inches
Unit Weight: 3.2kg
Muzzle Velocity: 650m/s
Maximum Range: ~400m
Accurate Range: ~200m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 650rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto and single shot.
Unit cost: $2000

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SA-AR-1 Mod 1 Carbine Ultrashort

The Carbine Ultrashort is essentially a Carbine Supershort chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. However, the much shorter round makes for a shorter action, and the weapon's buttstock can thus be shortened as well. The external gas block is also of a different design to the other weapons in the programme. The shorter action stroke also allows a higher rate of fire to be achieved, whilst the heavier, slower round is much more effective at close range than the heavier, faster intermediate cartridge operated by the other weapons.
The Ultrashort also features a threaded barrel in lieu of a flash hider, for the addition of aftermarket flash hiders and suppressors.

Weapon Statistics
Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum
Magazine capacity: 40 round
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 21 inches
Barrel Length: 12 inches
Unit Weight: 2.6kg
Muzzle Velocity: 350m/s
Maximum Range: ~300m
Accurate Range: ~200m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 900rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto and single shot.
Unit cost: $1800

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The SMI rate for weapon DPRs is typically equivalent to 1 million times the purchase cost of the weapons. However, the V2 storefront will also bring with it a new DPR rate, that takes into account DPR of previous weapon systems.

A possible DPR rate for the programme would be $2.2bn for the production rights and manufacturing facility of the AR-1, and then since the factory would be capable of producing the other weapons, the subsequent systems require a lower outlay, of 200,000 times unit cost. This would bring the total to $4.3 billion.

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The SA-AR-2 "Pitbull" Carbine is a weapon designed for special forces. Unlike most Samozniy Arms weapons, this weapon is in the conventional layout of magazine ahead of the trigger system - because whilst the bullpup design is better on paper, the conventional has various advantages over the bullpup that are only apparent in a combat zone.
One of these is that when reloading a bullpup, you physically have to look down, and raise your weapon. With a contemporary, you can reload without moving your eyes or the weapon.
The Pitbull was designed with low weight and low cost in mind - as such, it uses the Direct Impingement gas operation method rather than a Rotating Bolt, and lacks the 3-round burst option of its heavier AR-1 cousin. Its fire selector varies from single shot to fully automatic at 650rpm. It uses the much lighter and more ubiquitous 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition in 30 round magazines.
The shorter barrel (10 inches) yet lighter round means that the muzzle velocity is slightly lower than that of the SA-AR-1 at 820m/s. The accurate and maximum ranges of the weapon are lower than the "Doberman", at 200 and 600m respectively.

Statistics:
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Magazine capacity: 30 round
Weapon configuration: Standard Layout
Length: 28 inches; 19.5 inches with buttstock retracted
Barrel Length: 10 inches
Unit Weight: 2.6kg
Muzzle Velocity: 820m/s
Maximum Range: ~600m
Accurate Range: ~200m
Operation: Gas Operated, Direct Impingement
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 650rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto and single shot.
Unit cost: $1900
SA-EG-5 gunsight: $450
Suppressor: $80
Foregrip: $60

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The SA-AR-3 "Rottweiler" Assault Rifle is also designed for use by special forces. The variant we provide here is the SA-AR-3 Mod 1, which is a re-design of the AR-3 rifle to improve ergonomics, following battle data returned from in-field combat testing.
The shape is ergonomically designed to improve comfort and weight distribution, allowing the weapon to be held for greater periods of time. The twin handguard means that the user can adopt two different stances for medium-range precision fire (grasping the fore conventional handguard) and stabilising for close range automatic and burst fire (the medium vertical handgrip). If a grenade launcher is attached, the vertical grip acts as a pistol grip for the grenade launcher.
The weapon was originally to use the 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition of the AR-2 Carbine, but eventually selected the 5.45x39mm Russian cartridge, for its superior ballistic qualities. The 7N24 'super-armour piercing' variant of this 5.45mm ammunition is also available, which would be an excellent round in close-quarters, allowing a soldier to rapidly defeat an enemy's armour.
The 16 inch barrel is an intermediate between the Pitbull carbine and the Doberman battle rifle, and the unusual calibre round is capable of much higher velocities, of up to 915m/s. Though the round can travel much greater distance, the accurate and maximum range reflect typical combat engagements, at 300 and 600m respectively. As is standard on Samozniy small arms, the rifle fires from a 30 round magazine.

The Rottweiler displayed above, with its SA-EG-6 "Owl" all-weather gunsight attached to the extended top rail. The artwork is concept for the SA-AR-3 Mod 1 variant, launching officially with the new storefront, but being submitted to this competition.

Statistics:
Caliber: 5.45x39mm
Magazine capacity: 30 round
Weapon configuration: Bullpup
Length: 26.3 inches
Barrel Length: 16 inches
Unit Weight: 3.6kg
Muzzle Velocity: 915m/s
Maximum Range: ~600m
Accurate Range: ~300m
Operation: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 750rpm, fully-automatic. Semi-automatic selector switches between full-auto and single shot.
Unit cost: $2400
Suppressor: $80

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As for our Attack Helicopter submission, we are submitting a multi-role helicopter. The HIND-X-2 is not a Samozniy-designed aircraft - it's a heavily modified Mil Mi-24 assault transport aircraft.
The South Africans took the Mi-35 Export variant of the HIND, tinkered about with it, ended up with this and called it a SuperHIND MkIV. The Western Gunsmiths (before they became the STIF) took a MkIV, put even more toys on it and called it a HIND-X. X-variant HINDS served extensively with Samozniy Special Forces. When the STIF became an official in-house works department of the Samozniy military, they went back to the drawing board and bolted even more parts onto it.
The HIND-X-2 is one of the biggest, most powerful and most multi-roled multi-role helicopters ever fielded.
Amongst the additional upgrades - The additions of two more rotor blades, from five to seven, means that the same noise is generated by less rotational speed, and that higher lift can be generated from the same speed as before. A more powerful SAM engine, uprated offensive systems, HIDAS countermeasures suite, Longbow radar and perhaps the most obvious - the addition of a Fenestron rotor.
Fenestrons are ideal for helicopters filling one of the X-2's key roles of covert transport. Since the blades aren't free-spinning, and are enclosed - troops disembarking on night operations don't need to worry about being killed by the tail rotor. Since it's enclosed, a fenestron-equipped transport can land almost anywhere, since the rotor is much less susceptible to fouling on wires, fences, and foreign objects striking the blade tips. Fenestrons are also far quieter than standard tail rotors - improving stealth, and are more resilient to damage. The enclosure prevents damaged blades from spinning erratically or flying off to strike the airframe.

IMAGE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

Statistics:
Airframe:

Crew: 2 (pilot, weapons officer); 2 additional optional 'loadmasters' manning door guns
Capacity: 16 soldiers, 2 'loadmasters'; alternate variants have different capacities
Length: 18,920mm
Height: 7180mm (including Longbow radome)
Wingspan: 7180mm
Tail rotor: twin 9-blade contra-rotating 80cm fenestron
Blades: 7, titanium
Rotor diameter: 17,300mm
Disc Area: 235m²
Empty weight: 9050kg
Max Take-off Weight: 14,800kg
Engine: 2x SAM Type-13 gas turbines, 2600bhp equivalent each
Maximum speed: 247mph
Range: 310 miles (can be extended to 840 miles using 4 hardpoint-mounted drop tanks)
Operational Ceiling: 6200m

Combat systems:

Primary weapon system: 30mm single-barrel chain-driven chin gun
Secondaries and stores: 700kg each on inner pylons, 450kg each on outer pylon, outermost missile wings can hold total of 8 ASM/AAM; Typical load: two pairs 25-round rocket pod alternating munitions, 4 ASM; 4 fuel pods can be carried on hardpoints in place of weapon systems
Additional armaments: Both side doors have mountings suitable for compatible automatic weapons and grenade launchers
Electronic target acquisition aids: forward FLIR pod slaved to main gun; Longbow Fire Control Radar
Countermeasures systems: SA-EWS-5 "Whiplash" comprehensive HIDAS

Unit Cost: $45,720,000

[Imeriata]

We here at the royal merchant guild have noticed that you are in the dire need of military hardware and would as a result like to help you out by offering on the behalf of our member, the sandersjö arms smithery, the KVG mark 09 service rifle that can easily be constructed to use the requested calibre as a most excellent weapon for the modern soldier who both want to be effective but also look good on the field of battle.

KVG-09 (battle rifle)

Designer: Hans auf Sadersjö
Designed: 1987
Manufacturer: the royal merchant guild (the Sadersjö arms forgery)
Produced: 1989- present

Specifications
Weight: 3.9 kg loaded
Length: 750mm
Barrel length: 500 mm
Cartridge: 8x56mm Khönungskot
Calibre: 8 mm calibre
Sights: Iron sight.
Muzzle velocity: 800 m/s
Effective range: 750 m
Rate of fire: Semi-Automatic/ short burst
Action: gas operated semi automatic.
Feed system: 10 round magazine.

Designed from the earlier versions of the KVG mark 08 rifle designed with more advanced mechanism to replace the original blot-action rifle KVG mark 08 by Hans auf Sadersjö who at the time where the head of the auf Sandersjö noblehouse that originally designed the much earlier KVG mark 06 that became the first standardised rifle more than a century earlier.
Made out of stainless steal and a wood from all over the federation to provide a most fashionable weapons that any soldier proudly can wear to battle, Would you still think that your soldiers or you yourself is worth more so could you perhaps be interested in the more decorated version made out of the finest stainless steal made out of the best coal and iron that could be brought forth both from the federation herself and over the shores as well as a wooden handle made out of the best smoked and lacquered oak that could be find with silver trimmings to add that special look that the modern gentleman look for in his weaponry. However due to the demands of the market so can many requests be made to change both appearance and colouration of this rifle such as adding one of those gods awful foldable stocks or railings and materials such as plastic that is all the fad today as well as making requested changing in the cartage for all battlerifle bullets imaginable to suit the needs of you, our most valued customer!

If you buy this rifle now however so do we your friends in the royal merchant guild even throw in the bonus of a free magazine of 8x56mm Khönungskots and a standard 30cm spike bayonet for free for each rifle purchased.

Customisations:
Change of ammunition to another battlerifle round: free
Change of bayonet holder to fit knife and sword bayonets: free
Railing: +25 NSD per rifle
X4 scope: + 125 NSD per rifle
Red dot sight: + 175 NSD per rifle
bipod: + 25 NSD per rifle
Improved magazine size (20 rounds): +25 NSD per rifle
Super improved drum magazine size (30 rounds): + 75 NSD per rifle
Decorated: + 100 NSD per rifle
Plastic construction: - 50 NSD per rifle

of course would any other request be made so are we here in the royal merchant guild most interested in hearing your requests so we can do our best to satisfy your needs.

Price: 825 NSD

I do hope you see reason and accept our offer, and if you want more so would I recommend our storefront for similarly gentlemanly weapons.
Best of wishes/ High merchant lord Johaness auf markskog of the royal merchant guild.

[Anemos Major]

The Second Holy Empire of Anemos Major/Ei Imperyr Divinatei Dinstei dei Etatyr Anemonei
Holy Office of War/Directoratyr Mordensei

Imperial State Armaments Export Authority
-Imperise Directoratyr Exrecounise dei Armamentyr Etatei-
Arsenalyr Coronei IECpl
Imperise Fonderist dei Anemos Maiorise IECpl
Arsenalyr Deimos IECpl
Arsenalyr Karonin IECpl
Arsenalyr Fierei IECpl
Arsenalyr Moldonei IECpl

It is our belief that we can not only fulfil, but surpass the requirements set out in your contract for a Future Adaptive Combat Rifle and a Personal Defence Carbine by bringing the two weapons together into a single weapons system. This can, furthermore, be done through the use of two separate weapons offered by our conglomerate, as well as an additional 5.56mm combat rifle, thus providing the Arcan Armed Forces with a degree of flexibilty of choice that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

1) The IFAM AR8R5 Modular Weapons System. Firing the heavy hitting 6.7mm round, the AR8R5 is everything you could possibly want from a service rifle. Its modularity permits quick modifications in the battlefield, allowing it to fill several roles effortlessly and efficiently. Its short-stroke gas piston system ensures that the weapon system itself is highly reliable and usable. Its lightness and sturdiness creates a highly durable weapon capable of fighting through the most adverse of combat environments; there's a reason the Anemonian Armed Forces pride themselves on the quality of their equipment. The AR8 is one of those few rifles which will always be there and ready to fight, wherever you may be.

AR8R5 Carbine w/ stock ironsights.
-thanks to RRoan (Senestrum) for the incredible lineartification of my scrawled drawing.

Designer: Kiel Lebenatyr
Designed: 2008
Manufacturer : IFAM
Unit cost: 1600 NSD (including parts for all configurations)
Produced: 2009-present
Number built: ~20 million
Variants: Compact Carbine, Carbine (14, 15, 17 inch barrels), Rifle, Designated Marksman's Rifle, Automatic Rifle.

(statistics are for Carbine variant)

Weight: 3.4 kg unloaded, 3.6 kg loaded
Length: 811.5 mm (32 in), stock unfolded
Barrel length: 375 mm (15 in)
Cartridge: 6.7x47mm Arsenal Standard Anemonian
Action: Gas-operated (short-stroke gas piston), rotating bolt
Rate of fire: 780 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 830 m/s (2,723 ft/s)
Effective range: 500 m (1,640 ft)
Feed system: 30-round detachable box magazine
Sights: Dual-mode accessory diopter sight and front post, flip up, Picatinny rail for optics.

Background and Role

The IFAM AR8R5 is a modular weapons system chambered in the 6.7x47mm Arsenal Standard Anemonian intermediate rifle cartridge. With an orthodox ergonomic design based on the AR15 family of rifles and a highly simplistic, rail based design for simple adjustment to a variety of different roles, the exterior design of the AR8 follows a very ordinary design ethos. The internal workings of the weapon are based on the tried and tested layout of the Heckler and Koch HK416's short-stroke gas piston system and rotating bolt, alongside a cold hammer-forged barrel, to ensure reliability of the weapon in the various combat environments encountered by the Anemonian Armed Forces and to ensure that the weapon's parts would last for a long period of time before requiring replacement, increasing the cost-efficiency of the weapon. Though this means that the weapon's internal workings are slightly complex, this problem has been largely allayed by the quality of the Armed Forces' personnel pool.

Development

AR8

Design on the original AR8, chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, was commenced in 2006 following the Anemonian Army's final consensus concerning the impractical, underperforming nature of the then utilised AR5 carbine. Though these sentiments were not made public for national security reasons, the Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff commissioned the Imperial Foundries of Anemos Major to look into the development of a successor weapon to the AR5. In 2006, IFAM returned with a potential experimental design for a successor weapon, labelled the AR5R/Y, and the Armed Forces, now interesting in purchasing a new weapon following their decision to adopt the 6.7x47mm round, requested a more radical weapon design to replace the AR5 entirely, requesting a modular family of weapons and compatibility for the new round as part of the official requirements for the replacement weapon. IFAM produced the final design in early 2008, and the new weapon, now labelled the AR8, was adopted as the formal successor to the AR5, 6 and 7 across the Armed Forces in the same month.

AR8A1~AR8R3

Faults with the initial weapon were, however, quickly found. Though the internal workings of the weapon operated with the efficiency expected of this tried and tested design, the modularity of the weapon was questioned when it was found that the conversion process took over an hour in the hands of a trained weapons officer. Furthermore, the initial ergonomics of the weapon followed the AR5's exterior design very closely, and the result was that the Armed Forces halted its order for one million rifles after the two-hundreth order had been delivered under the condition that IFAM investigate these complaints and amend the weapon accordingly. In order to comply with these decisions, IFAM developed two separate weapons; the AR8R1 was a conventional upgrade of the weapon, while the AR8R2 was a bullpup conversion of the original AR8, which facilitated weapons modularity by placing the weapon's working parts at the back of the rifle so as to ensure that the operator of the weapon simply had to repalce the forward barrel area of the weapon to adapt it to different roles. This design was taken up by Arsenal Deimos; however, IFAM selected the AR8R1 as the future for the AR8 family and, following a few minor modifications to this design, including a bayonet lug and folding iron-sights for the rifle, IFAM produced the AR8R3 rifle, which the Armed Forces happily selected.

AR8R4 onwards

In 2009, however, the Crown Army of Anemos Major was presented with an experimental design, the AR8R4, by IFAM. Due to the fact that the Crown Army had been engaged in constant counter-insurgency combat within Asakura for the best part of ten years, the new rifle could only be issued to units returning from the conflict gradually, and the result was that only 200,000 rifles had been issued by this point. IFAM took this opportunity to present a weapon to the Crown Army capable of far simpler field conversion to different roles, and a higher adaptability to various combat requirements through the implementation of a stock-replacement system and a greater amount of Rail Interface Systems on the weapon itself. Furthermore, the ergonomics of the weapon were modified further according to complaints raised about the redesigned AR8R3. The Army decided to replace their existing order with one for the new weapon, and after the finalisation of those parts required for the new weapon, the final design was labelled as the AR8 Revision 5 and implemented as the new standard combat rifle for the Anemonian Crown Army.

The modular design of the AR8R5 comes in several different configurations. Though there are a number of intermediate custom configurations utilised by some specialised groups, the standard configurations offered by IFAM and its subsidiaries are the Compact Carbine, Carbine, Rifle, Marskman's Rifle and Automatic Rifle. In these configurations, the AR8 family of weapons fulfils various roles, from standard infantry weapons to the Anemonian vehicles crewman's sidearm.

2) The IFAM AR9 Modular Weapons System. Taking the many positive qualities of the AR8, the AR9 takes things a step further by packing it all into the compact frame of a bullpup. That alone would make it a spectacular weapon, but the Anemonian Armed Forces aren't easily satisfied; with an innovative forward ejection system and modified modularity designed to suit the frame of a bullpup rifle, the AR9 is an outstanding and highly unique weapon, bringing the AR8's flexibility and power to excel and outperform in the narrow confines of close combat.

Ultrashort, with Modelyr 08/B forward grip and ICO-S red-dot sight


Carbine, with Modelyr 08/B forward grip, ICO-S red-dot sight, LS/208R1 laser aiming module and Eleclenteryr ML029 tactical flashlight


Rifle, with ICO-S red-dot sight


Rifle, with ICO-S red-dot sight and Arsenal Karonin Modelyr 08 40mm Grenade Launcher


Rifle, with ICO-M 4x optical sight and Modelyr 08/B forward grip


Squad Support Weapon, with ICO-M 4x optical sight and Modelyr 08/B forward grip


Rifle, with ICO-S red-dot sight and Arsenal Karonin Modelyr 08 40mm Grenade Launcher in Anemonian Military Grey; this is the colour used across the Anemonian Armed Forces in everyday operations.

Designer: Arsenal Lenteryr IECpl (as a subsidiary of IFAM)
Designed: 2009
Manufacturer : IFAM
Unit cost: 1800 NSD (including parts for all configurations)
Produced: 2010-present
Number built: ~14 million
Variants: Ultrashort, Carbine, Rifle, Squad Support Weapon.

(statistics are for Rifle variant)

Weight: 3.3 kg unloaded, 3.5 kg loaded
Length: 806mm
Barrel length: 566 mm (22.28 in)
Cartridge: 6.7x47mm Arsenal Standard Anemonian
Action: Gas-operated (short-stroke gas piston), rotating bolt
Rate of fire: 820 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 850 m/s (2,789 ft/s)
Effective range: 500 m (1,640 ft)
Feed system: 30-round detachable box magazine
Sights: Dual-mode accessory diopter sight and front post, flip up, Deimos interface system for optics.

Background and History
In 2009, the AR8R5 Modular Weapons System came into service with the Armed Forces of Anemos Major. A service rifle unlike those which had come before it, the AR8 brought so great a host of advantages to the table that it was undoubtedly a highly effective replacement for the AR5R1 rifle that had preceded it. A short stroke gas piston system like its predecessor made it a highly reliable weapon. An intermediate cartridge let it punch well above its weight. Its new polymer construction greatly decreased the weight of the Anemonian infantryman's primary weapon. It's modularity turned it from a simple service rifle into a highly flexible family of interchangeable armaments, following an exclusively Anemonian line of both efficient and effective design.

Before the introduction of the AR5 in the year 2000, however, the Anemonian Armed Forces had utilised the FAMAS G2 rifle under the name AR4 with success so great it was still retained in some specialist formations years after its introduction. The adoption of a new standard cartridge meant that this could no longer be the case; as a result, various suggestions from across the Armed Forces, including the Mechanised Infantry, Marine Paratroopers and Fleet Security, all formations who had utilised the FAMAS beyond the introduction of the AR5 rifle, strongly petitioned for the introduction of a bullpup rifle chambered in the new 6.7mm ASA cartridge. Initial plans called for a rechambering of the FAMAS G2 in 6.7mm; however, it was soon realised that this would require the reconstruction of much of the weapon, and thus, the Anemonian Holy Office of War issued a recommendation for the adoption of a wholly new bullpup rifle and a Request for Information to Anemos Major's various weapon manufacturers.

The first to respond was IFAM, the manufacturer of the AR8R5 rifle. Their proposed design was, at face value, a simple recreation of the AR8 design in the form of a bullpup rifle; retaining the modularity of the AR8, as well as its basic operating mechanism, the intention of the design was to retain the many advantages of the AR8 in the smaller frame desired by the Armed Forces. However, it went far beyond this; utilising a forward ejection mechanism and unique ergonomics to maximise its close combat effectiveness, the AR9 was designed to fully and effectively respond to the needs of the Armed Forces' frontline units. What the Holy Office of War had asked for was a simple modification; what emerged was a first class weapons system in its own right. The design was approved in early 2009 and the design was quickly produced and finalised. Coming into production in 2010, and quickly seeing service in flashpoints like Asakura, the units who received the initial batches of the AR9 reported high rates of success; the compact frame of the weapon permitted usage in close quarters environments with little trouble, while its high levels of reliability, power, accuracy and flexibility made it a highly popular weapon on the battlefield. The AR9 in its original form was adopted by units across the entirety of the Armed Forces; from the Anemonian Crown Army Mechanised, who required a compact weapon in the cramped environment of a troop carrying vehicle to Fleet Security, who desired an effective close quarters weapon, the AR9 catered to the specialist requirements of units across the armed forces, quickly becoming the second service rifle of the Anemonian Armed Forces.

Design

Derived from the AR8R5 Modular Weapons System, the IFAM AR9 is an operationally flexible, reliable, powerful and accurate bullpup family of combat weapons designed to provide personnel operating in close quarters combat environments the advantages offered by both the AR8's basic design and the compact nature of a bullpup design. It is, in many ways, a game changer for the Anemonian Arms Industry, a modular weapons system bringing a host of improvements and innovative features to a world class armed force requiring nothing but the best.

The AR9 is composed of a plexiglass outer frame; this glass-reinforced polymer has a 3:7 ratio of glass fibres to polymer, greatly increasing the resistance of the weapon to the wear and tear of battlefield environments when compared to standard all polymer constructions, ranging from standard attrition to hard impact. Metal alloys are utilised in the construction of the inner frame of the weapon; absorbing much of the recoil generated by the weapon, this metal reinforced construction significantly decreases the stress placed on the polymer construction of the AR9, thus increasing its service life through an effective distribution of internal pressure. Heat dissipation is achieved through a series of vents on the upper half of the handguard, as well as heat retention and dissipation through forward ejection port. The barrel is constructed out of cold hammer-forged steel, and is internally chromed. The frame construct and barrel are all quick-detachable by means of several easily accessible screws around the weapon; the forward handguard must be removed before the barrel attachment construct can be accessed, but nonetheless, the simplicity of the AR9's deconstruction process allows it to be taken apart and its modularity to be fully utilised by field soldiers with minimal effort; the separation of the forward barrel and handguard mechanism and the weapon's internals means that transfer of forward parts requires little interaction with the complex internals of the AR9.

The action utilised within the AR9 is a short stroke gas piston with a rotating bolt. This short stroke piston is composed of a piston assembly located in a tube above the rifle's barrel, and a connecting assembly which attempts to minimise the stress placed on the action itself by controlling the energy transfer between the recoiling parts and the bolt assembly. By removing the exposure of the weapon's internals to the gases and heat, unlike a direct impingement system, the short-stroke gas piston greatly increases the reliability and service life of the AR9 system, while the lower mass of recoiling parts means that there is less disruption to the AR9's point of aim during sustained automatic fire; in this way, the short stroke system also manages to make the AR9 a highly stable firing platform. A forward ejection system removes cartridges efficiently; the 'push' mechanism employed prevents spent casings from hurtling out at high speed and removes them in a manner that increases the close combat effectiveness of the AR9, disposing them in front of the AR9's user, preventing spent cartridges from hitting allies in close combat, and does so with minimal force, preventing the cartridges from becoming a nuisance or, worse still, a threat.

The feed device generally used within the AR9 is the 30 round, polymer 6.7mm ASA rifle magazine. The polymer construction greatly increases the durability of the magazine, making it resistant to warping and other changes of shape under stress and all the resultant feed problems associated with such damage; it also covers the internal construction of the magazine fully, thus protecting fragile components like the feed lips from external stress. The internal construction of the magazine features a constant curve, removing bottlenecks where rounds could potentially jam and creating a relatively smoothly feeding magazine. The follower is constructed out of the same fibreglass utilised in the construction of the AR9 itself; shock resistant, and thus greatly resistant to any problems that could potentially lead it to feed incorrectly, the polymer within the fibreglass construction of the follower means that it is also self-lubricating, creating a highly reliable base for the magazine feed. The magazine also features indicator ports on the back, covered with transparent polymers to prevnt the elements from entering the delicate internals of the magazine, that nonetheless allow the operator to quickly determine the ammunition level of the wepaon. 100 round drum magazines are occasionally used by formations who choose to supplement or complement their base of fire with the AR9 Squad Support Weapon.

In terms of sighting, the AR9 is generally employed with the Crown Army's standardised 'ICO (Infantry Combat Optics)' family of sighting equipment in combat. However, the AR9 also features an innovative BUIS system to ensure that each user of the AR9 is provided with a second option if needed. A flip up system, the AR9's BUIS is designed to remain inobstrusive until needed. Fully windage adjustable, the sights feature a circular diopter with a three-prong forward sighting system for simple and accurate target acquisition. Furthermore, the rear sights are dual mode; with flip-changeable diopters with different sighting circle diameters, the AR9's BUIS allows the shooter to choose between different levels of eye relief suited to different operational necessities. With photo-luminescent inserts to either side of the rear diopter's sighting circles and on the central prong of the forward sights, the AR9's BUIS are designed to be unobstrusive when unused, and highly effective when in use.

The interface system used on the AR9's standard configuration is a proprietary, 'in-house' design produced by Arsenal Deimos to remedy some of the inherent problems of a rail interface system. The DIS (Deimos Interface System) revolves around bolts on the accessory attachment fitting into grooves on either side of the 'slides' of the attachment system. Removing the forward part of the DIS unit, two flaps on the accessory attachment system are pushed down to retract the bolts to allow it to be pushed down the slide. When a desired position has been reached, the flaps can be let go of to fit the bolts into the nearest set of grooves to fix it in place. This system's advantage lies in the fact that, while retaining all those of the RIS system, it is both simpler and requires none to very little zeroing in of parts, as the slide, and therefore the grooves, the bolts and the accessory itself, is already aligned with the weapon and its barrel, meaning that any configurations would most likely be for adjustment between weapons and weapons configurations.

In terms of ergonomics, the AR9 is designed for maximum effectiveness at a number of ranges. The polymer construction of the weapon provides 'grip' alongside the uniquely shaped trigger guard of the weapon, greatly decreasing the AR9's tendency to slip during high intensity combat, remedying a significant operational failure of many other weapons on the market. Hand-filling, the integrated pistol grip of the AR9 features texturing to further increase the grip provided by the rough-surfaced external polymer construction of the AR9; keeping the design simple, the pistol grip nonetheless affords a great degree of usability to the weapon. The large thumb hole is large enough to prevent it from becoming constrictive to the operator of the weapon, but nonetheless highly effective in allowing it to be kept under control and in the hand in battlefield environments where a moment of haphazard movement could potentially result in the rifle falling from the hand. Furthermore, the slide selector, also textured to increase grip, is designed to be fully accessible with the thumb of the firing hand, while the magazine eject is accessble with the firing hand's index finger. The charging handle is located just in front of the trigger assembly, where both hands, firing or non firing, can easily operate it; in this way, the user is able to control the vast majority of the rifle's basic necessary functions without trouble and without fully breaking his or her firing stance. Finally, the stock is another highly effective, greatly understated but vital component of the weapon's ergonomics; the rubber buttplate, textured to provide both comfort to the shooter's shoulder and grip, is highly adjustable, catering to the personal preferences and necessities of a wide variety of shooting styles and structures, and the sloping cheek weld maximises user comfort to permit comfortable shooting.

The AR9 is currently utilised by Anemonian formations such as the Crown Army's Mechanised Forces, the 1st Marine Parachutists and Imperial Fleet Security in order to provide the firepower, flexibility and reliability of the AR8R5 in a smaller package. The weapon can be modified into four distinct configurations as deemed necessary, and supports any weapon accessory with a suitable adaptor for usage on a DIS.

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The Australien Pattern Rifle AR9/mod Aus, order-made with an extended free-floating barrel (slightly shorter than that of the AR9 DMR) and an extended handguard.

IFAM AR9/mod Aus - The Australien Pattern AR9

Following an application for a modified AR9 model by the Union of the People's States of Australien to serve as their frontline service rifle in early 2011, IFAM participated in a design process that would lead them to remove one of the main design features of the AR9 to turn it into a dedicated bullpup rifle.

The design brief required a dedicated service rifle with an elongated handguard, making it a significantly longer weapon than the AR9's Rifle configuration in Anemonian service. A relatively simple modification, the AR9/mod Aus adds a longer barrel and handguard as per the requests of the Australien government, based on the dimensions of the AR9 Squad Support Weapon. However, it also removes the modularity of the AR9, making it significantly more difficult to deconstruct the AR9;this is due to the fact that the barrel was made free floating to increase the overall precision of the rifle due to a judgement within IFAM that the request for a specific model of rifle suggested that the Australien military would not be utilising the modularity of the AR9 system, while the necessity for a longer barrel suggested a greater degree of accuracy desired by said military amongst its general infantrymen. As a result, this additional design feature was added, sacrificing one design feature to improve another; so far, the mod Aus has not seen service outside its parent nation.

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Air Force Pattern AR9/mod ME Rifle, with ICO-M 4x optical sight and Arsenal Karonin Modelyr 08/mod A 40mm Grenade Launcher; order made to specifications requested by Air Force Security, the AR9 Air Force Pattern Rifle features an orthodox pistol grip without a thumb hole and a pistol-grip less grenade launcher to better suit their combat style.

IFAM AR9/mod ME - The Air Force Pattern AR9

The mod ME is a fully ergonomic modification of the original AR9, designed solely to cater to the specialist requirements of the Imperial Air Force of Anemos Major's Air Force Security personnel. It was requested, designed, produced and delivered within three months of the AR9's initial introduction, and constituted one of the few modifications made to the AR9 for use within the Anemonian military complex following its initial release.

As Air Force Security personnel were not required to operate within high intensity combat areas in most cases, but relied on high speed insertion/extraction and aerial mobility to successfully complete their operations, the thumb hole's increased grip was not only unnecessary, but constituted a design flaw to AFS personnel, who more often than not found that, within the bustle of operational deployment, wires for equipment ranging from fast ropes to medical stretchers got caught in the thumb hole, compromising their combat effectiveness in a minor but frequent and highly irritating manner. As a result, IFAM was called to remove all thumb holes on their future production models of the AR9 for the Air Force; they dutifully obliged.

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The AR9/mod Ex.


The AR9/mod Ex with forward grip, laser aiming module and red dot sight.


The AR9/mod Ex2.

IFAM AR9/mod Ex/Ex2 - The Export Pattern AR9

When the AR9 was turned over to an export audience, one of the first potential flaws found by IFAM was the utilisation of a proprietary interface system. Though designed to be superior to Picatinny and Weaver style rail interface systems, the DIS's usage was limited to the Anemonian military complex; more cash strapped armed forces would naturally shy away from a weapons system whose interface system required the purchase of adaptors or new weapons attachments, especially expensive optics, when there were more cost efficient weapons on the market. As such, one of the first decisions made by IFAM following the introduction of the AR9 to the export stage was to introduce a variant which utilised a standard Rail Interface System.

The IFAM AR9/mod Ex is just that; an AR9 with a Picatinny rail system where the DIS on the original AR9 had been located. The Ex2 incorporates a carrying handle and integrated 3x magnification combat optics as per the request of a third party potential buyer.

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The AR/C-9 Suretyr.

AR/C-9 Suretyr - The Police Pattern AR9

Another potential buyer of the AR9 was the Metropolitan Police of Anemos Major. Following the Law Enforcement Armament Act of 2002 following terrorist attacks by foreign entities across Anemos Major, the Metropolitan Police was authorised for the first time to carry small arms considered to be within the 'heavy' category of weapons. During a period where potential terrorism was a clear and present threat, the possession of automatic rifles by the Suretyr Metropolitanise was greatly reassuring to the citizens of Anemos Major, and they did their job effectively enough, defusing many potential crimes and deterring a great deal more. However, by 2010, the situation had changed. Armed with an increasingly expensive motley arsenal of rifles ranging from the venerable AR3R1 to a variety of imported rifles like the AN-94, the rifle arsenal of the Metropolitan Police was, through a lack of standardisation, proving to be increasingly expensive and, in an age of political and social stability, unnecessary. As society advanced around the Anemonian law enforcement community, with buildings towering over cities and infrastructure improving by the day, average incomes reaching unprecedented levels, the heavy rifles carried by many police officers became out of place; it was clear that their time was over. However, the Metropolitan Police also recognised the role these rifles, expensive as they were to maintain, played as effective deterrents to crime across the urban sprawls of Anemos Major; as a result, the decision was made not to remove them, but replace them. The result was the AR/C-9.

The primary design feature of this carbine-length weapon was the removal of its burst and automatic firing capabilities. The potential collateral damage of automatic fire had always been a preoccupation and concern at higher levels within the police establishment after the passing and implementation of the LEAA 2002, and it was quickly decided that the relative power of the 6.7mm cartridge justified its restriction to semi-automatic fire. This afforded the Metropolitan the amount of firepower necessary to restrict their armaments' capabilities to the required level, leaving the realm of automatic rifles and armed response to the paramilitary Internal Army. This, together with the curvaceous casing of the weapon and its calm white colouring created a weapon that radiated law rather than force; presenting an image to the populace of a Metropolitan Police ready to enter a new age of prosperity and peace, the AR/C-9 allowed them to retain the force they required while removing the potential for high collateral damage, the public perception of the Metropolitan Police as a backwards, outdated organisation and the high costs of non-standardised weapons.

3) The IFAM AR5 5.56mm Combat Rifle/Carbine. A phoenix reborn from the ashes. Seemingly doomed to ignominy and infamy through the complete unreliability of its original design, the AR5R1 is the redesign of the original, failed AR5 rifle taken on by Arsenal Deimos, and one of the most reliable and accurate 5.56mm firearms in existence today. Designed to promote marksmanship and permit extended, controlled automatic fire, it is a rifle which makes the most of the qualities of the 5.56x45mm round and lays them at the disposal of the infantryman in a reliable, innovative and dependable design.

5.56mm AR5R1 Rifle with 20 round magazine, no attachments


AR5R1 Para with folding stock, 30 round magazine


AR5R1 RIS with railed fore-end attachment over outer handguard, 20 round magazine


AR5R1 RIS with red-dot sight, foregrip, laser aiming module, tactical flashlight and 30 round magazine


AR5R1/mod Car with 20 round magazine


AR5R1/mod Car2 with telescoping stock, railed handguard, 30 round magazine


AR5R1/mod Car2 with red dot sight, foregrip, laser aiming module, 30 round magazine

Designer: IFAM/Arsenal Deimos
Designed: 2000
Manufacturer : IFAM
Unit cost: 1260 NSD
Produced: 2000-2008
Common Variants: AR5R1, AR5R1 RIS, AR5R1 Para, AR5R1/mod Car, AR5R1/mod Car2

(statistics are for AR5R1 rifle.)

Weight: 3.8 kg
Length: 1000mm
Barrel length: 523 mm (20.59 in)
Cartridge: 5.56x45mm Arsenal Standard Anemonian
Action: Gas-operated (short-stroke gas piston), rotating bolt
Rate of Fire: 775 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 962 m/s (3,156 ft/s)
Effective range: 580 m (1,903 ft)
Feed system: 20 or 30 round detachable box magazine.
Sights: Rear receiver fixed diopter sight (with flip-convertible small and large diameter sights) and front hooded post.

Background and History
Adopted in 1994, the FAMAS rifle marked the end of the service battle rifle in Anemonian service, ending a tradition that had been begun in 1917. A 5.56mm combat rifle, it was the antithesis of the AR3 rifle; though it packed less of a punch, it did so in a highly compact, light body, and its ability to lay down accurate automatic fire, together with its relative compactness, made it a highly popular weapon amongst Anemonian troops. Fighting with distinction through the opening stages of the Asakuran insurgency, and proving to be a highly effective weapon at close quarters, the FAMAS, or AR4 in Anemonian service, became a tried and trusted infantry weapon within months. It was, in most senses, the perfect rifle for its time, and its one failing was ultimately that which led to its almost universal replacement across the Anemonian Armed Forces; the fact that it was not an indigenously designed rifle.

In 1997, as part of the planning for the introduction of a second Armed Forces Revitalisation Scheme in 2000, the Holy Office of War issued a Request for Information concerning the production of an indigenous 5.56mm rifle that would take the qualities of the FAMAS into account while reintroducing the marksmanship inherent in the design of the AR3R1 to the Anemonian infantry mentality. Many major designers, including Arsenal Deimos (who would go on to develop their entry into the AR6 rifle in 6.5mm Grendel) attempted to seize what was the first big post-1970 indigenous small arms contract; eventually, however, it was the recently restructured IFAM who would go on to win the bid ahead of their competitors in Arsenal Deimos. Developing an unusually large 5.56mm rifle, while keeping its weight down through the use of progressive materials such as fibreglass and aluminium in unprecedented quantities. First producing the AR5 in 1999, following the finalisation of its design at the later stages of the previous year, the design produced by IFAM entered production in January 2000 without any further testing, being distributed to combat personnel in the following month alongside the new, standardised aluminium magazines adopted by the Armed Forces in place of the FAMAS-specific 25 round magazines previously used.

It was a mistake the Anemonian Holy Office of War would learn never to make again. First employed in Asakura, the first production models of the AR5 were arguably the worst designed weapons ever to come out of the Imperial Foundries. Utilising a direct impingement system first employed by the Anemonians in 1949, in the AR1 experimental 7.7mm assault rifle, the weapon had been produced with no chromium lining on the barrel whatsoever, no cleaning equipment and a system that vented hot gases directly into the weapon's action itself; due to a lack of design know-how concernign the fallibility of direct impingement, it was assumed that the high quality powder used in Arsenal Standard Anemonian rounds would render the weapons wholly unsusceptible to the problems usually encountered by such weapons. For the first few weeks, it seemed as though IFAM's rigid belief in its weapon had been vindicated; however, as reports of complete weapon failure began to roll in from the frontlines, with reserve stocks of FAMAS rifles released to compensate for the complete and utter failure of the AR5, the situation reversed.

By June 2005, the government had relieved the IFAM design team of their duties and enlisted Arsenal Deimos in order to provide a low-cost solution to the problem at hand. Thanks to the fact that barely 4000 AR5 rifles had made it off the production lines, IFAM was able to recall these with minimal difficulty; it is said that these were, without exception, destroyed in an act of shame under the direct orders of IFAM's executives. Arsenal Deimos's solution was simple; rather than re-designing the direct impingement system, they wholly converted the AR5's internals into a short-stroke gas piston system, the first instance where this was utilised in an Anemonian service rifle. The good firing qualities of the weapon, together with the marked increase in reliability, was enough to convince the now-wary Crown Army that a solution had been found; by November, the new rifle had entered production in quantity, issued to frontline units in December for familiarisation and utilisation the following month.

It was a success. Impressed by the conventional layout of the AR5R1 and thus its increase in balance, together with the low recoil of the new weapon, Anemonian troops quickly took to the AR5. Though formations like the Marine Paratroopers retained the compact FAMAS for close quarters combat, the vast majority of the Armed Forces made the switch to the new weapon, which proved highly effective in taking over the role of its predecessor across the Armed Forces. Nicknamed 'Second Time Lucky' in a very direct jab at IFAM, the AR5R1 was a well loved rifle, and its replacement in 2008 was a result of the round it fired; the basic design of the AR5 was considered sound enough to warrant its continued usage for years, and resistance within the Armed Forces when its replacement was announced highlighted its remarkably successful operational tenure. Produced in many configurations, ranging from the rudimentary railed-forend attached to the AR5R1 RIS, or the folding stock AR5R1 Para, to the special operations oriented AR5R1/mod CAR2, it has since been completely replaced in Anemonian service by the AR8R5 and AR9, both firing the modern 6.7mm ASA round; however, still utilised as the special operations rifle of the Asakuran Armed Forces, the AR5R1 continues to act as a representative of Anemonian design prowess abroad, salvaged from the graveyard of unreliability to become a sound and stable rifle that served its users well for 8 years, and continues to do so for others.


Design

The AR5R1 is a military service rifle chambered in the ubiquitous 5.56x45mm ASA round. Designed to allow utilisation in a wide range of environments, thus making full use of the 5.56mm round's full range of potential uses, it is a rifle purposely procured to offer Anemonian troops an Anemonian rifle for the then modern battlefield, promoting both marksmanship and close quarters combat by providing a stable and flexible base for the 5.56mm NATO round. Due to the AR3R1 being the last major service rifle built by the Anemonians, it was frequently compared against it during the design process in order to highlight improvements.

One of the key reasons for the AR5R1's remarkable lightness is the fact that it utilises no more than two key materials in its construction; fibreglass and aluminium. The weapon's stock, receiver and handguard, as well as other, smaller components, are built out of 20% glass reinforced polymers. These polymers, used for the first time in Anemonian weapons design, allowed the designers to utilise less materials to achieve similar, if not superior, tensile and compressive strength to the pure polymers used in the AR3/R1 line of rifles. In this manner, they were able to greatly decrease the amount of materials used in the construction of the AR5R1 while retaining the solidity famed in the AR3 line of rifles; the durability of the AR5R1 was a key reason for its battlefield success, this fibreglass allowing it to weather long service periods without replacement of parts, and also greatly increased its resistance to sudden shocks and application of force, greatly enhancing its battlefield utility by making it a highly independent weapons system. Much of the weapon's internals, as well as its inner handguard, are constructed out of aluminium; this 'space age' material, though utilised in some quantity in the AR3R1, was always used in bulk to provide weight to the rifle; with the AR5R1, the decreased recoil impulses of the weaker, smaller 5.56mm round allowed them to sacrifice some of this 'bulk ', while also compensating for some weight loss through a highly effective allocation of weight and an adjustable weight system built into the outer handguard and the fixed stock (if used) to allow individual soldiers to adjust the weapon's weight balance if so desired, without losing the AR5R1's ability to lay down, aimed, accurate automatic fire on the enemy. The aluminium inner handguard is also used to aid heat dissipation; the open metal construction of the weapon quickly transfers heat from the internals to the outside air, greatly assisting heat loss; this, together with the redirection of heated gases inherent in the short-stroke piston action, almost entirely removed the fouling issues relating to heat found so often in the original AR5 rifle; thus, this 'inside, outside' hanguard layout provided a quick solution to the dissipation of heat, thus allowing infantry to use it in high-intensity combat while making full use of its automatic firing capabilities. The barrel is, unlike the rifle's externals, constructed of cold hammer forged steel. It is also, very importantly, internally chromed, thus keeping the possibility of fouling in the barrel far lower than the AR5 rifle. Deconstruction of the rifle has been made relatively simple; first requiring the user to remove the front sighting post, they then detach the outer handguard by means of two screws on top of and under it, whereupon the outer handguard is slid off the front of the rifle. From there, the inner handguard can be unscrewed into two seperate pieces, revealing the barrel and gas assembly. The receiver can also be pulled open; the catch between the handguard and the receive muset be undone to reveal two screws, and two more must be undone at the back of the receiver assembly, allowing the user to pull off the top of the receiver and access the internal receiver assembly (so built to prevent the elements from entering the weapon via the external receiver).

One of the key features incorporated in the AR5R1 rifle is the short-stroke gas piston, introduced as the core of Arsenal Deimos's redesign with the sole objective of removing the reliability issues of the original rifle. The short stroke piston consists of a piston assembly located in a tube above the rifle's barrel, into which the gases and pressure created by the ignition of the cartridge enter through an intermediary vent. The piston is pushed back, thus cycling the action; unlike some short-stroke gas piston systems, the AR5R1 opts not to utilise a connecting assembly to transfer the energy from the piston to the action, instead choosing to do so directly; this is due to the fact that the power of the 5.56mm round is not sufficient to generate recoil impulses and thus an energy transfer capable of damaging the weapon's internals through sustained fire. This short-stroke gas piston directly addresses the key issues of the direct impingement system of the AR5; the reliability and service life of the AR5R1 are greatly increased by the lack of vented gases and accumulated heat, while the lower mass of recoiling parts found in the short-stroke system as opposed to other recoil-operated rifle actions means that it remains a highly controllable rifle, even in sustained fire; thus, the AR5R1 manages to make the most of the 5.56mm round's qualities while introducing unprecedented reliability to the AR5 platform. The ejection system utilised in the AR5R1 rifle is a simple, rightwards spent casing system; provision for left-sided ejection is only provided with the installation of a new receiver assembly. The charging handle is located behind the receiver in an AR-15 style manner; by removing the charging handle from the handguard assembly, the AR5 greatly simplified the disassembly process, while putting it on the receiver would have forced the designers to further complicate the receiver's disassembly by making the removal of the upper receiver in the manner in which it is an impossibility. It is an orthodox design, and one optimised for practical applications. The flash hider on the AR5R1 is vented to direct gases in a manner that dispels most force equally, with a particular focus on counter-recoil to compensate for the rifle foreend's relative lack of weight in comparison to the rest of the weapon, as was the case with the AR3R1 rifle.

One of the key elements of the AR5's design is the utilisation of a STANAG-4179 compliant magazine and magazine feed in a departure from the FAMAS's unorthodox and unstandardised 5.56x45mm feed. Though under no external pressure to do so, the adoption of generally standardised feed dimensions by multiple overseas weapons developers and manufacturers had been noticed in more recent years; in an effort to emulate this, and thus allow for ammunition interchangeability between other, similar 5.56mm rifles, IFAM designed the magazine feed of the AR5 rifle to follow these standardised dimensions and did likewise with the feed device, adapting the 25 round aluminium box magazine of the FAMAS rifle to create a new feed device. The original AR5 was equipped with a 20 round magazine as part of a General Staff initiative to cut back on ammunition waste by encouraging infantry to conserve ammunition; this 20 round magazine, though utilised after the adoption of the AR5R1 in some cases, was complemented and mostly supplemented by Arsenal Deimos's own 30 round aluminium box magazine which, through its pioneering of a fibreglass follower and spring steel, was able to cut back on the size of the follower and spring device, thus decreasing the space taken up by these assemblies in the magazine and greatly increasing their efficiency, pound for pound. The self-lubrication of this new follower greatly increased the reliability of the box magazine; though the materials used to create the exteriors of box magazines have changed since then, the internal construction pioneered by the AR5R1's 30 round STANAG compliant magazine is still used today in the polymer magazines of rifles like the AR8 or AR9. Across certain areas of the armed forces, higher capacity magazines such as 80, or even 160, round drum magazines have been said to have been manufactured and issued by Arsenal Deimos; however, very few of these magazines will have been issued, and most likely not in an official capacity.

Sights on the AR5R1 were originally envisaged to be the primary and solitary sighting method of the infantryman, as was the case with the AR3R1 and FAMAS in Anemonian service before it; as a result, though the integration of infantry optics eventually resulted in the increasingly frequent usage of externally mounted powered sighting equipment over ironsights, the AR5R1's ironsights were not only built to work, but to work well and last. The AR5R1's ironsights are based around a circular enclosed rear diopter and a hooded front post with a three-pronged sighting profile. This simple, tried and tested target acquisition system are effective out to about 300 to 400 metres for point shooting; however, these wide diameter rear diopters are so designed to allow for rapid target acquisition and elimination rather than accurate shooting; one of the most important features of the AR5R1's ironsights are the flip up rear diopters, which allow the shooter to access and utilise a smaller diameter, narrower and thus more accurate rear diopter by pushing forward the general use sights forwards for accurate point fire out to, in some exceptional cases, over 650m metres, allowing the shooter to fully utilise the AR5R1's long barrel while engaging the enemy at longer distances. The sights are fully windage adjustable through a pair of rotating knobs on the rear sighting assembly and screws on the forward sights. These different levels of eye relief, together with the accurate windage adjustment, give the AR5R1's ironsights a level of flexibility and precision that underline its role as a general issue and use sighting system rather than a backup.

Ergonomics are another, key feature of the AR5R1's design. Developed to replace the bullpup and highly favoured FAMAS, it's ultimate objective was no easy one; to reintroduce a standard layout rifle which an average infantryman would be more comfortable with than a compact and highly usable bullpup weapon; in this respect, it was a great challenge. The grip was essentially that of the AR3R1 rifle; the polymer construction of the pistol grip increased the 'grip' of the part, especially due to its designed texturing; this gave the AR5R1 a propensity to 'stick' in the infantryman's hands in a manner in which the FAMAS could not, especially during high intensity combat; where perspiration would normally decrease the friction between hand and grip on a rifle like the FAMAS to the extent that it could slip out during a crucial moment, the large, textured pistol grip of the AR5R1 retains its grip on many surfaces, ranging from human skin to rubber gloves, giving it an edge over the FAMAS in high intensity combat despite its apparent bulkiness. The trigger guard is expanded to permit use of a glove-wearing index-finger if necessary; the trigger itself is curved to match the shape of the firing finger, greatly decreasing the shooter's potential to 'finger' the weapon (that is to say, apply excessive force while pulling the trigger and thus decreasing accuracy greatly by pulling the rifle's point of aim off target before firing the weapon) by allowing the shooter to pull the trigger in a fluid motion rather than force it back; the relatively low trigger pull contributes greatly to this. The entire firing hand assembly is built to keep the hand at a slight forward angle, together with a curve for the thumb just underneath the receiver; in this manner, wrist fatigue is avoided in every firing position. The fire selector of the weapon follows a highly unorthodox four-pattern system; the two immediate accesible options available to the soldier, automatic and semi-automatic, allow them to respond quickly to the immediate necessities of the battle, but a three round burst option is also included within the selector layout in the event that infantrymen wish to conserve ammunition while laying down sufficient volumes of fire in high-intensity, high-pressure extended combat periods where controlled automatic fire is difficult to achieve. The selector switch itself can be set to either automatic and semi-automatic with the thumb, and is ridged horizontally to facilitate control; the index finger of the firing hand, meanwhile, can be used to set it to a three round burst, one reason for the ambidextrous placing of the selector assembly (the second being that the selector switch acts as another screw for the internal receiver as well). The magazine eject is also placed in front of the trigger assembly for access by the index finger, and is placed in a recessed alcove to facilitate its operation. The charging handle is the only aspect of the weapon that forces the infantryman to break their firing position to permit operation; this, though an unfortunate ergonomic flaw of the rifle, was perceived as necessary to simplify the disassembly and construction process of the rifle; it is also incidentally ambidextrous, an advantage for those left handed shooters capable of firing while disregarding the casings being ejected in their direction. The handguard assembly of the rifle is a particularly unique aspect of its ergonomic design. The outer fibreglass handguard is both textured and shaped to maximise grip and comfortability during extended shooting periods. The inclusion of a dual tiered handguard is also useful in that it slightly decreases the weight of the rifle by removing the need for a forward fibreglass portion to the weapon, essentially only placing a handguard where it is necessary while utilising aluminium where it is not. This decreases the bulk and weight of the forward portion of the weapon; in this way, it also greatly facilitates the movement of the rifle and thus aids in rapid target acquisition, providing the AR5R1 with yet another close quarters boon over its competitors. The rifle stock is the last ergonomically significant component of the weapon; again, constructed of fibreglass, the upper portion of the stock is mildly, almost unnoticeably textured to provide as high a level of comfort as possible with a fibreglass stock while increasing cheek grip, thus increasing the stability of the weapons system through the shooter's own head. The buttstock is rubber to provide both comfort to the shooter's shoulder through an elastic and relatively shock absorbant material; it attempts to provide as much an advantage as possible without overcomplicating the basic design of the component.

Various versions of the AR5R1 were also produced to fulfil a number of different roles. There were very basic modifications; the AR5R1 Para fitted the base rifle with a folding stock equipped with a cheek rest to decrease the size of the weapon for use by paratroopers, while the AR5R1 RIS fitted a three-side rail interface system as an attachment onto the basic upper handguard of the AR5R1 rifle (produced as standard issue from 2003 onwards). Some other, more significant modifications were also made to the rifle; prime amongst these was the AR5R1/mod Car and Car2, carbine modifications made to the base AR5R1 rifle. The base Carbine was simply an AR5R1 rifle featuring a shortened barrel and handguard, with the weapon retracted up to the outer handguard to greatly shorten the size of the weapon. Produced with the same fixed stock as the AR5R1, and with no other modifications, it was employed in much the same capacity as the AR3R1's 'Carabinyr' pattern model in the Anemonian Armed Forces; issued at a division level as per request, it was handed out to infantry participating in long periods of intensive close quarters combat as a shorter, more usable alternative to the longer AR5R1; produced from 2001 to 2003, it was a weapon which saw limited service in Asakura. The Car2 was a more comprehensive modification to the AR5R1 rifle, and was produced on different manufacturing lines to the original Carbine; its two key additions were a telescoping stock with a sloped cheek weld in an ergonomic style coming into favour in 2005, when it was designed, as well as a four-side rail interface system which was attached onto and on top of the AR5R1's outer handguard. This weapon was primarily procured and produced for use with Anemonian Special Operations, who utilised the weapon until the end of production and procurement in 2008, when they shifted over to using the more modular and superior AR8R5 weapons system.

The AR5R1 is a remarkable weapons system; an experiment in 21st century Anemonian weapons design, this attempt to revitalise indigenous small arms developement seemingly ended in failure with the disastrous results of the AR5 rifle in 2000; however, rejuvenated and risen from the ashes after some internal modifications by Arsenal Deimos, it grew to become one of the most solid, dependable and, in areas, innovative weapons systems in Anemonian history, marking the beginning of the Holy Empire's re-entrance into weapon's development with a loud, reliable, usable and highly accurate 'bang'.

If you have any queries, please feel free to send us a telegram, and we will do everything in our ability to answer any queries or requests for minor modifications you may have; as you can see in our roster of weapons, we have been able to accommodate various requests over the years, and continue to do so to the utmost of our ability. Any orders to be placed should be directed here, to facilitate administration.

Until then, we wish you a good day, and hope you make the right decision and, by choosing Anemonian weapons, choose only the best for your troops.

With regards,
The Anemonian State Arms Export Authority.

[Arca majour]

@Samozniy Military Industries
The SR-AR1, AR2 and AR3 were procured for testing.
- The AR1 rifle and carbine were assessed together. They were both found to be competent rifles in both accuracy and controllability. The DI gas systems were tested with 60,000 rounds in a high dust environment and found to have 882 stoppages. The Arcan Military will likely not adopt the 7.62x51 as each soldier is limited to carrying only 150 rounds due to weight.
- Concerns were expressed over the low velocity produced by the AR2 aswell as significant muzzle flash in non suppressed variants. The DI gas system proved reasonably accurate however require allot of maintenance and resulted in 882 stoppages in the aforementioned test.
- The AR3 proved a highly accurate and controllable weapon, even on full auto due to its low barrel axis and weight. However its bulkiness was criticized, as was its inability to be used by left handed shooters, the position of the cocking handle, the low position of the forward grip and lack of grip interchangability. The special forces and competitive shooters tested both the 16 and 18in barrel (shown) and greatly appreciated its adjustable scope and raised cheek pad. Fowling of the mechanism resulted in the same number of stoppages as the others.

None of these were accepted for the adaptive rifle, however emergency response teams have expressed interest the AR3 in 9x39mm calibre fitted with a 14in barrel and suppressor for use in counter-espionage as well as an accurate trigger. They seek to procure 100 of these rifles.

The HIND-X-2 was tested, and while it was found to be a considerably versatile and deadly platform it was found to be less manoeuvrable than was necessary. However, the Arcan military were so impressed with the design that they decided to rewrite the specifications for their attack helicopter. Unfortunately your stated cost was too high to be awarded contract status.

@Imeriata royal merchant guild
Arca Majour is not looking for a dress rifle at this time.

@The U.S.S.M State Arms Factory
Arcan special forces procured some of your K-24 rifles for testing and have found it is a highly accurate weapon in short bursts at ranges under 300m. The adjustable cheek rest was appreciated as was the extremely affordable price. Its bulky size and weight proved to be a problem and it faired no better than the AR1 with 882 stoppages. The M203 grenade launcher was not accepted due to its inability to load the longer charges.

The AH-55 was tested, and while it was found to be a considerably versatile and deadly platform it was found to be less manoeuvrable than was necessary aswell as requiring retrofitting to be considered 'modern'. However, the Arcan military were so impressed with the design that they decided to rewrite specifications for their attack helicopter.

The AH-55 is presently awarded favourable contract status. However it needs retrofitting.

@Anemos Major
Arcan special forces took trials of the AR8R5, the AR9 Mod ‘Me’ and the AR5R1 ‘para’ and ‘car 2’ for the Adaptive combat rifle contract. They were not tested as part of the personal defence carbine contract.

AR8R5 was found a light and reliable weapon capable of good accuracy when fitted with a 17in barrel. When the gas piston system was tested by 60,000 rounds in a high dust environment, it had 233 stoppages, which was acceptable.

AR9 ‘carbine’ fitted with an 18in barrel was found to have similar performance. The interchangeable fore end was considered ‘neat’, but the fire selector slider was not preferred as it could not be operated without moving your hand from the grip.

AR5R1 fitted with an 18in barrel was also impressive. The bolt hold back device was considered an excellent addition.

IFAM is presently awarded preferential status for the contract for the future adaptive combat rifle.

[Anemos Major]

^^

OOC: I didn't think ANYBODY would use the Air Force Rifle. I'm rather glad, actually, because it justifies the time I spent on that.

The AR9's fire selector can be cycled without moving your hand from the grip, since it's ambidextrous; it also features on the left side, and as such, both left AND right handed shooters can cycle it with the thumb and index finger if necessary. The same applies to the AR8R5; both weapons are fully ambidextrous. The AR5R1, on the other hand, isn't.

As for the personal defence carbine contract, the Ultrashort AR9 should be able to fill that role satisfactorily. In the capacity in which I use it, at least, it's a highly effective weapon in that role because it puts the high stopping power of the AR9's 6.7mm round together with the very, very compact Ultrashort bullpup rifle. The slightly heightened recoil of the rifle round doesn't really matter at close quarters when even one round will put down an armoured target, and at the end of the day, it outperforms most pistol rounds in that role.



There is an SMG version of the AR9 frame. But there's a reason why I don't use that.

[Vitaphone Racing]

Gemballa Avionic Development

Masters of the skies

Greetings and Salutations

In response to your request for military hardware to equip with your fledging armed forces, the Mikoyan-Gureyvich based corporate entity of Gemballa Avionic Development would like to put forward our extensive catalogue of aircraft and air-based military systems for your consideration.

Gemballa is an internationally acclaimed corporation which specialized soley in military aircraft. As such, we have one of the most extensive and comprehensive catalogues of aircraft available globally, all of which are new designs less than three years old and are at the forefront of their respective categories. Second best is not an option for a Gemballa aircraft.

We at Gemballa firmly believe that our range of cutting edge aircraft can fulfill almost all of your possible requirements to create a fully equipped and battle ready air force. Please feel free to browse our catalogue which can be found at our main storefront, here.

Gemballa would like to offer you the RH-77 attack helicopter for consideration. The RH-77 is a dedicated attack helicopter, not being based off any existing design, incorporating modern features such as low observability and radar guided missiles. The RH-77 is already in service with dozens of nations globally and is considered to be one of the world's premier close air support aircraft. More information can be found here.

Gemballa is able to offer financial assistance to cover any debt incurred by Arca Majour. Gemballa is reknown for offering competitive payment plans to ensure that any nation is capable of affording systems they truly need.

We eagerly await your reply.

David Hartfield
Gemballa Avionic Development - Vitaphone Racing

[Samozaryadnyastan]

@Samozniy Military Industries
The SR-AR1, AR2 and AR3 were procured for testing.
- The AR1 rifle and carbine were assessed together. They were both found to be competent rifles in both accuracy and controllability. The DI gas systems were tested with 60,000 rounds in a high dust environment and found to have 882 stoppages. The Arcan Military will likely not adopt the 7.62x51 as each soldier is limited to carrying only 150 rounds due to weight.
- Concerns were expressed over the low velocity produced by the AR2 aswell as significant muzzle flash in non suppressed variants. The DI gas system proved reasonably accurate however require allot of maintenance and resulted in 882 stoppages in the aforementioned test.
- The AR3 proved a highly accurate and controllable weapon, even on full auto due to its low barrel axis and weight. However its bulkiness was criticized, as was its inability to be used by left handed shooters, the position of the cocking handle, the low position of the forward grip and lack of grip interchangability. The special forces and competitive shooters tested both the 16 and 18in barrel (shown) and greatly appreciated its adjustable scope and raised cheek pad. Fowling of the mechanism resulted in the same number of stoppages as the others.

None of these were accepted for the adaptive rifle, however emergency response teams have expressed interest the AR3 in 9x39mm calibre fitted with a 14in barrel and suppressor for use in counter-espionage as well as an accurate trigger. They seek to procure 100 of these rifles.

The HIND-X-2 was tested, and while it was found to be a considerably versatile and deadly platform it was found to be less manoeuvrable than was necessary. However, the Arcan military were so impressed with the design that they decided to rewrite the specifications for their attack helicopter. Unfortunately your stated cost was too high to be awarded contract status.

If the size and bulk of carrying 7.62mm ammunition is deemed too great in your military, the Samozniy Technical Improvements Facility would be able and willing to re-calibre the rifles to a preferred calibre.
As such, they would also be able to modify the barrel and calibre of the AR-3 platform, and also supply a suppressor for the platform.

If you wish to make any amendments to your contract award in light of this, or submit order for the modified AR-3 variant, please make your order in the Samozniy Military Industries storefront.

OOC: I do admit, the price is steep. It's one of many things that'll change upon V2 thread.
Though that said, British Apaches do come out at £61 million each.

[Anemos Major]

2nd OOC: The AR-1 Mod 1 programme aren't Direct Impingement, they're Rotating Bolt.

OOC: ...:-/

The rotating bolt is the manner in which the action cycles to load a new round and eject the old one. The gas operation is how that action is cycled. Hence, the M16 is a rotating bolt, direct impingement rifle; they're entirely different components of the weapon's design.

Just to clarify, by the way; we can rechamber rifles. For example, I was asked to rechamber the AR9 to accommodate the 7.62x39mm Soviet round yesterday; the result was this abomination.


It is also, of course, a highly capable, compact special operations weapon.

[Lyras]

TO: Arca Majour
FROM: Lyran Governmental Trade Department
RE: Military Supply Contract

In accordance with the received details pertaining to the supply contract mentioned above, the Protectorate of Lyras, via the Lyran Governmental Trade Department and Lyran Arms, presents the following weapon system to meet point one of your contract:

LY21 Advanced High Lethality Assault Rifle (AHLAR)

Weight: 3.6 kg (unloaded), 4.4 kg (loaded)
Length: 710mm
Barrel length: 450mm
Cartridge: 6.3 x 40mm Lyran Caseless (6.3mm LCL)
Action: gas operated, electrically fired rotary breech
Rate of fire: 650rpm (cyclic)
Muzzle velocity: 880 m/s
Effective range: 500 m
Max range: 800 m
Feed system: 60 rd detachable box
Sights: Aperture rear, hooded post front. Picatinny rails allow alternates.

Abstract
The LY21 Advanced High Lethality Assault Rifle (AHLAR) [pronounced – ‘a-LAR’, as in ‘alarm’] is a short-stroke, balanced automatic, electrically-fired, light weight, robust, high capacity weapon chambered in 6.3x40mm Lyran Caseless (6.3 LCL), designed and built by the Protectorate of Lyras.

Background, development and conceptualisation
As more and more weapons, of varying quality, flooded the international markets, many in Lyras chose to take the dearth of poor quality or ambiguous weapons as indication that in-service Lyran weaponry was sufficient. Others took developments overseas as indicative of continued pressure, reasoning, not incorrectly, that developments and upgrades, especially amongst the major powers, were likely to continue, and that Lyran parity in small arms was insufficient, and overmatch, if practical, was preferable. In depth analysis of variant thought in firearms design, and prototype evaluation of a host of exotic and rare small arms was conducted, and a broad inter-Order panel was formulated to examine the practicality of many innovations.
Discussions of many possibilities went on for quite some time, and disputes were often heated. Over the course of the weapon’s development three scientists died in a pair of duels when tempers boiled over. In one of those two instances, when the challenge was issued it was discovered that both challengers were pilots, and had each nominated an aerial duel as their preferred resolution. The duel was conducted in cannon-armed LY909 Sparrowhawks over a 200x200km area, and was decided by a mid-air collision which claimed both lives. As a result of the setbacks incurred by the LY21 project as a result of these three fatalities, an Executive Inquiry was commenced into the impact of legislatively supervised duels within Lyras, and its findings have yet to be released.

Despite this, and other setbacks, progress on the weapon continued to enjoy broad Executive-Command-level support and by mid 2010 (several years into the program) the design was firming up.
While not revolutionary in any sense, the LY21 was certainly unusual, with its amalgamation of a number of modern and innovative small arms developments producing a distinctive weapon, which is intended to function as the mainstay of the Protectorate’s infantry arsenal for some time.

Construction
As is the case with small arms design anywhere, attempts to minimise carried weight and improve handiness and portability are in conflict with measures designed to optimise the weapon’s capacity to generate sustained, accurate and effective fire. Lessons learned from the LY46 ‘Hellhammer’ .50LCL handgun have, where applicable, been transferred to the LY21, foremost amongst them being an unusual blend of light and heavy construction in different areas of the weapon.
The majority of the weapon’s body is made of high-durability, lightweight, impact-resistant fibreglass-reinforced polyamide. This comes in a high-grip matte finish, with a variety of colours or camouflage patterns available.
The working parts and majority of the gas system are tungsten primarily for its very high heat tolerance, which improves the weapon’s performance and sustained accuracy.
The barrel is cold hammer-forged steel, and is chrome lined, with a 1 in 10 rifling twist.
Internal electrics are composed of Indium Gallium Arsenide, selected despite its higher cost over silicon for its extremely high resistance to electromagnetic pulse attack. Circuitry is further protected by kraton insulation, to further improve electromagnetic resilience. Given the very-short lengths of wiring, however, this was never likely to be a problem, in any case.
Sundries are generally composed of synthetics, to keep the weapon’s weight down as far as practical, given the parameters of performance. This is a marked difference from the otherwise conceptually not-dissimilar G11, which made far greater use of metals in its construction, and has a physically far more complex operating system.

Ammunition
While Lyran experience with caseless ammunition in the LY46 has been of some use in developing the 6.3x40mm rounds that feed the LY21, the notable differences between the platforms has made the 6.3LCL quite different from the .50LCL round in most regards.
While the .50LCL uses a denatured hexogen propellant, the 6.3LCL is a 78% RDX, 12% cellulose acetate (CA), 5.8% triacetin(TA), 4% low-nitrogen content nitrocellulose, 0.2% cardamite mix. The CA is used as an energetic binder, with the TA serving as the CA’s plasticiser to improve the propellant block’s cohesion. 6.3LCL, by virtue of its unique composition, is an extremely low vulnerability ammunition, and does not ignite even at 350C, although starts producing yellow fumes at 220C. In contrast, conventional nitrocellulose propellant ignites at temperatures slightly below 175C. Despite the usage of caseless ammunition, 6.3LCL is actually less likely to cook-off than conventional ammunition.
Further, at 1097J/g, the 6.3LCL’s propellant is marginally superior to conventional ammunition propellant in energy terms.
Care has been taken in production to keep the plasticiser percentage below 6%, as irregular combustion becomes more prominent as TA increases.
Theoretical prediction of the ballistic performance of this formulation indicates it can achieve marginally superior ballistics for propellant loading, relative to existing nitrocellulose compositions.
Combustible cellulose end-caps ensure that the projectile and primer sit properly within the round, and disintegrate during firing.

6.3LCL rounds are compliant with the CL6 standard, and are suitable for usage in any weapon with a chamber pressure of 500MPa or better, and an electric ignition. (i.e., CL6 is a broad standard, CL6-40.EC5 is a particular specification it provides, "EC5" standing for electric current ignition, 500 MPa pressure limit, and 6.3LCL is a specific round compliant with it).
6.3LCL comes in two primary variants. The baseline is a hardened steel core, lead-base round optimised for lethality at all ranges and conditions, issued as standard, and similar in terminal effects to the JMC Mk5 that Lyran soldiers are already familiar with.
The second, the 6.3LCLTC is a tungsten-carbide-cored, armour-piercing round, designed for use against armies fielding personnel with high-end body armour as standard.

Operating and feed system and recoil attenuation
The LY21 is, in most respects, a reasonable conventional closed-bolt, balanced-automatic, short-stroke gas-operated assault rifle. The weapon’s caseless nature removes the requirement for ejection of cases during normal operation, which removes the step from the operating cycle.
The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon, and serves to load a round into the chamber, and can also be used to eject rounds in the chamber via the ejection port on the right hand side of the weapon.

The LY21’s balanced-automatic system is based on utilisation of the propellant gases to drive not just the piston which drives the bolt rearward towards battery, but also to push a secondary piston and counterweight in the opposite direction, ie towards the muzzle. The mechanics are such that as the bolt reaches the furthest rearward part of its recoiling (thus impacting the rubber pads of the interior of the butt plate), the counterweight also reaches the end point of its forward movement. This 'balanced recoil' action noticeably decreases felt recoil and thus improves controllability and accuracy in fully automatic or rapid-semiautomatic firing.

Borrowing from the LY20, the rubber pads described above are of further relevance if a silencer is fitted, as this padding also significantly reduces the sound produced by the bolt and piston assemblies impacting their respective stops, circumventing the tell-tale 'click-click-click' sound of silenced automatic weapons fire.

The magazine and feed systems of the LY21 has been through a number of refinements. Initial attempts were similar in operation to that of the G11 light support weapon prototypes designed by Heckler and Koch in the late 1980s. Large capacity magazines, with multiple magazine wells, fed an asymmetric, off magazine-axis chamber. The feed path from these variants is shown below.


While innovative, the magazine’s complexity added to its weight, increased it (and the weapon’s own) fragility, and detracted from magazine and platform reliability. Subsequent to that, a new design with a more conventionally laid out three-well single-stacked magazine, and a dramatically simplified feed path, was employed. While longer, and thinner, the magazine is considerably simpler in operation, and savings in weight and reliability were considered worth the weapon’s taller profile. The magazine features three single-stacked magazine wells, with the rounds oriented towards the muzzle of the weapon. The bolt feeds first the right well, then, once the right well is empty, the magazine catch at the bottom of the well causes the bolt to rotate as it moves forward, thus feeding from the centre well, and the same occurs to feed from the left once the central well is exhausted. Once the left well is empty, the magazine catch prevents the weapon from locking forward, which makes for a slightly faster reload time by a trained operator.

The profile is, however, not as much taller as would otherwise be thought, with the simplified pathing contributing to a smaller chamber and less extensive bolt and action.
LY21 magazines are about 50% longer than a conventional 30rnd 5.56mm STANAG magazine, but only fractionally wider, which allows for easy carriage on chest webbing or similar. The light-weight, high-strength, semi-transparent plastic magazine, with readily delineated notches, also provides for easy assessment of the number of remaining rounds, should the shooter lose count (an easy prospect, given the high-capacity magazines).

Recoil mitigation was a factor considered early on in the LY21’s design, and lessons learned on both the LY20 and LY46 were considered. The bolt-carrier assembly moves rearwards into heavy duty recoil springs, which absorb an appreciable portion of the contact/impact with the back of the weapon.
Further, use of the patented Pachmayr-designed 'Decelerator' handgrips, approved for the LY46, has been approved also for the LY21. Decelerator grips feature ergonomic finger grooves, carefully machined tactile palm grips, and a patented soft-durable rubber composite. A full-potency muzzle-brake, mostly hidden behind the forward elements of the weapon’s furnishings, deflects propellant gases upward and sideways, counteracting some of the rifle’s rearward motion, and also serving in a capacity as a flash suppressor. This muzzle-brake is internally threaded for use with silencers or sound-suppressors, and is designed to also prevent the propellant gases from kicking up dust in and around the shooter’s location, even from the basic-prone firing position.

Trigger/safety mechanism
Due to the AHLAR’s implementation of low vulnerability caseless ammunition, the LY21 uses an electronic trigger, rather than the conventional firing pin/percussion cap layout, to ignite the propellant and release a round. The electrical ignition grants lock times at approximately 20 microseconds; a considerable improvement on mechanical lock times, in addition to the other benefits. Fewer moving parts, and no mass shift during firing also improves accuracy and decreases component wear. Twin 15-volt lithium ion polymer batteries, located in the lower portion of the butt, allow it to fire approximately 5,000 rounds without replacement or recharge. The battery charge status can be displayed through the multi-function battlesight by activation of the appropriate switch on the sighting system, and a plug can serve as a recharge point, from any standard AC or DC power source, including those featured on most Lyran AFVs. The battery’s are loaded from the rear of the butt, and can be changed in about 20 seconds, should the need arise.

Like all Lyran weapons, the LY21 uses a dual-pressure trigger system. Pulling the trigger to the first pressure (2.1 kg) fires semi-automatically, but pulling the trigger to the second trigger pressure (4.5kg) produces automatic fire. This system, similar to that featured on the Austrian Steyr AUG, enables the operator to employ either semi-automatic or automatic fire without adjusting the weapon in any way, or breaking the firing position. A single-shot lockout stud, located below the trigger, can be pulled out to prevent the trigger being pulled rearward to the second pressure, and thus will prevent accidental employment of automatic fire. The stud can be pushed back into the trigger, thus re-allowing automatic fire, by a split-second movement of the index or middle finger of the master hand.

Safety of the AUG, set to ‘fire’.
The LY21 borrows most of the features of its safety system from the earlier LY20. The safety is located immediately above the weapon's pistol grip, and is a simple thumb or index-finger operated push-action trigger-lock safety. In the LY21’s case, this also includes connections to the weapon’s electrical system. When set to ‘safe’, the rifle’s electronic trigger circuit is not complete, making engaging the trigger ineffective. The safety protrudes 1cm from the weapon's right, just above a right hander's index finger, when in safe mode, and displays a white dot to the operator.
When switched to “fire” condition, the safety is taken offline by the index finger pushing it into the weapon. The safety will then protrude 1cm out the opposite (left hand) side of the weapon, and display a red dot to the operator, indicating the weapon's state of readiness visually, as well as to physical inspection. This safety system, identical to that featured on the AUG, was selected for its ability to be engaged or disengaged without the operator taking his hands from the weapon's foregrip or trigger, and yet being able to check the readiness status of the weapon without visual inspection.

Sighting system
As is increasingly common on Lyran small arms, the LY21 features a full-length dorsal picatinny rail for mounting of any number of sighting systems. Anything compatible with the picatinny rail system can be mounted on the weapon.

Accessories
The LY21’s full length dorsal, and mid-length ventral and lateral picatinny rails provide the system with a tremendous versatility. The following illustration shows some of the many possible accessories, but is by no means exhaustive.
Accessories
Note, however, that the weapon is not provided with these accessories, when delivered. Choice of additions to the platform are an end-user prerogative, and the cost of these accessories is not covered by purchase of an LY21.
Export
The LY21 AHLAR is designed to equip sophisticated and well trained fighting forces. Careful production and quality control standards, as well as insurance of the weapon’s robustness under adverse conditions, has left the LY21 as a weapon for the more discerning military and paramilitary forces. Deliveries of the LY21 are made in the ‘clean’ configuration, and come with six complimentary magazines, including ammunition. The weapon sells individually at NS$4,000, and domestic production rights are available at NS $4bn .
Questions or purchases can be made through Lyran Arms.

In order to meet point four of your stipulated contract, we submit the following:

Multispectral Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform

Development

Known variously as “El-cams” (from Lyran cams), “LDPU” or “A-cams” (from advanced cams), or just “DPU”, the Lyran Disruptive Pattern Camouflage employed on the current Lyran Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (abbrev. LDPCU) has been designed and developed based on information obtained from detailed analyses of likely combat scenarios the Lyran Protectorate projects itself to be involved in. It is a five-colour 'blended-digitised' style of camouflage pattern, and features spots of differing colours, as determined by the climatic zone the particular variant is designed to be worn in. Three of which are illustrated, although more are available, and customised designs are also optional.

Several distinct versions of the LDPCU have been developed, and more than 1,000,000 uniforms have been produced and battle-tested in a number of combat theatres and at Army training centers. Even more are on Lyran production lines to be issued to personnel as they become available. Current fielding plans call for issue to the entirety of the Lyran Protectorate within the year.

Far from a simple pattern redesign, the LDPCU has been optimised to meet a wide variety of evident and not-so-evident soldier's requirements for an increasingly diverse and challenging battlespace. Every alteration -or non-alteration- was implemented for a purpose. The bottom pockets on the jacket were replaced (from the earlier ACU) for wear without body armour and shoulder sleeves retained. Velcro on shoulder sleeves was replaced with side-opening zips for easier access in a hurry. Chest pockets were redesigned, with openings on the inner side, rather than the top, and accessed via zips as opposed to buttons or velcro, both to reduce audibility, and to increase comfort while wearing body armour.

Use of black in specific uniform variants was re-introduced (subsequent to its removal from the American ACU and Australian Auscams), having determined its utility in certain distinct areas, such as lowlight urban engagements.

Features

-Breathable high collar, that can be worn up or down
-Rank insignia affixed to tab centred between chest pockets
-Velcro for wearing unit patch/s, name tags, recognition devices, etc.
-Water and sand resistant zips
-Zippered front closure
-Integral contoured anti-abrasion knee and elbow guards
The most cursory examination of the activities of soldiers in a field or combat environment will highlight the extensive reliance all personnel have upon their knees and elbows, and repeated studies have shown that elbows and knees are traditionally the first parts of a soldiers anatomy to break down other than by enemy fire. The addition of this feature improves soldier comfort and endurance, and assists mobility while prone.
-Elasticated leg cuffs
-Side-opening chest pockets with zip closure
-Three-slot velcro-closed pen pockets on bottom of each sleeve
-Velcro sleeve cuff closure
-Side-opening shoulder pockets with zip closure
-Low-profile zip-closed thigh pockets
-Tear-resistant fabric on upper arms and shoulders.
Lyran experience of armoured and mechanised warfare has shown that in the event of vehicle's being disabled and crew rendered unconscious, the most usual means for removing the vehicle's occupants is to drag them out by the clothing. To this end, fabric at and around the shoulders has been specially designed to be tough and weight bearing, to facilitate this evacuation.
-Seamless shoulders to minimise chaffing when wearing body armour
-Infra-Red suppressive fabric treatment
The LDPCU, itself, is made of a lightweight polyester–cotton fabric. When new, this material has a distinctly muted tinge, due to treatment with an infrared-suppressing compound. The introduction of Near-IR signature reductive clothing has recently been endorsed by the Lyran Army for all future developments of combat clothing and personal field equipment. So far, the results are very impressive, as detailed below.

Using training areas at Lughenti and North Depot, the new material had been tested in a trial involving soldiers from 8th (Wolfspiders) Mechanised Division, and was a major step for the team of Protectorate Research and Development Commission scientists who had been developing the technology since the return of Task Force Rho from Faxanavia.

The scientist coordinating the experiments at Lughenti and the North Depot Field Training Area, Lieutenant-Colonel Rothman, said input from soldiers was more than useful, claiming that it was a vital means of ensuring the end result met all requirements.

"Although significant work has been done in the laboratory, and using computer simulation, you can't actually confirm the technology, or consider it operationally viable, until you step into a realistic environment and draw on the expertise of combatant personnel," he said.

"In the final analysis, it is the data obtained from soldiers in a field environment that finally determined which camouflage pattern would be selected as the base standard that can be applied to clothing and equipment in the future."

Major Sean McReedy, the assistant project manager and military export-technical adviser for the project, said that IR suppression was a vital part of keeping the LDF up to date with advancements in infantry and dismounted operations.

"If soldiers are viewed in lowlight conditions by a potential adversary utilising modern 3rd or 4th generation night vision equipment, this technology will ensure the disruptive pattern is maintained, thereby making them considerably more difficult to detect visibly," he said.

"This in turn grants phenomenal advantages on operations, particularly in low light conditions. One experiment conducted at North Depot showed that soldiers wearing the new uniforms were virtually invisible at 12m when viewed with NVGs, whereas soldiers wearing the current issue ACU were clearly visible. The performance varies with range, vegetation and light conditions, however the initial data indicates that soldiers in the new LDPCU were more difficult to see in almost all situations. The Protectorate Research and Development Commission plans to apply this technology to the new infantry load carrying equipment being acquired for the infantry and mechanised divisions, such as updated modular chest webbing and large-volume/low-weight field packs.”

"For trial purposes, the IR-reduced camouflage pattern was applied to the current in-service ACUs, as well as prototype LDPCUs, and, subsequent to its success, has been applied as a cornerstone of the production variants of the LDPCU, and is being adapted to a range of in-service clothing and equipment."

The figure on the right is wearing the new uniform the other one is wearing the current uniform. This photo was taken from a distance of 12 metres....



Uniform Maintenance

The LDPCU is NOT to be starched, as starch can cause discolouration, and interferes with the IR-suppression properties. This will enhance the IR signature, making the uniform brighter when viewed with night vision goggles. Further, strong detergents may discolour the uniform, and again may react to neutralise the IR-suppression.
The uniform is not to be ironed, as the extensive heat application may damage the fibrous chemical treatment.
Cold machine wash, and drip dry where possible.



Pricing

Shirt: NS$65 (all sizes)
Trousers: NS$85 (all sizes)
Set: NS$125 (any combination of sizes)

Bulk deals:
100 sets: NS$12,000
1000 sets: NS$100,000
10,000 sets: NS$900,000
100,000 sets: NS$8m
1,000,000 sets: NS$70m

If you wish to outfit all your personnel with LDPCU, production facilities can be established within your nation, allowing the uniforms to be manufactured locally for instant delivery. However, the technology is proprietary, and thus payment is still required dependant upon number of sets required. Contacts and questions can be arranged through Lyran Arms.

Should there be any questions pertaining to this, or any other, matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards

Field Marshal Aleksandr
Director
Lyran Governmental Trade Department
Bredubar
Protectorate of Lyras

[Ellorn]

The EATI (Ellorinn Advanced Textile Industries) and OET [CS] (Original Ellorinn Textiles Covert Sector) would both like to offer you their advanced camoflouge systems. Made of a new top secret material codenamed Invisible Ink that changes colour to suit the background. Both very advanced, you can choose between:

The EATI Inv-Ink 2.4 with hd camera to capture background, average speed cpu that tells the fibre to change colour. cost:200 cashks a peice= 800 arcs

The OET TopCamo 4.1 with normal camera high speed cpu and cabon nanofibre lining inside that make it bullet proof. cost:230 cashks a peice= 920 arcs

[Marcheria]

@The U.S.S.M State Arms Factory
Arcan special forces procured some of your K-24 rifles for testing and have found it is a highly accurate weapon in short bursts at ranges under 300m. The adjustable cheek rest was appreciated as was the extremely affordable price. Its bulky size and weight proved to be a problem and it faired no better than the AR1 with 882 stoppages. The M203 grenade launcher was not accepted due to its inability to load the longer charges.

The AH-55 was tested, and while it was found to be a considerably versatile and deadly platform it was found to be less manoeuvrable than was necessary aswell as requiring retrofitting to be considered 'modern'. However, the Arcan military were so impressed with the design that they decided to rewrite specifications for their attack helicopter.

The AH-55 is presently awarded favourable contract status. However it needs retrofitting.

Thank you. We will retrofit the helos to your specifications if you post them in our main storefront page.