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[Falkasia]

W-113/AK-113 Standard with Ironsights

W-113/AK-113 Standard with 4X T/IR/ACOG Scope


W-113/AK-113
Type: Assault Rifle
Weight: 3.28 kg (7.3 lbs)
Length: 800 mm (31.46 in)
Barrel Length: 686 mm (27 in)
Cartridge: 7.62x39mm
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Modes: Fully-Automatic, 3 Shot Burst, Semi-Automatic
Muzzle Velocity: 1023 m/s (3356 ft/s)
Effective Range: 600 m (656 yd)
Feed System: 32-round Detachable Magazine
Sights: Adjustable, Green Fluorescent Bead and 4x Optical Scope (Normal, Thermal, and Reflex Imaging)
Price: $2300 USD

Write-up
Background
In the aftermath of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, Falkasia was faced with a major dilemma. While arms were by no means in short supply, much of the material on hand was outdated Soviet-pattern equipment ranging in modernity from the Second World War to the late 1970's. While sufficient for a fledgling nation with few external enemies, the dawn of the 21st Century made it clear that the time had long since passed to begin developing new weapons to fight contemporary enemies.

On hand immediately were an assortment of former Soviet assault rifles, alongside older SKS and SVT-40 battle rifles which had been pilfered from remote garrisons to serve as emergency stock. The AK-74, AK-47, as well as a plethora of associated variants predominated as the weapon of choice for many within the transitional Falkasian army at the turn of the century. However, there lacked any degree of standardization within the conventional forces and early army combat units often went into battle without assurance of sufficient ammunition or compatible spare parts from their rear supply chain. The older battle rifles were quickly phased out nearly as soon as they were pulled from retirement, quickly followed by the AK-47 in favor of the more modern AK-74. The AK-74, at least for a time, served as the primary Falkasian military armament for all branches. However, by the turn of the 21st Century even the timeless AK-74 was beginning to show its age. Alongside calls for modernization from other departments within the Falkasian military, the Minister of Defense submitted a request for alternative sourcing options for a new primary combat arm.

The stigma of anything communist, including the simple act of using weapons leftover from a previous regime, was a much greater factor politically than the cost-savings of using re-purposed weapons. While independent international suppliers, such as Lyran Arms, were initially considered as possible outfitters, the political environment within Falkasia at the time inclined the playing field sharply against external vendors. Falkasian soldiers would be outfitted with Falkasian gear, regardless of the cost. As such, upstart arms manufacturing firm Universal Defense was awarded the single-sourced contract to begin development on a variety of weapons systems to evolve the Falkasian military into a first-world 21st century fighting force. 

The W-113 Infantry Combat Rifle system was developed alongside a variety of other affiliated platforms as a weapon to replace all other latent assault rifles in the infantry rifleman's arsenal.

Construction
As with all Falkasian weaponry, the W-113 is constructed from chrome-manganese steel alloys to exacting manufacturing standards. The alloy itself, 4150, presents a much higher grade metal with the addition of 5% supplemental carbon. Carbon, as an element in steel itself, defines the strength of the alloy. In layman's terms, the greater the carbon content, the greater the metal's resiliency to shattering. This however, must be moderated, as too much carbon will result in a brittle weapons platform. Additional additives of bismuth and secondary molybdenum further serve to strengthen the alloy, and provide a greater threshold for heat and friction tolerances otherwise absent in comparable firearms.

The weapon platform hearkens design elements from the popular AR-pattern weapons, insofar that it utilizes modular components to allow for easy cleaning and replacement in the event of irrepairable wear. Design and production are focused around two primary components, namely the receiver assembly and barrel. As a bullpup weapon, the receiver itself is integrated into the reinforced fiberglass stock. Despite this, the presence of two pins at the base of the pistol grip allow for rapid inspection of the firing pin via a swinging mechanism which pivots along the axis of the grip itself. In an effort to minimize the parts necessary for system replacement, the stock is designed to be universal and non-discardable, and will accept all standardized factory receivers. 

The barrel itself is contained free-floating within a protective foreguard, and can be detached once more with the removal of a single pin located forward of the trigger guard. It is produced through the  traditional method of factory bluing a chromed molybdenum-manganese steel alloy. Each barrel is then machined to length, namely 686 mm before being rifled by automated bore machines. Rifling is cut deep to provide better channels for debris to evacuate the barrel as well as to provide higher exit velocity to help compensate for the W-113's shorter stature.

As mentioned, the W-113 utilizes a locking pin system similar in nature to that found on G-36 pattern and more generic Belgian pattern weapons. While not necessarily as hardy as traditional screw-and-bracket fasteners, the pin system will allow riflemen in the field to rapidly change and modify their weapons for any engagement at hand without the necessity of lugging awkward tools into battle. This system also allows for rapid disassembly and cleaning following combat operations.

Several aesthetic features from AK-pattern weaponry have also been integrated, and will be referenced in further sections.

Ammunition
The W-113 fires the standard Falkasian 7.62mmx39 round. Initially, the selection of this older cartridge was made due to practical matters of availability, but more recently the decision was made to retain it as standard for its stronger stopping power and ballistic characteristics. Rather uniquely, the W-113 sports a 32-round side-by-side magazine designed in part to only be loaded with 30 rounds. The remaining space for 2 rounds is designed to provide ample air cushion when feeding the receiver, so as to avoid mechanical jamming from bad feeds as well as account for environmental factors such as humidity and altitude.

Made of durable plastic, the magazines are designed in part to emulate standard AK-47 and AK-74 magazines. Although being much more rugged and less prone to mechanical failure, the new magazines are in greater part lighter resulting in infantry being capable of carrying for ammunition into battle. It is not out of the question that more recent AK-74s would be capable of receiving the new, modernized magazines as well.

Given the nature of this weapon, and the anticipation that it will be highly exported, the magazine system has been designed with the use of other, alternative domestic rounds in mind. As such, any comparable or compatible rounds to a the 7.62mmx39 can be easily swapped in and out without difficulty. Larger or smaller rounds however will likely experience compatibility issues. In like vein, the extreme availability of 7.62mm rounds, as compared to more specific rounds such as the 6.8mm Grendel, allow for easy resupply in the event of logistics problems. This in particular holds true for smaller armies, who might not otherwise have great access to infinite reserves of very specific small arms ammunition.

Operations
The W-113 operates as a traditional gas blow-back rotating bolt, along a short-stroke to allow fresh cartridges to be loaded with expediency. Spent cartridges are evacuated from the receiver along the right side of the stock and are propelled directly over the shooter's upper forearm and elbow. The bolt itself acts as an inertia counterweight, serving to soften the recoil and allow for more accurate shot placement. Subsequently, upon firing the last round, the bolt itself will force open alerting the firer to reload.

Using an anachronistic AK-style select-fire lever positioned immediately above the trigger assembly, the user can easily switch between semi-automatic, 3-round burst, and full-automatic.

The presence of rail mounts along the top of the receiver, as well as front-forward protecting the barrel, allow for the mounting of modifications and scopes to further increase lethality. 

Trigger/Safety Mechanism
The W-113 employs a regular trigger, cast from 317 stainless steel and encased within a protective fiberglass barrier. The trigger itself, unmodified straight from factory, requires a pull of roughly 5 pounds or 2.27 kilograms. It is single-action when in semi-automatic, meaning that each additional pull requires the exact same amount of pressure to release a round downrange. A single retained trigger pull while in automatic mode will supercede the pressure requirement.

Some comparable models require double-action, likely as a fail-safe to avoid accidental misfires. In this, a trigger pull requires significantly more pressure for the first round, after which each additional round requires a trigger pull of significantly less pressure. This helps to discourage free firing, but at the same time also means system users are burdened with slower reactions in a combat environment.

Given the intended role of the W-113 as a primary assault rifle, it is anticipated that any trigger pull is one of last and final resort. There is little need for unnecessary fail-safes, as every shot should be a kill shot.

To help keep the user safe however, the W-113 integrates a safety switch thumb-side above the trigger. This safety switch is ambidextrous, allowing the weapon to operated safely regardless of the handedness of the user. In it, a 4-pound push is required to disengage the safety and rolling it into an upward, unlocked position.

The safety pin, like the firing pin, is made of 317 stainless steel and interlocks the firing pin with a total pressure threshold of 4000 pounds or 1814 kilograms.

Sights
Traditional iron sights come standard with all W-113 platforms. The front sight is mounted directly to the barrel, once again a hearken to the familiar AK-pattern weapons. However, the rear sight itself is adjustable as well as removable via a set of mounting pins, and can be modified in the field to account for elevation and windage. Additionally, it may adjusted in range increments of 50 yards, up to a maximum of 500 yards or 457 meters, using a basic thumb-operated knob control setup on the side. 

The presence of Picatinny Rails allow for a great deal of customization on the top-bar of the firearm, directly above the receiver, as well as farther down the weapon directly above the barrel. As an added factory option and standard with all Falkasian military issues, a 4X Optical Scope capable of integration with Infrared, Night-Vision, as well as regular and low-light Reflex is available.

[Falkasia]

W-3 "Splinter" Combat Revolver without Scope Rail


W-3 "Splinter" Combat Revolver with Scope Rail


W-3 "Splinter" Combat Revolver

Dimensions
Weight: 2 kilograms (~4.4 lbs)
Length: 381 millimeters (~1.2 ft)
Barrel Length: 213 millimeters (~8.4 in)

Operation
Cartridge: .50 Caliber UD
Action: Single

Performance
Effective Range: 66 meters (~217 feet)
Maximum Range: 112 meters (~366 feet)
Feed System: 6 round Revolver
Sights: Front, Rear, Optional Picatinny Rail

Cost: $1400 (Additional costs may apply for custom orders)

Write-Up:
Background
There is nothing practical about a .50 caliber revolver. While light enough to be carried into battle and fired with one-hand, nothing short of an armored combat vehicle can provide much protection against the firepower levied by the wielder of this hand cannon. The result of an internal design competition, Universal Defense submitted a proposal to its gunsmiths to craft the ultimate weapon. Suffice to say, when presented with a challenge and no constraints within which to fit a system, rookie and veteran engineers alike were able to go all-out and create a weapon system the envy of big game hunters across the world. Initially, executives at Universal Defense dismissed the absurdity of this platform outright. However, after requests by a variety of international and domestic military and law enforcement agencies, a limited run of these handguns was marketed for sale.

Given that the standard issue Falkasian Military pistol, the Ketsveer "Special-K," was more than enough for most combat engagements, there was no need to market the W-3 as a suitable replacement. Quite the opposite, as the firepower alone of the Splinter Combat Revolver would prove to be far too unwieldy for use in a squad-level combat engagement. It has never been said in the history of war that certain units possessed "too much firepower," but the likelihood of the overpowered .50 caliber round obliterating hard cover and potentially inflicting grievous injuries on non-combatants proved to be too great of a concern for standardized military use.

However, even in its currently limited run, the W-3 has found consistent use as part of the expanded arsenal of a variety of special forces and paramilitary organizations around the world. These organizations, stressing lethality of force and operator resiliency over the potential of collateral damage, found a perfect platform for which to outfit their forces. Least it be mentioned that hard walls, which are often a safe bet for smaller caliber rifles, are transformed into confetti with a single hit.

Other uses include large game hunting. Small game hunting is advised against, as the impact force of a single round is likely to result in the abrupt disappearance of one's hunting target.

Construction

The nature of the W-3 requires craftsman-level detail in manufacturing, resulting in a superior firearm out of the box every time.

Each weapon is cast from stainless steel. The 8.4 inch barrel, also cast of stainless steel, is affixed to the revolver assembly via a screw located on the off-hand side. Unlike other pistols, the W-3 is deeply rifled to allow both superior ballistics at longer ranges and easy cleaning. The main receiver itself has attachment points for a small picatinny rail mount, included with each weapon, to allow more traditional scopes to be mounted. A hand guard is present underneath the barrel, stretching from the receiver to just before the end of the barrel, so as to provide additional support if the weapon is fired using two-hands. The hand guard itself can be slid off by removing securing screws at both ends to reveal an underslung picatinny rail for additional attachment points.

A forward-facing muzzle break, positioned in three "slats" surrounding the barrel, helps to reduce recoil to a manageable level. Suffice to say, early prototypes often resulted in trips to the emergency room for various wrist and shoulder injuries.

The hand grip is artfully wrapped in black, naturally cured leather and provides both great comfort and perspiration-wicking qualities comparably found in the seats of luxury automobiles. Underneath the wrap is a harder polymer grip, molded in a standard ergonomic pattern for ease-of-use. Special run models can be constructed with a custom-molded polymer grip using an easy mail-in kit, and tailored specifically to an individual's hand. Additionally, contained within the hand grip is a small 2 pound weighted pendulum-style weight, designed to act a recoil-dampener by dropping vertically following each trigger pull. The weight is encased within the hand grip, and cannot be removed without completely replacing the polymer grip itself.

The front sights are cast from stainless steel, and are removable for use in conjunction with an attached picatinny rail.

Ammunition

The W-3 Combat Revolver fires a proprietary .50 caliber round, made in small customized batches by Universal Defense and its subsidiaries. Possessing a 12.7mmx41 bullet using a 450 grain load, the round achieves an average muzzle velocity of 480 meters per second (1,575 ft/s) in lab testing and some degree less under combat circumstances. It is un-rimmed, and allows for more easy cycling when firing rapidly.

A 6-round self-contained rotating magazine provides the primary feed for the W-3, allowing easy access by a release button located just behind the main trigger assembly. Rounds must be loaded manually after all six have been fired, although standardized speed-loaders are available for ease of reloading.

Custom cartridges or calibers can be produced upon request, although smaller or larger rounds tend to experience severe losses in performance as the W-3 platform itself is optimized for an explosive .50 caliber load.

Operations

The action is simple. A trigger pull, requiring roughly 5 pounds of direct pressure, fires a single round through the barrel and downrange. The magazine itself is cycled via a cast stainless steel thumb hammer located immediately above and behind the trigger assembly. Recoil is compensated for partly by systems integrated directly in to the firearm, as well as the firer's arm.

As a hand gun, the W-3 is incredibly simple to operate and does what it is designed to do incredibly well. Point at target, pull trigger, endure recoil, and attempt to locate obliterated remains of target.

Trigger/Safety Mechanisms

Anything firing a .50 caliber round is designed for the sole purpose of destroying anything it is pointing at. Given this, it is very important that the firearm destroys the enemy and not the operator's thigh. The pistol itself requires a forceful 5 pound trigger pull, which can prevent unintended discharges.

Additionally, the handgun possesses a single mechanical safety located behind the trigger and within reach of a retracted thumb or forefinger. It is of a push-button style, similar in nature to those used on more traditional assault rifles, and locks the thumb hammer from being driven backwards accidentally. In certain cases, field modifications have allowed the W-3 to be locked into firing position before the safety is engaged, thusly allowing the pistol to be carried "locked and loaded" into a combat situation. These modifications are unsafe, and can result in potentially dangerous situations if the safety is somehow deactivated.

Sights

The W-3 comes standard with both attached front and rear iron sights, available in both a regular and high visibility green bead option, as well as an unattached picatinny rail mounting which can be affixed above the receiver. This picatinny rail is designed to allow mounting of more traditional sights, such as ACOG scopes or Red Dots, as found on standard assault rifles.

[Falkasia]

W-1 "Sorority" PDW Standard


W-1 "Sorority" PDW Special


W-1 "Sorority" Personal Defense Weapon

Dimensions
Weight: 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lbs)
Length (Stock Extended):  550 millimeters
Length (Stock Collapsed): 375 millimeters
Barrel Length: 150 millimeters

Operation
Cartridge: 9mm Caseless, comparable/compatible domestic rounds
Action: Gas-operated rotating blow-back bolt
Rate of fire: 915 rounds per minute (cyclical)

Performance
Effective Range: 115 meters (377.3 feet)
Maximum Range: 230 meters (754.6 feet)
Feed System: 32-round, Pistol-Grip Magazine (15-round Flechette)
Sights: Front, Rear, and Barrel Iron Sights, Picatinny Rail for optional mountings.

Cost
Standard: NS$ 1500
Special: NS$ 1750
Sub-marine: NS$ 2100

Write-Up:
Background

In 2012, the Falkasian Military became actively involved in a conflict with the Republic of Hutanjia. The harsh tropical conditions, coupled with the general ineptitude of early local forces to combat the more formal Republican Army, made it apparent that the current Falkasian standard armament was inadequate. The AK-113, while an exceptional medium and long-range battle rifle, lacked the needed flexibility and endurance to perform well in a jungle environment. In the close and humid confines of the jungle, the rifle proved to be more of a burden than an asset despite its compact bullpup design and overall superiority compared to other small arms weapons systems operating in the region.

In conjunction, the weapon itself proved to be a burden to special Falkasian FSIS operators, who were forced to rely on either the shortened AK-113 carbine model or comparable foreign models procured through discrete channels. Naturally, foreign models aided in plausible deniability, but ultimately the general difficulty associated with procuring them created a prohibitive barrier for most operators to overcome. The AK-113 carbine model, while by no means insufficient, was cited by ground forces as being clunky and cumbersome given the bullpup design. Many operators, who tend to be much older in comparison to their regular infantry counterparts, tend to prefer more traditional front-center magazine placement as compared to underarm bullpup style.

The local Cardwithian forces, whom the Falkasians were tasked with training, shared similar notions. The AK-113, once again a superior weapons system, was also far too expensive to domestically produce en masse for what amounted to armed militia. In like form, the armed militia lacked the time necessary to train extensively on quality weapons platforms and as such was unable to fully leverage the complexity of the AK-113.

As such, a request was dispatched to Universal Defense to design a small, lightweight weapon for use in a CQC, Personnel Defense, and ultimately as a relatively cheap "throwaway" weapon for sale to small armies in the developing world.

Construction

True to form, the W-1 is built to exacting Falkasian quality specifications. While designed from the ground up to be simple and cheap to manufacture, this should not be misconstrued as a departure from quality construction.

The primary receiver body and stock are cast from a lightweight aluminium alloy. The primary benefit of this comes in both reduced carrying weight, alongside a greater capacity for rust resistance and a very high melting and freezing point to help discourage warping in extreme environments. Falkasia itself is relatively temperate, at least outside of winter, so this characteristic does not necessarily play into account very much. However, when operating in a myriad of environments in foreign countries, the necessity to avoid unintentional destruction of the weapons' parts help to reduce overhead and the added expense of replacement parts.

As evidenced by early ventures in aluminium weapon designs, such lightweight weapons despite their wide range of temperature tolerances, are prone to unintentional damage or warping during cleaning. Initial prototypes sent to Hutanjian were highly prone to this, as the untrained militia tended to use more force than was necessary when stripping their weapons for cleaning. Deep rifling groves in the barrel help to prevent this, as well as an AK-style chamber access lever which allows remote cleaning without warranting complete dis-assembly. Design features should never replace basic weapon maintenance however, so key parts such as the firing pin and hair trigger are cast from stainless steel.

The stock itself is foldable and detachable, allowing for users to even further reduce the size of their weapon in combat situations. Made of an aluminium alloy wrapped around a two-piece stainless steel core, the stock at extension is capable of bearing the full brunt of weapons recoil under most conditions. Although muzzle velocity is compared to those of similar PDWs, the stock has proven to be strong enough to survive up to 24-hours of sustained cyclical fire. Universal Defense does not regard this as an issue, seeing as most weapons will not encounter a complete day of sustained fire in their lifetime. However, the prototype models dispatched to Hutanjia experienced a variety of field modifications including the grafting of a wood/plastic composite stock in place of the factory standard. While there was absolutely no statistical change in performance, many locals cited the additional "heft" of the weapon as feeling more comfortable.

The barrel is produced through traditional methods, factory bluing of Chrome Molybdenum steel. Each barrel is then machined to length, namely 150 mm before being rifled by an automated bore machine. As noted previously, the rifling is cut deep to provide better channels for debris to evacuate the barrel as well as to provide higher exit velocity for the otherwise under-powered pistol-grade round.

The highly specialized Submarine version, which does not fire traditional rounds, is constructed in a different manner entirely. While sharing a similar fabrication process as the regular land-based models, the Submarine variant instead is much bulkier and comes with a water-tight access lever. As the underwater version fires small flechettes, there is no need for a casing discharge so this feature is omitted entirely. Instead, the entirety of the receiver and all openings are sealed to the outside. The only way to break the seal is to access a small lever beneath the trigger, which allows the weapon to be dis-assembled for servicing.

One primary benefit of the aluminium construction is its general immunity to saltwater. Under the assumption that frogman operations will occur in an environment where salinity is high, this allows for longer operational life over the course of each weapon. What parts are made of out steel are also generally immune to corrosion, given the nature of the stainless steel alloy they are constructed from.

Ammunition

The W-1 uses a traditional 9mm caseless round in a pistol-grip fed 32-round magazine. The magazine itself, which is inserted via a receiving port in the core of the pistol grip, is designed to hold rounds in a standard interlaced 2-by-2 manner.

Given the nature of this weapon, and the anticipation that it will be highly exported, the magazine system has been designed with the use of domestic rounds in mind. As such, any comparable or compatible rounds to a 9mm caseless can be easily swapped in and out without difficulty. Larger or smaller rounds however will likely experience compatibility issues. In like vein, the extreme availability of 9mm rounds, as compared to more specific rounds such as the 6.8mm Grendel, allow for easy resupply in the event of logistics problems. This in particular holds true for smaller armies, who might not otherwise have great access to infinite reserves of small arms ammunition.

One downside to the round-compatibility feature lies in cross-feeding rounds of different origins. While not a major problem under factory circumstances, when rounds of different manufacture are used in conjunction with one another in the same magazine, the weapon tends to misfire. This is likely caused by minute and otherwise indiscernable differences at a micro-level. Certain rounds, depending on the exact specifications of manufacture, might vary from one another in size, metal composition, or even grain count. It is strongly advised that rounds of like national origin or manufacture be incorporated together, and the mixing of disassociated rounds be avoided altogether.

Initially, a more traditional front-center magazine was to be used in the manufacture of the weapon. Prototypes designed for field testing were produced in both variants; one with a front-center magazine and one as a pistol-grip magazine. While tests in the field proved statistically inconclusive, interviews with both Cardwithian militiamen and FSIS operators expressed a greater interest in the pistol-grip style magazine feed. For one, it reduced the profile of the weapon. This made maneuvering in tight situations much easier, and eliminated the largest part of the weapon that might get stuck in tight environments. Secondly, it allowed individual soldiers to carry more ammunition. While 32-round magazines are the standard for most armies, the small and more compact nature of the clips allows a comparable amount of ammunition to be carried in a much smaller space.

This feature added value in a decreased weight-to-ammo ratio, and allowed independent operators greater flexibility when conducting missions farther from an FOB or out-of-resupply range.

In the water, the W-1 substitutes a 32-round magazine for a 15-round flechette cartridge. The cartridge itself is water-tight, guaranteed by a plastic cap affixed to the end. For ease of use, it is loaded directly into a modified magazine receiver which remains watertight until the aforementioned plastic cap disengages an external safety switch to release the trapdoor allowing access to the receiver.

Each tungsten flechette is 9mm, and mounted on a tiny compressed oxygen cartridge which launches it forward upon ignition. The submarine W-1 operates as a sort of miniaturized pneumatic harpoon gun, although instead of large fish, the target tends to be enemy forces.

Operations

Holding true to comparable models, the W-1 incorporates three main fire modes. Standard from factory and unmodified, these modes are semi-automatic, 4-round burst, and fully automatic. While the foremost and latter options are universally standard, the middle option is a bit of a departure from traditional 3-round burst options.

Falkasian weapons are designed with flexibility and firepower in mind. Oftentimes, a 3-round burst is simply not enough to drop most modern armored targets. Especially given the relatively weak power of the 9mm, it was determined that an additional round added would provide sufficient force to drop a target. This holds true for most Falkasian-designed weapons, which omit a 3-round burst for a 4-round burst. Many times, foreign auxiliaries or operators have a difficult time adapting to this change, but value such weapons for the ability to deliver greater firepower in a controlled manner.

On all variants, an integrated plastic ergonomic grip located front of the trigger mechanism provides extra support for the firer. It's presence once again hinges around the idea of maneuverability in tight spaces. By having the off-hand closer to the point of recoil, namely the receiving chamber, it allows the weapons system itself to be stabilized better and avoids wild recoil. This is one reason why the collapsible stock is so resilient, but also helps to absorb the shock of firing into the body of the firer as compared to the framework of the weapon.

The presence of this grip also aids in reducing weapon size, and avoids awkward extensions such as a vertical fore-grip which might otherwise become tangled in tight operating environments. The grip itself is shaped so as to fit naturally into the hand of a user without any prior training or use.

For the Submarine version, the weapon can only fire in semi-automatic. Burst and fully automatic variants were found to expose the internal workings of the gun to water, and compromised the internal reaction when using traditional gunpowder cartridges. This still held true once the decision was to made to employ a pneumatic launch mechanism, as rapid fire inhibited the pressured oxygen cartridges from engaging correctly and resulted in an explosive pressure buildup in the receiving chamber.

Trigger/Safety Mechanisms

The W-1 employs a regular trigger, cast from stainless steel and encased within a protective barrier. The trigger itself, unmodified straight from factory, requires a pull of roughly 5 pounds or 2.27 kilograms. It is single-action, meaning that each additional pull requires the exact same amount of pressure to release a round downrange.

Some comparable models require double-action, likely as a fail-safe to avoid accidental misfires. In this, a trigger pull requires significantly more pressure for the first round, after which each additional round requires a trigger pull of significantly less pressure. This helps to discourage free firing, but at the same time also means system users are burdened with slower reactions in a combat environment.

Given the intended role of the W-1, it is anticipated that any trigger pull is one of last and final resort. There is little need for unnecessary fail-safes, as every shot should be a kill shot.

To help keep the user safe however, the W-1 integrates a safety switch thumb-side above the trigger. This safety switch is ambidextrous, allowing the weapon to operated safely regardless of the handiness of the user. In it, a 4-pound push is required to disengage the safety to allow firing.

The safety pin, like the firing pin, is made of stainless steel and interlocks the firing pin with a total pressure threshold of 4000 pounds or 1814 kilograms.

Sights

Traditional iron sights come standard with all W-1's, and are capable of one degree of freedom in terms of rotation. In this regard, they can flip up or down depending on the need or additional attachments. As a fail-safe, a third iron sight is affixed to the gun barrel for ease of sighting as well as firing from the hip.

The iron sights can be adjusted in range increments of 50 yards, up to a maximum of 500 yards or 457 meters, using a basic knob-control set-up on the side.

The presence of Picatinny Rails allow for a great deal of customization on the top-bar of the firearm, directly above the receiver. A variety of scopes, alongside visual-enhancing sights can be affixed with little issue and sighted in using the aforementioned permanent barrel ironsight.

The ergonomic foregrip also allows for the attachment of a flashlight or laser sight as required by the mission at hand.

[Falkasia]

W-12 "Shuttershock" Heavy Machine Gun

Dimensions
Weight: 30 kilograms (66.14 lbs)
Length: 1600 millimeters (5.25 feet)
Barrel Length: 1200 millimeters (3.94 feet)

Performance
Cartridges: 12.7mm, .50 caliber, Domestic Cross-Compatibility
Rate of Fire: 661 rounds per minute (cyclical)
Action: Gas-operated, Rotating Bolt
Effective Range: 1900 meters (2077.9 yards)
Maximum Range: 6800 meters (7436.57 yards)

Peripherals
Feed: Disengaging Link Belt, straight feed from detachable Box Magazine
Sights: Traditional Front/Rear Iron Sights, Barrel-mounted Fail-safe Sight, top-mount Picatinny Rail

Cost: $2,700 NSD

Write-up
Background
In the aftermath of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, Falkasia was faced with a major dilemma. While arms were by no means in short supply, much of them material on hand was outdated Soviet-pattern equipment ranging in modernity from the Second World War to the 1970's. While sufficient for a fledgling nation with few external enemies, the dawn of the 21st Century suggested that the time had long since passed to being developing new weapons to fight contemporary enemies.

On hand immediately were an assortment of Soviet heavy machine guns. The DShK predominated as the weapon of choice for more tank designs leading up to the time, and was a tried favorite of old guard armored warfare commanders. Lighter, albeit no less powerful options, such as the RPD, RPK, and PKM also were located in suitable numbers to be used as standard issue for armored vehicles and ground forces. However, the agelessness and resiliency of the old designs proved little more than a token nod when the Falkasian Minister of Defense finally decided that the best course of action moving forward would be to completely overhaul the armories in favor of domestic systems.

The stigma of anything communist, including the simple act of using weapons leftover from a previous regime, was a much greater factor politically than the cost-savings of using re-purposed weapons. While independent international suppliers, such as Lyran Arms, were initially considered as possible outfitters, the political environment within Falkasia at the time inclined the playing field sharply against outsourcing. Falkasian soldiers would be outfitted with Falkasian gear, regardless of the cost. As such, upstart arms manufacturing firm Universal Defense was awarded the contract to begin development on a variety of weapons systems to evolve the Falkasian military into a first-world 21st century fighting force. 

The W-12 "Shuttershock" Machine Gun was developed alongside a variety of other systems as a weapon to replace most heavy machine guns currently operated on armored vehicles, aircraft, and in team-based fire support configurations.

Construction
As with everything produced by Universal Defense, the W-12 is constructed from the highest quality metals available on the market. With its role as a heavy, vehicle-mounted or man-portable machine gun, emphasis has been placed upon durable manufacturing and material strength.

Non-firing elements, such as the frame, stock, and foregrips, are fabricated through injection-molded fiberglass reinforced polyamide. As a highly dissipative heat-tempered plastic, it allows for sustained firing without sacrificing user comfort. Additionally, as it is synthetic in nature, polyamides are also generally cheaper than mineral alloys or organic structural options such as wood. While not sacrificing in quality or usability, these cost-savings are able to be transferred on to the consumer resulting in a subsequently lower purchasing costs and operating expenses.

The barrel itself is forged from a chrome molybdenum alloy, as most rifled breeches go. Each barrel is robotically machined to length, in this case 1200 millimeter, and then custom-fitted by hand into each pre-fabricated receiver to ensure optimal fit. Deep-cut rifling channels allow sustained firing without fear of jamming under most environmental circumstances. Deep rifling also allows rounds to spin at a much higher rotational speed, thusly improving accuracy at ranges far exceeding the normal operational window of similar heavy machine guns.

Ammunition
The W-12 is chambered to fire in 12.7mm, 50 caliber, or any variety of comparable domestic rounds. As a replacement for the existing DShK and Kord machine guns, it was imperative that the new model not sacrifice any of the stopping power of the preceding models. Larger rounds, such as 15mm proved to be too non-standard for use in a weapons system. It was quickly determined that, in the event of supply problems, enemy ammunition could not be scavenged in sufficient enough supply to warrant an unorthodox caliber. Likewise, chambering the machine gun in the next nearest 20mm range would render it nearly unusable in its designated role. At this scale, instead of a vehicle-mounted machine gun, it would simply become an autocannon. The recoil from such a large round would prove uncontrollable by manpower alone, and was thusly discarded. 12.7mm, the caliber of all previous weapons, would be maintained.

While Universal Defense would prefer its customers to purchase all ammunition directly from our wholesalers around the world, we realize that in many situations this is both unrealistic and cumbersome. An added feature of the excessive rifling allows for the barrel and receiver to accommodate a wide range of domestic and international rounds which fit similar calibers. Margin of error tends to be +/- 1 mm, expanding the window for usable rounds with this system.

The weapon itself is belt-fed, employing a disengaging link bed fed from an interconnected under-slung ammunition box. The standard length is 200 rounds, although the weapon is capable of firing cyclically up to 661 rounds per minute, so a variety of standardized national or doctrine-based lengths can be employed seamlessly during use. Due to their bulk and general instability, the W-12 does not support drum-style magazines out of the gate. However, field modifications can jury-rig such ammunition containers directly to the receiver superstructure. Universal Defense does not recommend this.

Operations
The W-12 is an air-cooled, gas-operated, rotating bolt platform. As tends to be the case with air-cooled weapons, heat accumulation under sustained fire can rapidly become a very serious problem. Believe us, several professional systems engineers learned that the hard way. In particular, the W-12 is designed without a foreguard or protective covering on the front of the barrel. While at first it may appear as a production oversight, in reality it allows for the rapid change-out of overheated or warping barrels. Sustained fire is key, especially when the situation calls for continuous use over an extended period of time. Rarely would this scenario occur in an environment conducive to tea parties, so flexibility and durability in design are essential.

As a vehicle or team-based weapon, the W-12 has one fire setting; Vaporize. Capable of pumping 661 rounds a minute downrange, this weapon is built to suppress and then annihilate any targets which might be stupid enough to raise their heads. The 12.7mm round has enough stopping power to level most small buildings, as well as pin or possibly pierce a variety of small and lighter armored vehicles. At close ranges, when pivoted up upon its mounting access, the W-12 can be used in a marginal anti-aircraft role against low flying aircraft and helicopters.

Mountings vary between use. Heavily armored vehicles such as tanks would mount the W-12 as a counterpart weapon on the turret. in this form, the weapon would either be hydraulically free-slung and available for use external or through an access hatch by an vehicle crew, or conversely operated internally via a camera and guide-by-wire system. Additionally, it would be used internally as a co-axial machine gun for use again front-deployed infantry or soft targets. Traditional co-ax turrets are soft-mounted with a 60-degree sphere of rotation. 

For lighter armored vehicles, the W-12 would likely be mounted in either of these aforementioned deployments.

As a team-based weapons system, the W-12 would either be carried into battle separated into two pieces. Of the three-man team, one would carry the main firing platform while another would carry a tripod. The third would handle the shuttling of ammunition boxes. Alternatively, a three-wheeled carriage could be pushed into position by a two-man team. The presence of wheels however presents a challenge when operating over rough or porous terrain.

Although still in development, the F.A.S.T. system currently in development could in theory grant an individual soldier enough strength to carry the weapon himself in the squad automatic rifleman role.

As tends to be the case with a weapon system of this size, at higher rates of fire, control becomes both difficult and uncomfortable. Therefore, the W-12 has integrated an automatic recoil dampening system. The stock itself, while fabricated as one piece, is mounted on a spring and rubber pad system to absorb recoil as it travels backwards from the muzzle. In a manner similar to a po-go stick, recoil is absorbed into the stock by a dissipative counter-action. Instead of the force slamming the weapon back into the user's shoulder, it instead focuses the stress on the stock mounting where it reaches the receiver. For easy maintenance and to access parts for replacement, the stock can be removed via a small button located to the rear of the receiver.

Trigger/Safety Mechanisms
The W-12 employs a regular two-stage trigger, cast from stainless steel and encased within a protective barrier. The trigger itself, unmodified straight from factory, requires a primary pull of roughly 5 pounds or 2.27 kilograms. While sustained fire following this initial pull requires no additional pressure, a 10 second window following pressure release allows the user to re-engage the firing mechanism with a single 1 pound pull for quicker hair firing.

Given the intended role of the W-12, it is anticipated that any trigger pull is one of last and final resort. There is little need for unnecessary fail-safes, as every shot should be a kill shot.

To help keep the user safe however, the W-12 integrates a safety switch thumb-side above the trigger. This safety switch is ambidextrous, allowing the weapon to be operated safely regardless of the handiness of the user. In it, a 4-pound push is required to disengage the safety to allow firing. The safety pin, like the firing pin, is made of stainless steel and interlocks the firing pin with a total pressure threshold of 4000 pounds or 1814 kilograms.

Sights
Traditional iron sights come standard with all W-12's, and are capable of one degree of freedom in terms of rotation. In this regard, they can flip up or down depending on the need or additional attachments. As a fail-safe, a third iron sight is affixed to the gun barrel for ease of sighting as well as firing from the hip. 

The iron sights can be adjusted in range increments of 50 yards, up to a maximum of 500 yards or 457 meters, using a basic knob-control set-up on the side. 

The presence of Picatinny Rails allow for a great deal of customization on the top-bar of the firearm, directly above the receiver. A variety of scopes, alongside visual-enhancing sights can be affixed with little issue and sighted in using the aforementioned permanent barrel ironsight.

A mounting hole, located below the front handguard, is primarily used for securing the weapon when in a fixed firing position. For deployment to on armored vehicles or weapons carriages, the superstructure would be affixed here. Although there is no factory standard hardware, the W-12 is capable of mounting a variety of other fire support equipment such as grips or bipods for additional stability.

[Falkasia]

T-2 "Tango" Wheeled Battle Tank

Essentials
Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)

Dimensions
Length: 7.7 meters
Height: 2.7 meters
Width: 2.3 meters

Operational Weight
Weight: 8.1 metric tonnes

Performance
Maximum Speed: 93 KpH (58 MpH)
Cross Country Speed: 59.5 KpH (37 MpH)
Operational Range: 717 kilometers

Armament
Main Turret: FGS-90 "Icepick" 90mm Cannon
Turret Co-ax and Cupola: W-12 "Shuttershock" Heavy Machine Gun

Powerplant
Propulsion: Voron Mark One turbo-charged V8 500HP Diesel direct-injection Engine
Transmission: Electric (5 Forward, 1 Reverse, 1 Special Use)

Armor and Protection
Armor: Angled Chobham Armor, Reinforced Glass Laminate, RHA Chassis
Systems: Smoke Launchers, "Sharpshooter" APS
Cost: NS$ 3,100,000

Write-Up:
Background
In 2012, Falkasia became embroiled in what is now known as the Hutanjian Conflict. Despite assurances that involvement would be limited to only an advisory role, the entrance of an several different opposition factions pressed the Falkasian Military and FSIS to double-down and rapid escalate troop deployments to the region. In culmination, two total divisions of Falkasian combat troops ultimately undertook a tour of duty lasting five years with the subsequent occupation force still engaged in sporadic fighting.

While the jungles of Nesselberg and Hutanjia were not conducive to armored or mechanized warfare, it became apparent rather quickly that the rolling island plains and light forests of the Cardwith chain presented a much better environment for conducting armored warfare operations. With exception sight lines and knolls upon which to park over-watch assets, the general lack of armored assets on part of the native Cardwithian forces put them at a severe disadvantage when faced with amphibious assaults along the coasts of West Cardwith during the waning years of the war. What units they did operate at full-strength were outfitted with second-hand Falkasian equipment, brought up and transferred over in lieu of a lend-lease deal. Obsolescence coupled with poor training and a general cultural adversion to the application of armored warfare tactics resulted in enormous casualties, much to the chagrin of their Falkasian attaches.

The Dire Wolf main battle tanks, of Lyran manufacture, operated by the deployed Falkasian 19th Mechanized were far too cost prohibitive to distribute to the native forces in any capacity. Foremost as well, there was a generally unstated understanding that Cardwithian tankers would be incapable of utilizing the technologically superior systems to their full advantage without sufficient training; the time required being unavailable almost immediately from the get-go. With the main task at hand being the continued defense of their home island chain, local military commanders from both nations began looking into possible ways to remedy the underlying issues. 

Primary factors were already apparent, namely the need for livability, speed, and ultimately firepower. The dated Falkasian tanks, older Soviet-era T-55s and T-62/T-64s could not stand toe-to-toe with the modern hardware supplied by the Hutanjian regime or their foreign auxiliaries. In short, their guns were under-powered against modern angled armor and countermeasures. The Edomites in particular, operators of comparable Lyran-made systems as Falkasia, made this factor the most apparent. Then again, their tactical feebleness with open space armored warfare had an unfortunate way of shining through when going up against the 19th and attached native counterparts in combat on East Cardwith. This battle in particular lead to the second determination; Speed. With the Battle of the Palegata Plain serving as a case study, rapid leap-frog advances allowed the Falkasian forces and the Cardwithian auxiliaries to quickly overwhelm and overrun the otherwise numerically superior Edomite forces. Open spaces, separated by lighter forests allowed a rapid, mobile force the ability to hit-and-run while using the trees for cover without fear of being eliminated by active frontal aviation. The nature of the terrain and lack of population advocated for small units to operate independently, so as to best take advantage of targets of opportunity and act as a picketing force for a larger army or power axis. Lastly came livability. Without moving into notions of imperialism or sociology, there was and still remains a certain sense of disdain Falkasian officers hold in regards to the average Cardwithian grunt. While there is no doubt that they have earned the respect of their foreign allies, their eagerness to throw themselves physically into a meat grinding orgy of violence left a great deal to be desired in terms of grander strategy. Any tactical doctrine would have to account for this cultural norm, including the military application of armored forces. Thusly, the otherwise obvious need to protect trained vehicle crews became a rather amusing paradox. Livability became a matter of asset protection, not so much because the local Cardwithians valued their lives, but rather it was far more expensive to constantly train replacement crews than keep veteran ones alive. 

Vadim Chuikov, then Brigadier General of the 8th Airborne and supreme commander over the entire Falkasian force in the Cardwiths, came to the conclusion that an armored car would be the best way forward. While some things would need to be done about armored protection, the speed and firepower were there if paired with a sufficient power plant and weapons system. By this time, combat engagements were beginning to wind down following the Treaty of Kenega and evacuation of the remaining USG elements to regroup in Panto Leto following Task Force Khariton's assault on their home island. Upon his recall and subsequent retirement, Chuikov alongside several of his former Falkasian and Cardwithian attaches, approached Universal Defense with their idea. Universal Defense, already proverbial knee-deep in procurement contracts for the upstart nation, was more than happy to oblige. The decision was made early on to refer to this system as a "Wheeled Battle Tank," both to dissuade its future users from relegating it to the scout/support role but also to highlight its armament and intended role within the fledgling Cardwithian Army.

Armament
Stopping power was ultimately required, in excess of what any of the T-55s or T-62/T-64s could offer. Review of comparable platforms across the world yielded few results. It seemed that, in the modern era of contemporary warfare, most nations had relegated the mobile firepower or scout/recon roles to lighter duty tanks or uparmored utility vehicles. Neither of which traditionally carried any form of armament in excess of the 20mm light duty range. In combat, such a caliber was only useful directly against soft or unarmored targets, infantry, and when used in a supportive role, as suppressive fire against larger or fortified targets. The T-2 Tango was ultimately to go up against the best tanks available, with the abject goal being to win.

A proprietary rifled 90mm cannon, manufactured from a chrome-cobalt-manganese alloy, was selected as the winning candidate. Designed from the ground up for use with the T-2 platform, it supported an armory of rounds to support its intended myriad missions. Exit muzzle velocities ranged as high as 1010 m/s for anti-armor HEAT and HESH rounds to as low as 700 m/s for anti-personnel and close-in anti-fortification rounds such as canister or HE. Penetration range tests proved that, at standard engagement distances, the hydraulically-stabilized 90mm cannon was capable of piercing between 320mm-350mm of armor successfully with minimal loss to lethality. Extreme tests affirmed the rifled cannon's ability to penetrate up to 500mm of armor given optimal positioning and environmental factors.

To supplement this, the FGS-90 cannon was paired with the W-12 heavy machine gun in a front-facing co-axial setup as well as within a turret-top mounted cupola. The W-12, also used across other Universal Defense systems, provides not only egregious firepower with its 12.7mm round, but also allows for cross-compatibility in the event spare parts are required and must be cannibalized. 

The turret gunner acts as the primary operator of both the 90mm and co-axial W-12, whereas the vehicle commander is tasked with operating the cupola machine gun, as well as double-tasking as a secondary loader in the event the integrated auto-loader fails or is somehow disabled. Access for the commander to the shell magazine on the left-hand side of the turret is inherently limited by the cannon's breach.

Systems
The T-2 "Tango" employs proprietary VICE-E (E being to denote the export variant) battlefield management software as the operating system from which all of its fire control, communications, and support functions are supported. VICE, or more formally known as Virtual Intelligence and Combat Environment, gathers, interprets, and presents information from a plethora of tactical, strategic, and global intelligence stockpiles in real-time. Such a system, when networked correctly across a theater, allows for the active processing, rendering, and distribution of critical data to the lowest tactical level in a split second. As such, VICE plays an important role in all Universal Defense designs by maximizing both unit operational effectiveness, cohesion, and ultimately lethality. 

In minutia, the VICE system utilizes this multi-level integration and access to real-time tactical intelligence to compute firing solutions for the gunner, based upon not only the prospective target, but also the environmental conditions in the current theater of battle. This is achieved in less time than it would take for a comparable system, let alone were the gunner to have to do such calculations manually or by trial-and-error. The generated firing solution guarantees a near-perfect hit percentage within typical operational parameters. 

Tthe VICE system provides a completely enclosed signals communication suite, relying heavily on 512-bit ciphers that rotate automatically every 15 minutes. The system itself is also completely insulated and resistant to electronic inference via gallium arsenide circuitry. When employed across a wider operational area, such integrated technology allows the transmission of voice and electronic media to become ni-invulnerable to interception and decryption. The nature of the VICE system, with its real-time rendering and dissemination of tactical and strategic intelligence, allows individual commanders the flexibility to engage targets of opportunity at their discretion without the need to constantly relay to a higher superior for orders. Rather, each unit commander is given the same power of a command center, presented virtually in virtual-reality through either an immersive projection, eye-piece, or other delivery mechanism. 

Target acquisition, when not performed automatically by the VICE integration, is performed by all three crew members via integrated thermal sights. The sights themselves are measured in standard units and are hard-wired to each vehicle's VICE system, allowing for the instant acquisition of front-line intelligence.

A note on the VICE-E export variant. While systematically identical to the standard Falkasian VICE system, the E-variant is somewhat under-powered and lacks many of the custom features evident on Falkasian military vehicles. The main justification for this is not to limit or disable the ability of other forces to operate in-theater, potentially even up against Falkasian conventional forces, but rather to help standardize the extremely powerful computer software for export across a wider range of national economic and technological development.

Armor
With speed being the primary hallmark of the T-2, a balance had to be struck between excessive protection and mobility. In doing so, the T-2 mounts some of the most advanced Falkasian and Universal Defense-designed systems to date. 

On a basic level, the chassis of the T-2 is fabricated from a rolled homogeneous alloy and supplemented by layers of composite alloy sheet and chobham armor. In total, the standard unit possesses 50mm of armor around all facades with an additional angled front slope increasing up to 75mm. While light in terms of protection, the T-2 is not designed to go toe-to-toe with modern armor in a slug-fest. Rather, its intention is to employ speed and agility, coupled with its firepower, to bog down more cumbersome targets and eliminate them at range without ever having to expose the vehicle or its crew to fire.

While being on the lighter side in terms of armor, the T-2 is the first domestic system to employ the Sharpshooter Active Protection System. Mounted on experimental test-beds of Lyran-manufacture, the APS excelled in closed-in shaped charge projectile defense. Such a system, when mounted correctly, allow for the interception of inbound shaped charges with 97% efficiency around a 360-degree sphere of protection. More information pertaining to the history and specifications of the APS can be found on its relevant catalog entry, accessible above in the technicals sheet.

The crew compartment is protected by an internal powdered pneumatic fire suppression system, integrated with VICE. It allows for both automatic activation and suppression upon the detection of either smoke or thermal heat via internal sensors, or by manual activation from an external source. In this capacity, crew survivability is increased by tenfold and will allow multiple fail-safes to ensure escape. 

Propulsion
With the Tango being an entirely new design, the need for a non-typical powerplant was apparent. There was no current, off-the-shelf option to provide the horsepower and torque called out in the design, so Universal Defense was forced to turn to domestic automobile and equipment manufacturer Voron for assistance. A modified Voron Mark One haul truck engine was offered as a suitable drop-in solution

The Voron Mark One is an 8-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine, designed to generate 500HP under optimal operational parameters. Under maximum power on on a prepared road, the Tango has a maximum speed of 93 KPH, or about 58 MPH. Cross-country, where the T-2 is intended to operate almost exclusively, the speed drops to an averaged 59.5 KPH, or 37 MpH. Theoretically, a vehicle can exceed this on particularly hard or flat terrain, but account for varying surface conditions has lead to more conservative reporting.

Maintenance tends to be generally straightforward, as the former haul truck engine is a direct pull from heavy industrial applications and requires minimal support to maintain operations.The goal here is to provide a simple platform for field repairs during extended patrols, as well as to minimize the impact of downtime on extended or stretched supply lines. In part of its light attack/forward recon/tank hunter role, the T-2 is intended to operate in small units for long periods of time.

As such the Tango employs an electric transmission system, wherein the powertrain shaft is replaced my energized cables which convey transmuted mechanical power via generator crankshaft into electrical impulses. This results in additional key benefits, namely increased operational fuel efficiency, faster generation of lower-end torque, and ultimately reduced maintenance costs across the linespan of the vehicle itself. An expanded battery, dual-fed via A/C from the diesel engine and electric converter "gearbox," serve to power the integrated VICE systems as well as provide a readily-accessible field generator.

The suspension is affixed to the chassis underframe, so that the suspension is integrated but equally separated from the hull. This detached free-slung suspension allows the T-2 to traverse a variety of rough terrain with ease, preserving speed and allowing each of the vehicle's 6 wheels to roll independently from one another. The tires are tubeless and foam-filled, eliminating the risk of sustaining a crippling puncture during combat operations.

Above all, the entire propulsion system directly feeds into VICE. This allows, at the most basic level, the ability to assess in real-time the operational health of every single vehicle within a combat unit. Technical problems are isolated with ease and communicated to a central maintenance mainframe, wherein repairs are scheduled and parts are ordered directly from the supply chain. Integrated diagnostics allow for interactive troubleshooting away from the warzone, as well as for emergency testing and repairs in the field.

[Falkasia]

The initial test-bed for the "Sharpshooter" APS was a Lyran-built LY9/M22 Dire Wolf Heavy Tank.
Above pictured undergoing field trials near the Falkasia-Gragastavia border.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

The "Sharpshooter" Active Protection System can trace its roots back to the Falko-Gragastavian War in the early 1980's. While at this time truly advanced armored vehicles had yet to make an appearance on the battlefield, what was available was starting to show not only its age, but its woeful inadequacy when faced with the realities of modern warfare. Sparing the history lesson, what was supposed to be a simple combat incursion into Gragastavia transformed into a grueling four year struggle to weed out local forces. Despite their general lack of training and inferior weapons, Gragastavian Spahis and Mujaheddin fighters knew the terrain and quickly made short work of the large Falkasian armored columns which had penetrated their country. The embarrassment of having multi-million dollar tanks destroyed by a few farmers with rocket launchers was shame enough, but the resulting political aftermath toppled the Post-Soviet regime and set in motion a rapid thawing of the local political atmosphere. With charred hulks rendering essential roads and canyons impassable, many Falkasian commanders were forced to re-evaluate their offensive doctrine.

Falkasia itself had been a puppet state of the Soviet Union years prior, granted partial independence in the early 1980's. As a result, most military commanders were trained in the Soviet school of thought, favoring strict adherence to plans and overwhelming force to achieve objectives. What Falkasia lacked however, was the enormous industrial and man power to fight a massive war of attrition. Against a guerrilla opponent, commanders quickly learned, there was no way to simply go out and crush the opposition. Instead, a more passive role would need to be taken, and when engagements did occur, those insurgents who were killed would need to be demonized so as to further neutralize the threat. Instead of tackling the problem directly, most commanders preferred simply to remove vulnerable armored vehicles from the fighting entirely, and relegated them to the open expanses of the Gragastavia Sand Preserve where they operated as a rear guard against mounted Border Militia and Tribesmen. The folly of this approach should be obvious, as it left the Falkasian infantry themselves vulnerable to attack and the vehicles more susceptible to ambush. While this approach, however questionable, did work in Gragastavia, it did nothing to better safeguard the existence of Falkasian tankers and their vehicles.

Upon returning home, the upper echelons of command were cast out and a new generation replaced them. These men, veterans of the war but not of their Soviet forebears, were much more open to the idea of active defense and began pursuing various courses of study. Explosive Reactive Armor, or ERA, was the primary money-sink for research funds. Although originally met with some skepticism by the few remaining old guard Generals, the idea of mounting directed explosives onto the armor glacis of vehicles quickly caught on. On more than one occasion, Falkasian tankers can credit their lives to the armor detonating warheads before impact, as was evident during the Fanrai Campaign in the mid-1990's. While still inferior in both equipment and training, most Fanrais infantrymen were more than capable of combating a foe within a conventional arena. Falkasian T-80s and T-72s excelled on the country's large salt flats which surrounded the capital of Dry Lake, suitably dubbed. These wastes were perfectly open. Where troubles began however, came in the march through towns. Again, like in Gragastavia, single Fanrais soldiers were able to defeat large columns of armor by themselves with shaped-charge rocket launchers. ERA, which is really only useful on impact, was more or less rendered useless at such close range. Coupled with this the fact that most tanks were noted in after-action reports as having been disabled from the top, questions began to grow as to whether or not ERA was truly as effective a defensive measure against tandem-charge warheads as had been originally thought. It quickly became apparent that, while highly useful in a stand-off type scenario between two opposing forces of armor or similar vehicles, such was not the case in the closer-quarters of urban of suburban combat. As a result, research was re-directed towards finding solutions to combat the disadvantages of tanks within urban or tight terrain.

It was not until the mid-2000's when the Falkasian Government approached Universal Defense with a request. They wanted to find a system, or better yet create a domestic one, which could effectively counteract the threat of top-down and side shaped-charge attacks. Additionally, there could be no decrease in the already stellar performance of ERA and other armor treatments , or inhibit livability when under missile attack. Initially, the first thing that came to mind was creating a resilient form of armor, somewhat similar in sorts to an applique-style approach. If they could discover a material, or a process through which pre-existing materials could be made harder, it might fulfill the bid requirements. There was some disagreement however, as to whether or not applique-armor was the correct approach. A few young Universal Defense contractors, younger and uninhibited by the pre-determined paradigm set in the Post-Soviet days of Falkasia, considered an alternative option. With the advance in computer technology, and the ever-increasing reliance on military computing within the Falkasian Army, why not look for a more digital option as compared to surface-mounted hardware?

Much to the chagrin of then CEO Andrei Ismaylov, the two teams split and independently began working on their own solutions. Right off the bat, the applique-armor team experienced severe setbacks. Taking note of existing short-term and interim solutions, their first course of action was to test armor angle and its effect on shaped-charge penetration. They determined that a shaped-charge was more likely to deflect off 45-degree to 55-degree angular armored surface than a less angled or flat surface. The issue however, was the simple increases in elevation of the projectile would render these alterations useless. The only way to RPG-proof the armor, the said, was to make the armor plating itself adjustable. The idea of placing a complex motor behind each individual armored panel however, proved even too crackpot to recommend. As a result, the team moved onto their second test. What materials could withstand a conventional RPG blast, without also inhibiting the tank's ability to engage other armored vehicles in a stand-off situation? The answer, they quickly determined, was that they couldn't. There was no way to protect the sides and rear from close-in tandem-charge warheads without compromising the already exceptional defense provided by the ERA bricks. As the original mandate had said, the combat ability to Falkasian tanks must not be lessened. Tanks could always be kept out of city fighting, or at least that was the accepted logic. At an impass, the team considered a third and final option. Apply two layers of the ERA coverage as a way of defeating a tandem-charge warhead. Ultimately, while this seemed like a good idea, it proved too bulky and time-consuming to remove and replace every single ERA brick following an engagement. That, and each additional brick provided more weight, and made already slow vehicles much heavier, and as a result made them even more susceptible to close-in shaped-charge attacks.

The second team however, had much better luck determining their course of action. It was quickly decided that a two-part system would be devised, and as much as possible would be left up to a computer to manage. In the thick of battle, they concluded, the crew should be focused on what was going on around them and less playing chicken with incoming missiles. Several different models were tested. The first model was more or less a decoy system, employing aerospace chaff. This option was quickly discredited, as most tandem-charge warheads were either visually-guided or not at all. At the very least, a giant cloud of sparkly chaff would alert other opponents to the tank's location, and effectively congratulate them on a successful hit with a spray of metal confetti. The second option involved a computer operated machine gun. While having its merits, in laboratory tests, it was quickly determined that a conventional machine gun such as the W-12 "Shuttershock" were neither fast nor reliable enough to eliminate incoming threats. As a modification, an auto-cannon rig and mini-gun rig were both tested under similar circumstances. The auto-cannon proved again too slow to fully neutralize approaching threats, whilst the mini-gun rig was highly susceptible to overheating, barrel warping, and ammo depletion while under consistent use. While the latter was promising, especially when not under constant use, the development crew concluded that any tank operating within urban terrain would be relying on it very heavily. Ammo depletion too was a very big concern, citing the fact that at any one time it required nearly 200 rounds for a single incoming tandem-charge projectile. With the ammunition bays of most tanks filled up with rounds, room for additional defensive ammunition was likely marginal at best. The third option was to use a laser, either solid-state or chemical, to essentially vaporize incoming warheads. Much to the disdain of the developers who were Star Wars fans, the idea had to be quickly and quietly scrapped as the technology did not exist yet to really move forward with it. While they all agreed it was probably the best way to go about things, the costs and development cycle associated with creating an entirely new technology proved a bit too daunting. Thusly, the fourth and final option came as a result of a long night of drinking. It was suggested that they should literally mount a shotgun on the side of the tank and wire its trigger to a remote sensor. Apparently, the unilateral consensus was something along the lines of "what the hell,' so they tried it. After initial laboratory tests, this crackpot idea actually proved the best out of three.

Upon receiving the results of their tests, the Falkasian Government gave Team Two the green light to proceed with development of their popularly dubbed "Shotgun Defense Weapon." The actual development request was two-pronged. The first mandated a system which could be adapted universally across all Falkasian systems. The second, and more difficult one, required both rapid redeployment and a 95% interception rate. Obviously, hard-mounting a hunting shotgun to the side of a tank wouldn't cut it in a combat situation. So the question was asked, how can a weapons system integrate both the firepower of a shotgun, but with the speed and accuracy mandated in a life-or-death situation? Accuracy wasn't so much an issue, as with buckshot or birdshot so long as the slugs came into contact with the warhead, it would detonate.

System and Sensors

The real question however, was creating a system that wouldn't falter under rigorous use. As compared to the longer conceptualization process, the actual develop of this "Shotgun Defense Weapon" was relatively short. The development team concluded early on that the system would be self-enclosed, and would operate off of a standardized electrical system shared among most Falkasian-operated vehicles. Additionally, it would be modular in the sense that it was "plug-and-play" ready with training only required to familiarize the crews with its operation. That being said, actually working out the guts of the defense system proved a bit more challenging.

Fiber-optic cable would serve as the primary linkage, prized both for its superior speed in transmitting data alongside and the ease through which it could be integrated into any pre-existing wired system. Taking from their example, Universal Defense utilized the same solid-core photonic-crystalline cable employed by Lyran Arms in the creation of their prototype. When life-and-death was possibly measured in terms of nano-seconds, the additional speed provided by unhindered solid-state light data would make a considerable difference in computing power. One unintended downside however, was that this rendered much of the pre-existing fleet of Falkasian Army vehicles obsolete. As time has moved on however, this has become less of an issue.

With the connections established, the team moved on to the second key concern. What possible method could be employed to detect and neutralize incoming warheads? Several options were considered, but conventional RADAR, Doppler RADAR, and more curiously SONAR were end candidates. However, SONAR proved to be too unwieldy in an above-water application. This, coupled with the echo of sound off of the anticipated close confines of city combat rendered the idea implausible. Conventional RADAR itself, while effective, was still unable to register and transmit reliable data for the computer to act on. While it was able to detect warheads and calculate their trajectories, the flat plane of view made variable-degree interceptions rather difficult. Doppler RADAR, which employs both the Doppler Effect inherent to moving objects AND the flat-plane detection of conventional RADAR, was selected.

The RADAR itself, in a similar view to the Israeli method, would be deployed in a variety of flat-panel antennas dispersed across the hard surface of a vehicle chassis. For ease of modularity, they would be wireless connected to a central fire control computer encased within the turret. Additionally, a single antenna would be hard-wired to the computer and would be mounted on the roof of the turret to provide additional protection to the operation systems and crew.

At least initially, the development team utilized a modified artillery computer. When this proved to be ineffectual under increased workload, they migrating the core files to a then untested Ekaterine Computer Systems XLT Fire Control Computer. Originally intended to control and manage naval-based CIWS turrets, it possessed sufficient processing power and speed to allow split-second transmissions and corrections. Integration of Higher Order Language processing increases the likelihood of a successful interception, in the sense that it allows computer decision-making to occur quite literally at the speed of light.

The system itself works much the same way as a Doppler RADAR set-up might read the weather. When an enemy warhead is launched, the RADAR detects the incoming warhead through the sound it makes as it approaches. Employing the Doppler effect, the computer is able to gauge not only how fast the target is approaching, but also from what angle and direction it is approaching from. In much the same way as a CIWS turret works, the Fire Control Computer automatically aims each independent "Sharpshooter" case in the direction of an anticipated threat. Designed to have as small of a kill radius as possible as to avoid collateral damage or friendly fire, typically the "Sharpshooter" will deploy once the approaching warhead is within 2 to 3 meters or less.

Armament

The "Sharpshooter" as it was now popularly renamed would retain as much shotgun-like functionality as was possible, holding short of actually mounting a twelve-gauge on the side of an armored vehicle. That being said, the development team was faced with yet another challenging question. It was easy enough to mount a remotely detonated buckshot container onto a vehicle, but how would they do so in a way that didn't leave any one side undefended following an ejection? Multiple options were tried, but ultimately the crew settled on a permanent plastic mounting case, with individual pods contained within. These pods are made of a lightweight aluminium alloy, and are arranged in a honeycomb pattern to utilize as little space as possible.

Each pod is roughly the size of a standard 40mm grenade, shaped hexagonally, and contains anywhere from 1000 to 2000 lead pellets. The total weight of each pellet is roughly 54 to 60 grains each, totaling around 1.8 kilograms per pod. Each pod is electronically rigged for ignition via fiber-optic connection to the firing computer, and once spent, must be removed by hand from its ceramic case and replaced.

The case itself is made of an injection-molded reinforced plastic, heat-treated and pre-tensioned to withstand continued use. The resiliency offered by such a plastic was far superior to more traditional cast metal alternatives, and offered a much more satisfactory cost-strength ratio. Under most circumstances, the case itself holds ten individually-triggered pods arranged in a 4-4-2 configuration. The cases themselves are mounted on a horizontal ball servo, which allows them to be rotated 360 degrees by a centralized fire computer as needed to assure interception. Given the need for modularity, the case itself comes in two distinct forms. Version A is a hard-wired, hard-mounted option deployed on the flanks of each vehicle's turret. While the prep-work required to bring these devices into working order is substantial, these hard-wired devices provide a much higher interception rate (92%-98%). Version B is a soft-mounted, encrypted-wireless rig. While a variety of mounting options are available, typically these systems are held in place either by charged static-cling suction cups in the case of non-ferrous surfaces such as soft skin vehicles or those built out of alternative metals, or by electromagnets in the event of a ferrous surface such as the steel armor of a tank.

======

Cost:
Version A: NS$ 350,000
Version B: NS$ 250,000

DPR (Version A ONLY): NS$ $50,000,000,000 (TIER THREE RESTRICTED)

[Falkasia]

FGS-30 "Butterknife" 30mm Autocannon


Dimensions
Weight: 115 kilograms (~254 lbs)
Length: 3 meters (~10 feet)
Barrel Length: 2500 millimeters (~8.2 feet)

Performance
Cartridges: 30mm, comparable/compatible domestic rounds
Rate of Fire: 550 rounds per minute (cyclical)
Action: Gas-operated, Rotating Blowback
Effective Range: 4000 meters (~4400 yards)
Maximum Range: 8800 meters (~9623 yards)

Peripherals
Feed: Twin-belt feed
Sights: Computer-Operated Fire Control

Cost: $35,000 NSD

[Falkasia]

DL-2 "Tantrum" Amphibious Assault Vehicle

Essentials
Crew: 3 
Troop Compliment: 20

Dimensions
Length: 8 meters
Height: 3.5 meters
Width: 3.2 meters

Operational Weight
Combat Weight: 21985 kilograms
Maximum Weight: 24000 kilograms
Payload/Cargo Capacity: 4600 kilograms

Performance
Maximum Speed: 75.64 KpH (47 MpH)
Cross Country Speed: 40.23 KpH (25 MpH)
Speed, 10% Slope: 37 KpH
Speed, 60% slope: 30 KpH
Swimming Speed: 13 KpH (8 MpH)
Operational Range: 483 kilometers (20 nautical miles)

Manoeuvrability
Vertical Obstacle: 1 meter (39.37 inches)
Trench: 2.5 meters (98.43 inches)

Armament
Main Turret: FGS-30 "Butterknife" 30mm Autocannon
Turret Co-ax: W-12 "Shuttershock" Heavy Machine Gun

Powerplant
Propulsion: Voron Mark One turbo-charged V8 500HP Diesel direct-injection Engine
Water Propulsion: Directed Water Jets, Track Inertial Transfer
Transmission: Electric (5 Forward, 1 Reverse, 1 Special Use)

Armor and Protection
Armor: Angled Chobham Armor, RHA Chassis
Systems: Smoke Launchers, "Sharpshooter" APS

Cost: NS$ 3,000,000
DPR: NS$ 30,000,000,000,000 (TIER THREE RESTRICTED)

Write-Up:
Background
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Falkasia was left to sort through a warehouse of obsolete equipment in had inherited from its former master. While some of the options were more modern, namely the T-80 and BTR-80, these were few in number and far too valuable to send to the frontline of far-off wars where they would end up as scrap metal. Comparatively, more dated systems pawned off by the Soviets to their satellite "allies" were in abundance. Although decidedly these systems were so readily available for a reason; they were obsolete and no one wanted them as a result. From the outset, the fledgling Falkasian republic had little choice but to gracious accept the hardware provided to them as a stop-gap solution while they figured out more important matters of state.

With the turn of the millennium and a subsequent decade thereafter without much progress, the Falkasian government finally began re-evaluating its military and their status on the world stage. By this point in history, the country had successfully shrugged off its former communist burden and had evolved into a modern economic powerhouse of free trade and technology. Its power was rapidly growing, not only in the local region, but throughout the world. Presented with this realization, and coupled with what amoutned to a third-tier military, calls for modernization reached a fervorous fever pitch. Several smaller scale police operations in Gragastavia and Fanrai led the upper echelons to conclude that the only real solution would be to develop domestic weapon systems more suitable to their particular style of warfare. Exports, especially those from certain major arms exporters, were not cutting it when conjoined with legacy weapons platforms.

Coupled with a general RFQ (Request For Quote) from the Ministry of Defense to military contractor Universal Consolidated, the main goal was to fabricate within five years an entire fleet of military vehicles on land, sea, and air. The goal was nothing short of absolute; To completely modernize the Falkasian military and elevate it to the highest level possible. This was no small feat, especially given that there was very little basis from which UD could use to design an amphibious assault vehicle. The Soviets themselves had nothing capable of delivering troops from ocean-to-shore during beach assaults, outside of some arguments made for later versions of the BMP-series. Outside of cumbersome ekranoplanes or the more traditional styled beach landing boats of the Second World War, there wasn't even a paradigm from which to frame the system around. Some inspiration was taken from existing American and Israeli designs, but what would become the DL-2 was an entirely unique vehicle built from the ground-up.

Inherent to amphibious assaults is risk, namely the incredibly high likelihood that it will fail outright and the survivors would either be pushed to drown in the sea or captured. History had shown that, when provided with sufficient firepower and protection, breach assaults were far more likely to succeed. In this capacity, Universal Defense began to focus on an amphibious vehicle that could act as both an armored troop transport, and then once the infantry had been unloaded onto the beach, assume the role of directed close fire support. This required the melding of two different classes of vehicles, foremost an amtrak and secondly an IFV or light tank. With the weight of the vehicle a critical factor in determining its buoyancy, care had to be taken to achieve the balance so deparately desired. 

With the police action in Hutanjia by this point rapidly boiling into a fullscale war, the need for a vehicle to deliver Marines from offshore fleets to the battlefield grew increasingly more urgent. Subsequently, development was expedited with the first field tests occurring in conjunction with wargames off the coast of Gragastavia a year later. Achieving higher marks than expected, the DL-2 was accepted into production. The first models rolled off the assembly line just in time to partake in Task Force Khariton's surprise assault on the USG home island of Panto Leto. On the beaches of the Mederano Sea, the DL-2 earned its nickname "Tantrum," for the proverbial fits it caused in the local defenders as they were forced to retreat inland.

Armament
The DL-2 is foremost an amphibious troop transport. However, it shatters the traditional paradigm for such vehicles by integrating additional firepower transcending that of a a typical APC. Immediately noteworthy is the FGS-30 30mm autocannon mounted on an independent turret, positioned front-forward of the crew compartment in the rear. Although more information on the specific system can be found in its own catalog entry, the FGS-30 is capable of semi-automatic, 3-round burst, and fully automatic chain-driven fire. The 30mm cannon can fire a variety of standard and specialized shells with a cyclical rate-of-fire up to 185 rounds per minute, with an ultimate kill range up to 3000 meters. Internal ammunition magazines can store up to 300 shells in 150-shell magazine boxes.

To supplement this, the DL-2 also possesses a co-axial mounted W-12 "Shuttershock" machine gun tasked to the gunner. Both systems can be fired simulatenously via the same control joystick, with an effective kill range of up to 1,900 meters. Optics are directly integrated into the DL-2's main fire-control computer. An additional 2,000 rounds of ammunition for the W-12 are stored in conjunction with 30mm shells. More specific information on the W-12 can be found contained within its own catalog entry.

Systems
Being an completey proprietary system, the DL-2 employs the VICE battlefield management software suite as the operating system from which all of its fire control, communications, and support functions are supported. VICE, or more formally known as Virtual Intelligence and Combat Environment, gathers, interprets, and presents information from a plethora of tactical, strategic, and global intelligence stockpiles in real-time. Such a system, when networked correctly across a theatre, allows for the active processing, rendering, and distribution of critical data to the lowest tactical level in a split second. As such, VICE plays an important role in all Universal Defense designs by maximizing both unit operational effectiveness, cohesion, and ultimately lethality. 

In minutia, the VICE system utilises this multi-level integration and access to real-time tactical intelligence to compute firing solutions for the gunner, based upon not only the prospective target, but also the environmental conditions in the current theatre of battle. This is achieved in less time than it would take for a comparable system, let alone were the gunner to have to do such caluclations manually or by trial-and-error. The generated firing solution more-or-less guarantees a near-perfect hit percentage in within typical operational parameters. 

Supplementally, the VICE system provides a completely enclosed signals communication suite, relying heavily on 512-bit cyphers that rotate automatically every 15 minutes. The system itself is also completely insulated and resistant to electronic inference via gallium arsenide circuitry. When employed across a wider operational area, such integrated technology allows the transmission of voice and electronic media to become nie-invulnerable to interception and decryption. The nature of the VICE system, with its real-time rendering and disemination of tactical and strategic intelligence, allows individual commanders the flexbility to enage targets of opportunity at their discretion without the need to constantly relay to a higher superior for orders. Rather, each unit commander is given the same power of a command center, presented virtually in virtual-reality through either an immersive projectiomn, eye-piece, or other delivery mechanism. 

Target acquisition, when not performed automatically by the VICE integration, is performed by all three crewmembers via integrated thermal sights. The sights themselves are measured in standard units and are hard-wired to each vehicle's VICE system, allowing for the instant acquisition of frontline intelligence.

Export variants of the DL-2, when sold to nations not considered traditional allies of Falkasia, include VICE-E as the basis for all vehicle systems. A note on the VICE-E export variant. While systematically identical to the standard Falkasian VICE system, the E-variant is somewhat under-powered and lacks many of the custom features evident on Falkasian military vehicles. The main justification for this is not to limit or disable the ability of other forces to operate in-theatre, potentially even up against Falkasian conventional forces, but rather to help standardize the extremely powerful computer software fortexport across a wider range of national economic and technological development. VICE-E more seamlessly integrates with other competition systems such as the Lyran CROMWELL-II system.

Chassis and Armor
On a basic level, the chassis of the DL-2 is fabricated from a rolled homogenous alloy and supplemented by layers of composite alloy sheet and chobham armor. In total, the standard unit possesses 45mm of armor around all facades. The angled front bow has an additional 10 mm of armor to defend against projectile attacks as well as provide defense against hull puncturing from natural objects during beach landing. Despite being on the lighter side in terms of armor, the primary aim of the DL-2 is to deliver troops onto shore as quickly as possible. After which, with the additional protection afford to them by close infantry support, they transition into an infantry fighting vehicle.

Like many contemporary Falkasian and Universal Defense vehicles, the DL-2 moutns the proprietary "Sharpshooter" APS system. Initially mounted on experimental testbeds of Lyran-manufacture, the APS excelled in closed-in shaped charge projectile defense. Such a system, when mounted correctly, allow for the interception of inbound shaped charges with 97% efficiency around a 360-degree sphere of protection. More information pertaining to the history and specifications of the APS can be found on its relevant catalog entry, accessible above in the technicals sheet.

The crew compartment is completely integrated, allowing easy access to the driver "cockpit" positioned front, the command and turret cupola above, and the troop cabin in the rear. A single water-tight door separates the driver "cockpit" from both the turret and troop cabin, fabricated as an additional defense measure in the event that the driver of the DL-2s motion contro equipment is rendered inoperable and the hull is breached. To defend against fires, the entire unit is protected by an internal powderized pneumatic fire suppression system, integrated with VICE. It allows for both automatic activation and suppression upon the detection of either smoke or thermal heat via internal sensors, or by manual activation from an external source. In this capacity, crew survivability is increased by tenfold and will allow multiple failsafes to ensure escape. 

Upon reaching the beach, the internal compliment of 20 soldiers with full load-out exit normally to the rear via a hydraulically-operated clamshell swing door. In the event the door itself has been rendered inoperable, or cannot lower due to external obstacles, two manually-opened reloading doors directly above the crew compartment will allow rapid evacuation of the interior. Once opened completely, the doors will swing 180 degrees to lay flush with the top hull of the DL-2. In urban or closed-in operational environments, the doors themselves can be opened and used as additional firing platforms fo attached infantry.

Propulsion
A modified Voron Mark One mining haul truck engine serves as the primary powerplant for the DL-2. 

The Voron Mark One is an 8-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine, designed to generate 500HP under optimal operational parameters. Under maximum power on on a prepared road, the Tantrum has a maximum speed of just under 76 KPH, or about 47 MPH. Cross-country and mounted on rubberized tracks, the DL-2 can chug along as a respectable 40 KPH, or about 25 MPH. Over water during an ship-to-shore operation, the engine is capable of propelling the vehicle at a rather quick 13 KPH, or about 8 MPH. Amphibious locomotion is derived from kinetic action borne from running the tracks underwater, coupled directly with rear and side mounted compression water jets.

Maintenance tends to be generally straightforward, as the former haul truck engine is a direct pull from heavy industrial applciations and requires minimal support to maintain operations.The goal here is to provide a simple cross-compatible platform for field repairs during extended patrols, as well as to minimize the impact of downtime on extended or stretched supply lines. 

In conjuction with the Mark One, the Tantrum employs an insulation and enclosed electric transmission system wherein the powertrain shaft is replaced my energized cables which convey transmuted mechanical power via generator crankshaft into electrical impulses. This results in additional key benefits, namely increased operational fuel efficiency, faster generation of lower-end torque, and ultimately reduced maintenance costs across the linespan of the vehicle itself. An expanded battery, dual-fed via A/C from the diesel engine and electric converter "gearbox," serve to power the integrated VICE systems as well as provide a readily-accessible field generator.

The suspension is affixed to the chassis underframe, so that the suspension is integrated but equally separated from the hull. Affixed to this suspension is a set of 12 road wheels, accompanied by 2 drive wheels and a second set of rear feeder wheels on either side of the vehicle chassis. The main tread belt is banded and rubberized, providing both greater resistance to wear as well as more fidelity in terms of combat service. Such treads, when compared to their more traditional linked-steel counterparts, provide much quieter and equally smoother operation. When operating in high salinity maritime environments, bandtracks are also much more resistant to corrosion and maximize unit readiness over maintenance downtime.

Above all, the entire propulsion system directly feeds into VICE. This allows, at the most basic level, the ability to assess in real-time the operational health of every single vehicle within a combat unit. Technical problems are isolated with ease and communicated to a central maintenance mainframe, wherein repairs are scheduled and parts are ordered directly from the supply chain. Integrated diagnostics allow for interactive troubleshooting away from the warzone, as well as for emergency testing and repairs in the field.

[Falkasia]

C-1 "Archon" Armored Command Vehicle

Weight: 75 tons (68.03 tonnes)
Length: 35 feet (10.668 meters)
Width: 14.5 feet (4.419 meters)
Height: 12.4 feet (45.110 meters)
Crew (Operational)*: 1 Driver, 1 Gunner, 2 Systems/Communications Technicians
Crew (Command)**: 1 Frontline Officer/Commander, 2 Assistant Officers, 4 Systems Technicians/Operators
Armor: Reactive Outer-Layer, Chobham Middle-layer, Steel-encased Depleted Uranium Inside-layer
Primary Armament: FGS-30 "Butterknife" Autocannon
Secondary Armament: W-12 "Shuttershock" Machine Gun (Gunner operated, hatch-accessed)
Ground clearence: 1.31 feet (0.40 meters)
Operational Range: 553 miles (889.96 kilometers)
Speed: 65 Mph on Paved Roads (104 Kph), 49 Mph on Unpaved/Offroad (78 Kph)
Produced by: Falkasian Systems Ltd.
Price: $30,000,000 USD

*Crew (Operational) designates the minimal number of crew required to man and operate the vehicle. This does not include the Force Commander/Officer or his command compliment.
**Crew (Command) designates the suggested make-up of the Frontline Officer/Commander's Command Compliment, including officers, technicians, etc.

Description:
The C-1 is, in essence, the first vehicle of it's kind ever to appear on the battlefield. Gone are the days when commanders would reside far behind allied lines, detached from their troops and giving only marginal orders with even worse information to base them off of. With the Archon, a commander can be right at the frontlines alongside his troops giving realtime orders and updates amid the carnage and chaos of battle, all the while retaining a sense of safety and ensured preservation of his command abilities within it's armored hull.

As a  Frontline Command Vehicle (FCV), the C-1 is the first of it's kind to be fielded in and around a battlefield with Falkasian military units. In essence, it is a mobile command center or forward outpost, capable of providing all the essential equipment and devices for the commander and his staff to make tactical and strategic decisions. This is all accomplished in the Archon's rear compartment, which comprises almost the entire length of the vehicle itself. It is in this compartment that the commander and his staff watch over the progress of the battle or battles, via either direct camera link, satellite, or artificial visual rendition.

In minutia, the VICE system utilises this multi-level integration and access to real-time tactical intelligence to compute firing solutions for the gunner, based upon not only the prospective target, but also the environmental conditions in the current theatre of battle. This is achieved in less time than it would take for a comparable system, let alone were the gunner to have to do such caluclations manually or by trial-and-error. The generated firing solution more-or-less guarantees a near-perfect hit percentage in within typical operational parameters. 

Supplementally, the VICE system provides a completely enclosed signals communication suite, relying heavily on 512-bit cyphers that rotate automatically every 15 minutes. The system itself is also completely insulated and resistant to electronic inference via gallium arsenide circuitry. When employed across a wider operational area, such integrated technology allows the transmission of voice and electronic media to become nie-invulnerable to interception and decryption. The nature of the VICE system, with its real-time rendering and disemination of tactical and strategic intelligence, allows individual commanders the flexbility to enage targets of opportunity at their discretion without the need to constantly relay to a higher superior for orders. Rather, each unit commander is given the same power of a command center, presented virtually in virtual-reality through either an immersive projectiomn, eye-piece, or other delivery mechanism. 

Target acquisition, when not performed automatically by the VICE integration, is performed by all three crew-members via integrated thermal sights. The sights themselves are measured in standard units and are hard-wired to each vehicle's VICE system, allowing for the instant acquisition of front-line intelligence.

What makes the C-1 unique is its dedicated ability to serve as a centralized hub for VICE processing and intelligence gathering, rendering in real-time changes in the immediate battle space atop a projected tabletop display positioned in the center of the vehicle's bay. Via direct tactile input, commanders are able to manipulate the data as if they were sifting through physical documents in a virtual-reality setup.

The whole vehicle itself is blanketed with protection, the sole goal of which is to protect the commander and his staff from attack if one does come. Although highly rare and unlikely, if an enemy unit is capable of sneaking past allied lines without being detected by local forces or picked up on RADAR, the Archon is equiped with an FGS-30 "Butterknife" Autocannon and W-12 "Shuttershock" Machine Gun. Although both are highly effective against infantry and light vehicles, the 30mm is more tailored towards engaging heavier targets such as APCs or light tanks. Further, if any heavily armed combatants are encountered, the Archon possess a three-layer armor system. The first layer and closest to the surface is an advanced reactive armor, followed by a less powerful chobham ceramics layer. The last line of defense is a simple, yet highly effective steel-encased depleted uranium rolled homogenous chassis. Be advised that the Archon itself is not designed for prolonged or direct combat for any extended period, and should usually  always be accompanied by some sort of "bodyguard" unit. The weapons and armor are there solely for defense, not for fullout combat operations.

Please note that the C-1 is only sold to close and traditional allies of Falkasia, so no VICE-E variant is offered.

[Falkasia]

U-1 "Tarpon" Utility Vehicle

Essentials
Crew: 1
Troop Compliment: 6
Stretcher Capacity: 8

Dimensions
Length: 4.7 meters (15.4 ft)
Height: 2 meters (6.6 ft)
Width: 2.2 meters (7.2 ft)

Operational Weight
Combat Weight: 2400 kilograms (5291 lbs)
Maximum Weight: 2700 kilograms (5952 lbs)
Payload/Cargo Capacity: 2000-2200 kilograms

Performance
Maximum Speed: 104.6 KpH (65 MpH)
Cross Country Speed: 64.4 KpH (40 MpH)
Operational Range: 563 kilometers (350 miles)

Armament
Armament will vary depending upon variant employed. Armaments may include:
Single or Twin-mounted W-12 "Shuttershock" Machine Guns
81mm to 120mm Mortar
Automatic Grenade Launcher
Guided Anti-Tank Missile System
Guided Anti-Air Missile System
Land-based CIWS System
Non-lethal Area Denial System
Other compatible weapon/mounted systems

======

Powerplant
Propulsion: 10L Voron Mark Three turbo-charged V8 425HP Diesel direct-injection Engine
Water Propulsion: Kinetic Momentum
Transmission: Continuously-Variable Transmission (CVT) with Automatic RPM Control Override

Armor and Protection
Armor: Chobham Plate, ERA (optional, not pictured), RHA Chassis
Systems: Smoke Launchers, "Sharpshooter" APS

Cost: NS$ 200,000
DPR: NS$ 2,000,000,000 (TIER THREE RESTRICTED)

Write-Up:
Background
The Falkasian Military learned a great deal during their entanglement in the Hutanjian War. In the years leading up to the conflict, the Army had been involved in a few low-level police actions involving a minimal commitment of troops and resources. The organizational structure born from the dying days of the former Soviet unit had yet to be tested. In such a capacity, so too had the inherited military equipment that constituted the bulk of the nation's armory as well. From the top-level, the army as a whole was unproven in conventional warfare.

With escalations in Hutanjia forcing greater involvement of eventually all major branches of the Falkasian Military, it quickly became evident that equipment from the past century was no longer viable in open combat. While legacy platforms such as the T-72 and T-62/64 were hardy and resilient, they provided entirely ineffective when faced up against top-of-the-line competitor systems from the First World nations of the multiverse. Their age was showing. Couple to this a variety of secondary support systems, such as reconnaissance vehicles, artillery units, and among other things, designated transports, the Falkasian military found itself woefully outmatched against their Edomite and USG opponents. Despite having augmented many units with existing off-the-shelf Lyran technology, it wasn't until the very end of the war when Falkasian armored units were able to go toe-to-toe with their adversaries. Prior, a well-orchestrated and fought guerrilla war had managed to stalemate the tide of battle.

In this regard, the existing multipurpose "car" of the military had been the UAZ. While the UAZ was not by any stretch of the imagination a poor option, having served capably in a variety of ingenious roles since the 1950's, its design had since been obsoleted by heavier "cars" packing more armor and firepower into a comparable footprint. Few, if any, of these UAZ vehicles were employed in Hutanjia. The few that had been deployed were relegated to the role of staff transport in secure areas, often void of weaponry to prevent friendly fire. With the terrain of the Cardwiths being conducive to mobile armored warfare, a general lack of directed mobile firepower immediately called into question why such a vehicle was not being deployed in the light raider role. Traditionally, at least, the UAZ mounted with either a heavy machine gun or automatic grenade launcher, would serve as a stop-gap solution to fill the hole. 

Following the war, the T-2 "Tango" was quickly designed to fill the role of both battle tank and heavy raider concurrently. Light Raider, alongside a replacement for the aging UAZ fleet in more mundane roles, remained to be seen. In consequence, the Ministry of Defense submitted an RFQ to Universal Defense for recommendations on how to solve this problem. In keeping with similar vein to other UD systems in Falkasian use, speed, firepower, and survivability were to be prized higher than anything else. Alongside this was utility, as the to-be-named system would be required to fulfill many combat and non-combat roles. Complete VICE integration, which by this time had become organizational standard, was a requirement as well.

Initial inquests proved troublesome, as design paradigms suggested Universal Defense take an existing model from their Voron automotive division and beef up everything to make it military-ready. At the time, Voron was a heavy equipment manufacturer, dealing only in construction, mining, and agriculture equipment. It did not possess the technical know-how or core competencies to modify an existing platform for combat use. Prototype test beds built upon dump-truck or articulated scraper chassis failed immediately. While not technically fraught, melding two different machines with two different end goals generated an irreconcilable set of contradictory design criteria. Whereas construction equipment was designed to be slow, methodical, and hardy, there was little in the way of flexibility pertaining to job role. The same held true for several tractor-based prototypes, which lacked the speed or resiliency when faced up against live-fire testing. 

Thusly, much to the wasteful embarassment of Universal Defense's engineers, it was determined that a new vehicle would need to be built from the ground up. The nickname "Tarpon" colloquially derives from the tropical origins of the utility vehicle, namely the fact it traces it's lineage back to the Hutanjian Conflict. On a more technical and scientific level, as the salespeople will purport, the name attempts to symbolize the universal nature of the vehicle and its ability to operate successfully in all environments.

Systems
The U-1 "Tarpon" employs proprietary VICE-E (E being to denote the export variant) battlefield management software as the operating system from which all of its fire control, communications, and support functions are supported. VICE, or more formally known as Virtual Intelligence and Combat Environment, gathers, interprets, and presents information from a plethora of tactical, strategic, and global intelligence stockpiles in real-time. Such a system, when networked correctly across a theatre, allows for the active processing, rendering, and distribution of critical data to the lowest tactical level in a split second. As such, VICE plays an important role in all Universal Defense designs by maximizing both unit operational effectiveness, cohesion, and ultimately lethality. 

In minutia, the VICE system utilises this multi-level integration and access to real-time tactical intelligence to compute firing solutions for the gunner, based upon not only the prospective target, but also the environmental conditions in the current theatre of battle. This is achieved in less time than it would take for a comparable system, let alone were the gunner to have to do such caluclations manually or by trial-and-error. The generated firing solution guarantees a near-perfect hit percentage within typical operational parameters. 

Supplementally, the VICE system provides a completely enclosed signals communication suite, relying heavily on 512-bit cyphers that rotate automatically every 15 minutes. The system itself is also completely insulated and resistant to electronic inference via gallium arsenide circuitry. When employed across a wider operational area, such integrated technology allows the transmission of voice and electronic media to become nie-invulnerable to interception and decryption. The nature of the VICE system, with its real-time rendering and disemination of tactical and strategic intelligence, allows individual commanders the flexbility to enage targets of opportunity at their discretion without the need to constantly relay to a higher superior for orders. Rather, each unit commander is given the same power of a command center, presented virtually in virtual-reality through either an immersive projection, eye-piece, or other delivery mechanism. 

Target acquisition, when not performed automatically by the VICE integration, is performed by all three crewmembers via integrated thermal sights. The sights themselves are measured in standard units and are hard-wired to each vehicle's VICE system, allowing for the instant acquisition of frontline intelligence.

A note on the VICE-E export variant. While systematically identical to the standard Falkasian VICE system, the E-variant is somewhat under-powered and lacks many of the custom features evident on Falkasian military vehicles. The main justification for this is not to limit or disable the ability of other forces to operate in-theatre, potentially even up against Falkasian conventional forces, but rather to help standardize the extremely powerful computer software for export across a wider range of national economic and technological development.

Armor and Chassis
Armor will vary depending on the variant fielded. At a basic level, the standard base model is fabricated from a rolled homogenous chassis. Core metallurgical elements focus on super-dense manganese molybdenum steel, allowing for extreme strength while only sacrificing a trivial amount of weight in the process. Although slightly heavier than comparable vehicles, the U-1 is capable of withstanding a significant punch in combat as well as support the burden of both traditional and non-traditional system mountings.

Supplemental armor plates can be mounted to all vehicle surfaces, including the front-most radiator grille. These armored plates can vary in composition and quality, and may be welded or bolted directly to the steel chassis superstructure. This protection alone is enough to defeat most standard small arms caliber rounds up to 7.62mm. In specific, the armored cavalry and command variants come with an additional 20mm of clamp-on armor. This, coupled with the existing resiliency of the chassis, are capable of withstanding most smaller calibre round sup to 12.7mm/.50 caliber or comparable.

Aftermarket armor can be applied to whatever degree end users desire, but care must be taken not to overload the powerplant. The U-1 itself is not designed for armor to be applied in excess of 50mm, although in extreme cases the engine can handle 100mm or more for limited times. 

The standard variant is capable of transporting up to six fully-loaded combat troops into battle, not including the driver. Layout places the driver on the left-hand side, with a single passenger riding "shotgun" in a standard bucket seat on the right. A rear bucket seat supports three more troops comfortable and provides access via the middle seat to the gun cupola. An additional two counter-positioned lateral seats in the back compartment provide space for an additional two troops plus accompanying cargo.

The combat ambulance variant is capable of transporting up eight wounded soldiers via stretcher, five of which are roof-mounted while three are enclosed in the rear cargo compartment. The intention is not to conduct major medical operations in an active warzone, nor is it to remain stationary while troops are triaged. Rather, the goal is to leverage the Tarpon's speed to quickly spirit away as many casualties as possible to a safer area. In the event of an unavoidable engagement, the internal compartment is armored and will provide protection against small arms fire.

As compared to the other loadouts, the Command variant supports a command cupola with periscope and various sensors in place of a machine gun. This allows for a 360 degree range of rotational motion even while moving, allowing both the unit commander and the VICE system as a whole to gather and generate intelligence in real-time. The vehicle is also more heavily shielded from EMP or electronic warfare attacks, and features a fully-integrated VICE suite in the rear cargo compartment. However, unlike the C-1 or larger command vehicles, the U-1 Command lacks the space to sufficiently cater to a full command staff and is intended to be used by small-unit leaders on a tactical level.

Propulsion
With enough experience under their belts designing and field-testing the T-2, Universal Defense opted to employ another slightly smaller Voron engine. From their tractor line, the Voron Mark Three was selected to serve as the basis for their new military utility vehicle.

Modified for use in intense combat environments, the  Voron Mark Three is an 8-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine, designed to generate 425HP under optimal operational parameters. Under maximum power on on a prepared road, the Tango has a maximum speed of 104.6 KPH, or about 65 MPH. Cross-country, the speed drops to an averaged 64.4 KPH, or 40 MpH. In this capacity at least, the U-1 can keep pace with its larger complimentary system the T-2. Theoretically, the Tarpon can exceed this on particularly hard or flat terrain, but account for varying surface conditions has lead to more conservative reporting. 

Maintenance tends to be generally straightforward, as the former tractor engine is a direct pull from heavy agricultural applications and requires minimal support to maintain operations. In this regard, deployed Tarpon vehicles can be cycled rapidly through motor pools and returned to service. Swap-out of variants, especially if a modular variant package system is in-use, can be performed at the same time as preventative maintenance.

Compared to other Universal Defense systems, the U-1 is a bit of a dark horse experiment in that the traditional gearbox and drivetrain are replaced with a Continuously-Variable Transmission. In place of gears is a single belt, strung between two pulleys that drive torque directly to all four wheels. There is no shifting per se, as the "gearbox" can reactively change its gear ratios by increasing and decreasing the releative distance between the pulleys, so as to match the necessary RPM to generate the required torque levels. This results in additional key benefits over a traditional and electric system, namely increased operational fuel efficiency as high as 88%, faster generation of torque across all RPM levels, and ultimately reduced maintenance costs across the linespan of the vehicle itself. A lack of gears and minimzation of parts shrink the required stock on-hand for repairs, as well as the technical aptitude required to maintain them. As an added feature, the system itself has a manual VICE-integrated override which will allow drivers to directly control the revolutions of the transmission in emergency situations when the automated computer is incapable of reacting appropriately. An expanded battery, fed via A/C from the diesel engine and electric converter "gearbox," serve to power the integrated VICE systems as well as provide a readily-accessible field generator.

The suspension is affixed to the chassis underframe, so that the suspension is integrated but equally separated from the hull. This detached free-slung suspension allows the T-2 to traverse a variety of rough terrain with ease, preserving speed and allowing each of the vehicle's 4 wheels to roll independently from one another. The tires are tubeless and foam-filled, eliminating the risk of sustaining a cripplnig puncture during combat operations.

Above all, the entire propulsion system directly feeds into VICE. This allows, at the most basic level, the ability to assess in real-time the operational health of every single vehicle within a combat unit. Technical problems are isolated with ease and communicated to a central maintenance mainframe, wherein repairs are scheduled and parts are ordered directly from the supply chain. Integrated diagnostics allow for interactive troubleshooting away from the warzone, as well as for emergency testing and repairs in the field.

Variants
Although the basic vehicle remains the same, certain missions require specific modifications to the U-1 to achieve operational success. The standard variants themselves are not final, as the Tarpon possesses a variety of modular hardpoints from which mission-specific equipment can be attached with minimal retrofit downtime. The variants mentioned in this catalog entry are only the ones supported by Universal Defense with specific roles in the Falkasian militaries. Field users may modify their vehicles however they wish.

[Falkasia]

V-25 "Harlequin" Ground Attack VTOL

Length: 16.72 m (54.86 ft)
Wingspan: 25.78 m (84.33 ft)
Height: 5.95m (19.52 ft)
Propulsion: 2x FLK-4400 Turboshafts
Total Net Thrust (Take-Off): 4586 Kw
Total Net Thrust (Continious Flight): 4392 Kw
Empty Weight: 13,890 Kg (30,622 lbs)
Normal Combat Weight: 22,890 Kg (50,464 lbs)
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 27,442 Kg (61,619 lbs)
Normal Payload: 9,000 Kg (19,842 Lbs)
External Hardpoints (Wing): 4
External Hardpoints (Bottom) 2
Combat Range: 800 Nautical Miles
Ferry Range: 1200 Nautical Miles
Operational Ceiling: 8382 m (27,500 ft)
Speed (Horizontal): 509 kph (316 mph)
Speed (Vertical): 185 kph (115 mph)

Systems:
TAS MKV (5th Generation Target Analyzation Suite) Target Classification System
AAWCS MKV (5th Generation Advanced Avionics Weapons Control System) 
Weapons Control Computer (Lyran-made and Purchased)
Internal RADAR and Targeting Systems (Lyran-made and Purchased)
RWR MKV (RADAR Warning Receiver)

Gun: 
1x FGS-35 "Pinprick" 35mm Rotary Gatling Autocannon (Centerline)

Additional Armaments:
Compatible with all current and past generation:
Air-to-Surface Missiles
Rocket Pods
Air-to-Air Missiles (Low Altitude Only)
Air-to-Sea Missiles (Anti-Shipping Only)

Crew: 1
Price: $27,000,000

Background

Armament

Systems

Construction

Propulsion

[Falkasia]

SL-7 "Snake Pit" SEAD/EW Aircraft

General
Crew: 2
Length: 22 meters (73.5 feet)
Wingspan: 19 meters (63 feet)
Height: 5.13 meters (17.1 feet)
Empty Weight: 21,367 kilograms (47,481 pounds)
Loaded Weight: 37,617 kilograms (89,931 pounds)
Max Takeoff Weight: 45,000 kilograms (100,000 pounds)

Performance
Speed: Mach 1.2 at Sea Level; Mach 2.5 at 18,300 meters
Range: 3,100 nautical miles (3,565 miles)
Service Ceiling: 18,300 meters (60,000 feet)
Rate of Climb: 7,891 meters/minute (25,890 feet/minute)
Wing Loading: 11,250 kilograms (24,800 pounds)

Armament
The SL-7 can handle a variety of international and domestic compatible armaments, as defined and/or required by the mission at hand. As a SEAD Aircraft by specialty, the external hard-points can play host to any number of RADAR-guided ATGMs as well as more traditional weapon systems.
5 External Hard Points
2 Internal Bay Mounts

Avionics
TAS MKV (5th Generation Target Analyzation Suite) 
Target Classification System
AAWCS MKV (5th Generation Advanced Avionics Weapons Control System) 
Weapons Control Computer
Internal RADAR and Targeting Systems
RWR MKV (RADAR Warning Receiver)
VICE/Battlespace Integration (Falkasian Models ONLY)

Cost: NS$ 110,000,000

[Falkasia]

Silenkov SL-14 Air Ambulance
Wing span (m): 25.4
Length (overall) (m): 23.7
Height (overall) (m): 7.5
Wing Area (m2): 31.0

Engine Type: FK-60 Super-Prop Engine
Number of Engines (pcs): 2

Max Take-Off Weight (t): 6.4
Max Payload (t): 4.5
Max Fuel Tanks Capacity (liter):

Cruise Speed: 500 km/h
Range with Max Crew and Wounded (km): 1755 km
Flight Altitude (m): 7,600
Take-Off Run Distance (m): 938
Landing Run Distance (m): 3,001

Flight Crew: 6 (2 pilots, 4 Medical Attendents)
Wounded: 42

Price: 28,500,000 USD

Write Up:

[Falkasia]

Silenkov SL-10 AWACS Aircraft
Wing span (m): 60,105
Length (overall) (m): 63,939
Height (overall) (m): 15.717
Wing Area (m2): 350
Sweepback angle at 1/4-chord line (degrees): 30
Fuselage Diameter (m): 6,08

Engine Type: FK-90 By-Pass Turbo-Jet Engine
Number of Engines (pcs): 2
Max Take-Off Thrust (International Standard Atmosphere, Í=0) (kg): 2õ 32,000
Bypass Ratio: 4,4

Max Take-Off Weight (t): 265
Max Payload (t): 62
Max Fuel Tanks Capacity (liter): 152,620

Cruise Speed (km/h): 880
Flight Altitude (m): 10,000-13,000
Take-Off Run Distance (m): 2,450
Landing Run Distance (m): 1,300

Flight Crew (Minimum): 17 (2 pilots, 1 Flight Engineer, 14 Systems Operators)
Systems/Equipment: Standardized GPS Navigational Systems, JTIDS (Joint Tactical Distribution System) Suite, F-3 "Guardian" Aerial RADAR Dish, Various Crew Amentites, ESM-27 Electronic Counter-measure Systems, Wing-mounted Weapon Moorings

Price: 190,000,000 USD

Description/Write-up:
The Silenkov SL-10 is in essence a militarized version of the civilian SL-12. It sports similar design specifications and features, although forgoing standard passenger seating for highly advanced AWACS Systems and Computers. Among the modifications include increased fuel storage, a F-3 "Guardian" Aerial RADAR Dish, various AWACS Systems, ESM Countermeasures, and and other crew amentites. For maritime and coastal patrols, the SL-10 also supports up to 4 guided or unguided torpedos from mounts on it's wings, as well as up to 10 depth charges in place of said torpedos. Although the aircraft may be stripped of it's plush seating and accomidations, the SL-10 is still designed to provide the utmost comfort to those stationed aboard the aircraft.

[Falkasia]

Primary Function: Long-Range Air-to-Air Interceptor Missile
Contractor: Falkasian Aerospace Division
Power Plant: Two-stage Solid Propellent Rocket Motor; Secondary Computer-Activated Directed Hydrogen Booster (Used to make quick, reactionary adjustments to the missile's course in case of countermeasures or sudden evasionary maneuvers by the target aircraft.)
Length: 13.7 feet (4.17 m)
Weight: 1075 lbs (487.61 kg)
Diameter: 15.2 inches (38.6 cm)  
Wing Span: 3 feet (.9 meters)  
Range: In excess of 165 nautical miles (189 statute miles, 305 km)  
Speed: In excess of 3,123 mph (5025 kmph)  
Guidance System: AAWCS (Advanced Avionics Weapons Control System)  
Warheads Proximity: Fuse, High Explosive; Secondary Point-Contact Detonation Fuse
Warhead Weight: 150 pounds (68.03 kg)
Other Systems:
ATSM (Advanced Transmission Suite, Military); Provides a secure, nearly unbreachable link between the pilot, computer, and missile. Effectively eliminates the risk of Electronic Warfare interference from damaging this missile.
Price: 490,000 USD

[Falkasia]

Karenina-Class Corvette
Displacement: 420 tons standard, 480 tons full load
Length: 50.2 m
Machinery: 2 shaft COGAG turbines at 10000 hp each
Speed: 43 knots
Range: 1300km at 20 knots
Armament:
5 x SA-N-9 anti-air surface to air missiles
1 x "Jack-in-the-Box" 30mm close in weapons system
4 x SA-7 man portable shoulder fired air defense systems
2 x 70mm cannons
Crew: 40
Cost: $315,000,000

[Falkasia]

Stana-Class Corvette
Displacement: 460 tons standard, 520 tons full load 
Length: 54.0 m 
Machinery: 2 shaft COGAG turbines at 11000 hp each, 1 cruising engine at 2000 hp 
Speed: 42 knots 
Range: 1425km at 15 knots 
Armament: 
3 x SA-N-9 anti-air surface to air missiles 
4 x SS-N-22 anti-ship surface to surface missiles 
2 x "Jack-in-the-Box" 30mm close in weapons systems 
3 x SA-7 man portable shoulder fired air defense systems 
1 x 70mm cannon
Crew: 45
Cost: $350,000,000

[Falkasia]

Length (Overall): 1,775 ft. (541.02 m)
Length (Waterline): 1,723 ft. (525.17 m)
Beam (Maximum): 255 ft. (68.58 m)
Beam (Waterline): 137 ft. (41.75 m)
Draught: 37 ft. (11.27 m)
Displacement: 162,548 long tons (165,156.39 metric tons)
Complement:
-3,400 Crew and Officers
-750 Flight Crew
-1,000 Marines

Power Plant: 2 FLK-1200 Nuclear Reactors
Shafts: 4 Omni-rotational Shafts
Power Output: 275,000 shp.
Speed (Maximum): 31 knots
Speed (Cruise): 26 knots
Endurance (Supplies): 6 months
Endurance (Fuel): Virtually Unlimited; Refuel every 21 years

Armament:
4 Rolling Airframe Missile Systems
2 Phalanx CIWS
3 FGS-30 "Butterknife" 30mm Autocannons
W-12 "Shuttershock" Machine Guns
2 External Ammunition Elevators/1 Internal Ammunition Elevator

Aviation:
90 Fixed or Rotary-Wing Aircraft
3 External Aircraft Elevators
6 Compartmentalized Hangars (15 aircraft each)
3 Electromagnetic Launch Catapults (Steam-powered backups)
5 Arrestor Hooks

Sensors & Electronics: CONTRACT PENDING
S-230 HIP CRATE Enclosed Mast, Search & Acquisition AESA (S/D Band)
S-333 HUMP HULL Gunnery Direction System
S-180 TACIT WALK Aircraft Control System
S-650 BLACK FLASK IR/LIDAR System
S-700 BAKE DOME Sonar Detection System
(All Systems Courtesy of Questers.)

Assault Compliment:
1 Rear Well Deck
-4 LCACs, MLS-1Hs, or Equivalent
-5 RHIBs or Equivalent

4 Vehicle Tunnels
Width: 14 ft. (4.26 m)
Height: 10 ft. (3.04 m)
Length: 789 ft. (240.48 m)

Cost: $4,000,000,000 USD

Write-Up: Coming Soon

[Falkasia]

[Falkasia]

Length Overall: 235.5m
Length Waterline: 220m
Max Flight Deck Width: 47.5m
Beam Waterline: 33.6m
Draught: 11m
Tonnage Normal: 42,000 tons
Tonnage Fully Loaded: 48,000 tons

Standard Airwing: 28 Fixed Wing, 6 rotary

Air Configuration:
Flight Lane: No. 1: Mk.XI 90m Electromagnetic Catapult Runway
Flight Lane: No. 2: Mk.XI 90m Electromagnetic Catapult Runway
Elevators: 1 x external elavator (large), 1 x external elavator (small) 2 x ammunition elavator (100m sq)
Arrestor Hook Cables: 2

Complement: 1,200
Airwing: 918
Marines: 60 (accomodation for 1,200)
Total: 2,178
Endurance: 90 days

Stores:
7,000 litres of fresh water produced daily
490,050 kilograms of dry provisions
3,000 tons of aviation fuel
1,000 tons of aviation ordnance

Weapons:
4 x 35mm PDS.2 6 Barreled Rotary CIWS
2 x Type 99 22xBarrel RA Missile Launchers
4 x Seashield Decoy Launchers

Propulsion:
4 x Beaufort BGC-500 Gas Turbines (XV) providing 155,000SHP, 3 x 5-Screw Propellors
Speed:
29 Knts Ahead
26 Knts Cruise
15 Knts Long Cruise
Tactical Turning Circle: 1967m @ 31 knots
Range: 35,000km @ 15 Knts

Electronics:
Mk.I R5000 L Band 3-D Air Search RADAR
Mk.II R9950 S Band Multifunction AESA RADAR
Mk.CXXI E6580 ECM Offensive Array
Mk.CXXII E6560 ECM Defensive Array
Mk.X C405 Aircraft Control and Command Array (55~ aircraft)
Mk.IV O4800 C4I Package
Mk.V N3030 Navigation RADAR
Mk.IX G400 Satellite and Inertial Guidance Package
Mk.VII G390 Satellite and Radio Communications Package
G190 GPS Transmitter

Price: $14 billion

[Falkasia]

Pavilion-Class Minesweeper
Commissioned by New Edom

Dimensions
Length: 53 meters (173.9 feet)
Beam: 12 meters (39 feet)
Draft: 4.6 meters (15 feet)
Displacement: 1,312 tons

Performance
Propulsion: 2 Voron Super-charged Twin Diesel Turbines
2 150 kilowatt (200 horsepower) electric propulsion motors
2 drive-shafts with controllable (45 degree deviations) pitch propellers
1 260 kilowatt (350 horsepower) waterjet bow thruster
Speed: 21 knots
Range: 4,000 nautical miles at 15 knots

Crew and Armament
Complement: 6 officers, 50 enlisted
Armament:
Front: 1 FGS-30 "Butterknife" 30mm Autocannon
Rear: 2 Twin-linked W-12 "Shuttershock" Heavy Machine Guns

Systems
Active Mine Detection and Neutralization System
VICE-Integration available upon request (TIER FOUR RESTRICTED)

Cost: NS$ 299,000,000
DPR: NS$ 2,990,000,000,000 (TIER TWO RESTRICTED)

Write-Up

Developmental History
In late 2012, the government of New Edom approached the former Universal Defense Corporation with a proposal. They sought a vessel which combined basic levels of defense with minesweeper and maritime defense capabilities.  At present, the only two vessels offered which were capable of fulfilling the requirements were the Ivan-Class and Boris-Class Corvettes. A quick study was conducted to determine whether or not both classes were viable candidates for modification. It didn't take long to determine that each ship, if used, would have to be gutted completely and rebuilt from the ground up to serve the specific purposes laid out in the initial proposal. At the behest of the New Edomite government, the work team was re-tasked with finding an adequate solution to the problem. It was concluded quickly thereafter, given no current model would be suitable for use in a minesweeper role, that a new design would need to be drafted to best match with the needs of the Edomite navy. Development was commenced on a new vessel dubbed "Pavilion," resulting in the eventual production of the Pavilion-Class Minesweeper.

Systems and Operation
The Pavilion-Class Minesweeper is a diesel-powered, twin-engine maritime vessel. Its design, at least in part, is set up to allow maximum distance for surface and sub-surface operations under many different environmental and combat conditions. At its center are two Vassal Automotive-built Supercharged V16 Diesel Engines, which are capable of churning out an enormous amount of both torque and subsequent horsepower. Unlike other similar ships in its class, the Pavilion-class operates only two crankshafts tailed with a single variable-degree propeller. Both crankshafts are spaced from the ship's centerline by 4 meters, and are controllable independently from either the bridge or from the engine maintenance room. Each engine is independent of the other, meaning that either of the two is capable of both powering both driveshafts as well as the ship's electronics in the event of a catastrophic failure of maintenance emergency. This is, however, a less than ideal situation which would put considerable stresses upon the engine itself, and should be avoided at all costs if possible.

While the Pavilion-Class was initially designed to be used solely with VICE, the Falkasian virtual battlespace management system, concerns were quickly raised as to how comfortable the upper echelons of the Falkasian Government would be to selling such sensitive and proprietary technology. While the option is still available, the designers opted instead to leave the system modular with exposed fiber-optic hard links available through which any other third party or aftermarket management software could be integrated. This being said, the Pavilion-class relies heavily on a centralized computer node positioned just to the rear of the bridge itself. While processing power and available coolant far exceed the operating limits of the computer's scope, overheating is still a serious concern when operating either under intense pressures or in certain rigorous combat situations. As a result, the computer compartment contains several vents which exit through the roof of the bridge in the event of an overheating. The computer system which operates the ship is capable of self-regulation, so unless there is a catastrophic electronics failure, there needn't be any cause for concern.

Of important note is the active mine detection equipment, located both on the bridge via an officer's terminal and on the lowest deck adjacent to the engine room and crew quarters in a designated suite. While both are equally capable of remotely operating the sensing equipment, the bridge terminal is far better equipped in terms of communication to relay information and enact solutions. That being said, the sensor relies heavily on the use of directed SONAR pings, which when returned, amplified, and analyzed can be used to note with near pinpoint accuracy the location of submarine mines. While in some cases, especially in deeper or altogether congested waters, several passes may be required to fully locate anomalies. While this is not a disadvantage unique to the Pavilion-class, it is moreso a downside to the entire process of employing SONAR as an method of actively locating naval mines.

The greatest feature of the vessel's operation comes in its ability to actively neutralize mines which it finds. The first line of defense comes in the form of an onboard ROV, or remotely-operated vehicle. The Q-1, lovingly codenamed "Question," is remotely operated via a dedicated suite parallel to the dedicated SONAR suite on the lowest deck, and employs the use of both hydraulic wire cutters or in the event of larger mines, shaped explosive charges. For more advanced mines, the ship operates a keel-mounted directed EMP device. It should be noted that electro-magnetic energy does not transfer well through water, which is why the Pavilion must first locate and then position itself directly above the mine in question. Be aware that this method only works in shallow, low salinity water. Anywhere else, and it would be like dropping a battery into water. There would be lots of pomp and circumstance, but nothing in the way of measurable effects.

Armament
As is typically the case with similar ships in its class, the Pavilion-class is not designed for direct involvement in combat situations. While it is perfectly capable of holding its own in a defensive scenario, its longevity becomes questionable when under sustained fire and/or without support. While initially designed without weapons to serve as an after-action clean-up system, it was quickly determined that the prospect of small surface craft such as motorboats or sanpan-like boats would pose a risk to both the Pavilion-class and her crew. Even when patrolling the relatively safe home front, they concluded, without defense just about anyone could try to cause harm to the vessel.

In light of this, the design team shopped around for a variety of off-the-shelf systems which could be quickly and effortlessly integrated into the overall design. Their first selection was the land-based FGS-299 "Butterknife" 30mm autocannon. Front-mounted with a 300 degree arc of fire, it would provide firepower heavy enough to neutralize most small surface threats while also granting it the ability to fight defensive maneuvers against larger ships. Additionally, its smaller caliber and decently fast rate of fire would allow it to operate in a marginalized CIWS capacity if the need arose. The main magazine would be contained within a water-tight compartment below deck, with ammunition control and spent shell explusion managed automatically by the ship's centralized computer.

To the rear, it was decided that two twin-linked 12.7mm machine guns would be added. While their effectiveness in a modern sense was questionable, it would provide a degree of flexible firepower in the event that using the autocannon was deemed either too expensive or unnecessary. In addition, the machine guns could double as an anti-aircraft gun for low flying helicopters or UAVs. The two W-12 "Shuttershock" machine guns are twin-linked, as they are essentially connected to each other and utilize a single unified aiming sight and trigger mechanism. Unlike the Pavilion-class' frontal armament, the rear turret must be manually operated by a trained crewman.

Armor and External Protection
While traditional for this specific type of ship, the Pavilion-Class has a hull constructed primarily of wood. While this may seem a bit anachronistic, consider the fact that modern wood vessels are far superior to their steel-hulled parallels. By nature, wooden keels are more flexible and stronger-by-volume than their steel or metal-based counterparts, and are capable of withstanding the shock of nearby exploding mines. Additionally, a wooden hull possesses a marginalized magnetic signature, rendering the vast majority of naval mines, which operate on part of attractive magnetism, more or less useless. While contact fuses still pose a threat, a wooden hulled de-mining ship such as the Pavilion-class conveys a large advantage to naval fleets operating in potentially hostile waters.

To help prevent and defend against both the elements and opposing fire, the wooden hull is coated in fiber-glass reinforced plastic. Not only does it provide a hard, weather-resistant surface that is much easier to maintain than wood, but it also serves to defend against small arms fire up to .50 caliber or 12.7mm. The material itself is designed to warp on impact, acting in much the same way as kevlar would on a bullet-resistant vest, bending to absorb and dissipate kinetic energy. For rounds or shells larger than .50 caliber in size, the fiber-glass hull coating has shown positive results at least 75% of the time, resisting penetration and stopping the round. For shells larger than 30mm however, the penetration rate increases from 25% to over 50%, depending on the gauge and location of coverage.

As required by Falkasian law, all maritime vessels produced in-country must be outfitted with a Class Three or greater icebreaker hull. The Pavilion-Class Minesweeper possesses a Class Three steel-composite reinforced bow, with internal superstructure bucklers billeted from a magnesium-silicon alloy common in top tier supercar engine production. This allows the Pavilion-Class to operate in icy waters, encountering stagnant or moving icebergs up to 15 meters tall and 60 meters wide.

[Falkasia]

Warden-Class Maritime Maintenance Ship

[Falkasia]

Ebola III Hemorragic Fever

A weaponized version of the greatly feared Ebola Hemorragic virus, Ebola III is a highly contagious, fast-acting aerosolized version of it's predicessor.

We reserve the rigte to deny this weapon to anyone, or anything, that we feel may be unable to properly handle this dangerous virus. Specifically, any nation under 250,000,000 is automatically denied access to this virus.

Infection Process
Ebola III is easily transmitted from host to host through inhalation, ingestion, and absorbtion through skin. However, the "prefered" method of infection by the virus is contact with bodily fluids, most notably contaminated blood of similar hosts. Upon infection, the virus works twofold by embedding itself into the blood stream and cellular nuclei of it's host. After a 2 hour incubation period, the virus will activate, causing massive internal and external hemorraging. The nuclei that have been effected by the virus will begin to replicate uncontrollably, producing more and more of the virus until the host is dead. Through this means, there is effectively no way tto eliminate the pathogen, resulting in a near 100% mortality rate.

All Symptoms (In order of Occurance)
Lightheadedness
Mild Headaches
Stoumach Aches
Inability for Blood to Clot
Sporadic Coughing Fits
Chills
Severe Headaches
Uncontrollable Vomitting
Sporadic Coughing Fits with Blood
Severe Vomiting with Blood
Severe Chills
Severe Convulsions/Violent Involuntary Muscle Contractions
Visible Bodily Hemorraging
Death

Virus at a Glance
Virus Name: Ebola III Hemorrhagic Virus
Type: Bio-Weapon
Suggested Delivery Systems: Guided or Dummy-fired Missile; Container/Vial; Living Subject
Incubation Period: 2 Hours
Mortality Rate: Greater than 99%
Time until Death: Less than 1 Day
Cure/Vaccine Available: No Vaccine or Cure Developed
Symptoms:
Hemorrhagic Fever and Boils
Uncontrollable Bleeding
Severe Convulsions and Loss of Body Control

[Falkasia]

Length: 20m
Wingspan: 16m (Unfolded) 10m (Folded
Height: 6m
Propulsion: PEC 4400 Turbofans
Total Net Thrust: 356kN
Empty Weight: 19,600kg
Normal Combat Weight: 30,780kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 36,750kg
Minimum Fuel Weight: 7,200kg
Maximum Fuel Weight: 9,400kg
Normal Payload: 1,580kg (Assuming Payload of 4x AIM-9 and 8x AIM-120)
Maximum Payload: 6,000kg
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: ~1.01
Combat Range: 3,400km
Ferry Range: 8,000km
Operational Ceiling: 20,000m
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.9
Max Supercruising Speed: Mach 1.2
Maximum Speed: Mach 2.5
Crew: 1
Price: $65,000,000

The F-20 "Accendo"is a medium sized Multi-role fighter, based off of the Su-33 and Su-35 Fighters, while being downsized slightly in an attempt to lower the price as much as possible. If the aircraft were to be lined up side by side by a Su-35 or other variant of the Su-27, it would be near impossible to tell the aircraft apart other than the F-20 being slightly smaller than the other aircraft and a different nose and undercarriage layout, to accommodate the aircrafts different engines and intended different armament. In addition to being designed almost largely completely from the Existing Su-33 and Su-35, the aircraft uses Radar systems found commonly around Pennsylvanian.

The Radar onboard the Aircraft is that of rebuilt PEI-1145 AESA radars, old, but still highly capable systems, of which 120 were left in storage at various Warehouses around the nation at different PAI Factories following the Cancellation of the X-40 Air Superiority Fighter Program following the purchase of the Ya-42. The Radar is capable of detection of large aircraft, such as Tankers and bombers, at ranges exceeding 350km, and is able to track 50 targets, while allowing a lock on up to 12 of those targets. While the Radar itself is not exactly the smallest radar system in the world, it was still able to be fitted into the F-20s nosecone without much problem, giving the aircraft an F-22 Raptor style Nosecone. The radar is able to detect and track most non-stealth fighters of the world at about 250km and will allow the launching of up to 12 Radar Guided air to air missiles at them.

The aircraft's armament includes 14 hard points, 4 of which are rated at 250kg, intended for Short Range Infra-Red guided missiles such as the AIM-9X or IRIS-T, another 6 are rated at up to 500kg of weight, intended for either small bombs or missiles such as the AIM-120C-7 or AIM-7 Sparrow. The Final 4 Hard points are rated at 1,000kg, intended for either large bombs or either AIM-7 or AIM-120s, or other, large missiles such as the AGM-65 Maverick and AIM-54.

The aircraft is designed as a Multi-role fighter, intended to be a larger, more capable replacement for multi-role aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. While it is a fair amount larger than the F-16, it has much greater maneuverability than the F-16, as demonstrated during numerous War games that occurred in which Su-30s faced off against the F-16 and beat them. Since the F-20 is directly based off of the Su-33 and Su-35, which are themselves based directly off of the Su-30, it retains those aircrafts maneuverability, which is still much better than the F-16s, despite its much larger size. In addition, the aircraft also has 3D Thrust Vectoring, like found on the F-22A "Raptor" and other aircraft, further increasing its maneuverability, allowing it to do high intensity, hard maneuvers such as Pugachev's Cobra, Herbst maneuver, and the Kulbit.

In a attempt to bring the cost of the aircraft down as much as possible, it was decided to drop any attempts to include stealth, as well as use as much previously available equipment as possible, demonstrated by the decision to use already built and available PEI-1145 AESA radars instead of designing a brand new radar. In addition, most of the remaining electronics are off of the shelf electronics, bought from suppliers to PAI with their normal large order of Electronics for new build electronics for the AWAC/S and Tankers and other aircraft they were regularly rolling off of the line, lowering the price considerably compared to if the parts had been bought separately. Since PAI itself produces thousands of jets per year already, plus that fact that it still produces 20% of every jet of its design produced overseas. This adds up to bring the aircraft's overall cost down to almost as low as it can get, seeing as PAI needs to make a minimum profit off of the aircraft to avoid losing money on it.