Approved Tech Project Theta | M64 Kinetic Autocannon

[Amelia von Sorenn]

M64 KINETIC AUTOCANNON​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent

The production of a standard-issue heavy support emplacement weapon to be synonymous with the Confederate Space Marines

	Image Source:		[HERE]
	Canon Link:		Slugthrower
			Mass-Driver Cannon
			Percussion Cannon
			Percussion Repeater Cannon
			Tungsten
			Uranium
			Coolant
			Coolth Backpack
	Permissions:		Not Applicable
	Primary Source:		Autocannon
			M/40 Autocannon
			M58 Kinetic Autocannon
			Tungsten Carbide
			Depleted Uranium
			Space Marine

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Manufacturer

	The Hellforge		Primary Manufacturer
	BlasTech Industries		Slugthrower Components
	Baktoid Armor Workshop		Slugthrower Components

Affiliation:	Confederate Space Marines
	Confederacy of Independent Systems
	Von Sorenn Industries
Market-Status:	Closed-Market
Model:	Phase I Ancalagon Pattern
Modularity:	Limited
	Colorization and Emblems to denote units
Production:	Minor

Materials

Durasteel	Alusteel	Titanium
Quadranium	Bronzium	Slugthrower Components

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Classification:	Autocannon
	Emplacement Weapon
Size:	Extremely Large
Weight:	Very Heavy

Additional Specifications

Ammunition Type:	20mm Solid Slug
	Tungsten Carbide Hardened Depleted Uranium Slugs
Ammunition Capacity:	Large
	(40) Round Drum Magazine
	(400) Round Belt-Feed
Effective Range:	Battlefield
Rate of Fire:	Extremely High
Damage Output:	Extreme
Recoil:	Extreme

SPECIAL FEATURES

Long-Recoil Operation	Munitions Canisters	Flexible Munitions Belt Feeder
Mounting Fixtures	Safe Target System	Detachable Wheel Carriage

STRENGTHS

Emplacement Weapon - Though capable of being fired from a non-fixed position - this variant of the Project Theta weapon platform proves much more efficient in its firing cycle when it is fully emplaced with a stabilized footing or when attached and fired from its wheeled carraige.

Operational Cooling System - The primary firing chamber located near the base of the barrel of the weapon is encased in a cylindrical chamber that is filled with a liquid coolant that assists in monitoring and preventing the firing chamber from experiencing higher levels of heat - which could potentially cook-off a shell. When fired, the coolant is pushed into an adjoining Coolth Pack and replaced with cooled liquid - with the coolth pack assisting in cooling down the heated coolant.

Safe Target System - A specialized system that is widely installed in a variety of Project Theta weapon platforms - it is intended to assist in the prevention of friendly-fire incidents via locking the firing mechanism when the weapon reads a matching IFF Circuitry in the Project Omega armor platform or similar armor platforms produced by The Hellforge.

Rapid Cycling - Though experiencing a high recoil when fired - this recoil is utilized by the Project Theta weapon platform to rapidly cycle its firing chamber to both chamber the next shell to be fired as well as cycling out the liquid coolant.

High Stopping Power - Chambering a semi-standardized 20mm Solid Slug this variant of the Project Theta weapon platform is known to cause ample amounts of damage to lightly armored vehicles, structures, and fortifications - while also leaving sizeable dents or divots in heavier armored targets. When properly emplaced, the weapon system has the potential of causing even the heaviest of infantry units to pause their advance if only for a moment.

Wheel Carriage - Fully intended and produced primarily as an emplacement weapon - it is capable of being mounted and moved around via a detachable wheel carriage - or installed on an appropriately sized vehicle that can handle its excessive recoil when fired. While the carriage can be utilized to fire and move the weapon as required - the damage or destruction of the carriage makes moving the weapon all the more difficult.

Iron Sights - While the majority of Project Theta weapon platforms lack any kind of substantial sighting or aiming assistance - this variant is equipped with basic iron sights akin to those found on similar weapons to assist in aiming, tracking, and following where its rounds fall when fired.

Smart-Gun Armorlink - Integrated directly into the primary components of the weapon platform is a series of specialized components and systems that provide an informational readout on munition inventory, material stress, and heat buildup of the weapon directly to an individual's H.U.D. within the Project Omega armor platform and similar armors produced by The Hellforge. Additional laser rangefinders and holocamers provide additional assistance in the calculation of projectile trajectories.

WEAKNESSES

Emplacement Weapon - Though capable of being installed on a wheeled carriage or vehicle - its primary role is that of an emplacement weapon making it time-consuming and difficult to properly uproot and move the weapon once emplaced due primarily to its heavy weight and large size.

Belt-Feed Jamming - Capable of firing via a drum-based magazine or by being attached to a belt-feeding magazine - in the case of the latter option, the Project Theta weapon platform can experience jamming which in turn renders the weapon inoperable until the jam has been rectified. This often costs time and can leave the weapon or its location that it is emplaced in to protect, vulnerable to an enemy force.

Tandem Operation - As a means to ensure peak operational efficiency of the weapon, it is intended to be utilized by two individuals - usually, a primary gunner and an additional support operator to maintain munition feed and operational capability of the weapon; usually via reloading the primary drum magazine, ensuring the belt-feed doesn't jam or replacing the barrel due to fatigue.

Munitions Dependency - Though throughout the Galaxy the majority of emplacement and other weaponry is focused on the utilization of more advanced laser-based technologies - the Project Theta weapon platform still maintains reliance on more "archaic" slug-based weaponry. To this end, the weapon platform requires a reliable and ample supply of munitions to ensure continued operation.

Safe Target System - An integrated system within the weapon platform - installed and intended to prevent incidents of friendly fire - there are times when the System becomes a liability on the field of battle. In these instances - when the safety system deems a friendly individual as being "at-risk", the firing system is locked and the weapon platform cannot operate until the individual is no longer at-risk. This can at times require that a larger target is between the weapon platform and the friendly individual - usually a vehicle, building, or large geographical feature.

Cumbersome - Even with additional assistance - such as through the utilization of the Project Omega armor platform - these weapons are nearly impossible to lift let alone operate via a singular individual. This is also seen in the simple fact that these weapons are difficult to uproot and move [once emplaced] at the drop of a hat. Likewise, their size and often place of emplacement or entrenchment can limit their operational firing arc due to a limited range of motion - usually limiting the weapon to a 180-degree firing arc or a 90-degree firing arc when emplaced in tighter confines.

Barrel Fatigue - The continued and successive utilization - even with the main firing chamber being cooled via a coolant system - of this weapon platform often causes barrel fatigue in which the barrel can become warped or otherwise damaged due to excessive heat-buildup from continued operation. In this case, the barrel must be switched out for a cooled barrel or one that has not become warped or damage - which, in turn, leaves the weapon and the area that it is defending vulnerable during the duration of the barrel exchange.

Extreme Recoil - Though the extreme recoil of the weapon is often utilized to assist in a number of other factors to maintain operational status, it is still an attribute that can cause problems. An example is, that if the weapon platform is improperly installed, entrenched, or emplaced - once fired - it has the potential of shaking itself or tearing itself free from its mounting, causing catastrophic damage not only to the structure or vehicle, also to any individual or operator near by. For this reason, they are not intended to be utilized in a quick setup and fire as some heavier support weapons can be utilized - and must be properly installed or secured before firing.

DESCRIPTION

Arguably a scaled-up variant of the Heavy Kinetic Rifle - The Project Theta M64 Kinetic Autocannon - of shortened to Autocannon during regular conversation is a weapon system that is fully intended to be utilized to the utmost of its abilities as an entrenched or emplacement weapon deployed to defend key positions, fortifications, or primary avenues of transportation or advancement while maintaining specialized internal components and systems that increases its capabilities when utilized by an operator that is harnessing a Project Omega armor platform. Chambering a much larger solid slug than the .75 caliber or .998 caliber rounds in other Project Theta weapon systems - the 20mm solid slug of the Autocannon packs a heavy punch and delivers an extreme output of damage when striking a target - often shredding through lightly armored targets with ease though experiencing more difficulty when it comes to some of the heaviest armored targets that it may be deployed against. All of this, however - between its damage output and its extreme rate of fire - directly account for its extreme recoil with only the weight of the weapon itself often keeping it in place when the weapon is fire. In fact, it is this extreme recoil that - if the Autocannon is not properly entrenched, emplaced, or otherwise secured - will often cause the weapon system to bounce or jump free of its position when fired which can lead to the weapon being damaged or rendered inoperable until reinstalled or redeployed [both of which are difficult endeavors when one considers the weapon's sheer weight]. As a means to turn its greatest weaknesses into a strength - many of the systems maintained by the weapon are designed to utilize the extreme recoil to operate - those being its rapid cycling [utilizing the recoil to rapidly chamber and fire the next round] and its operational coolant system [in which the recoil cycles out the coolant of the firing chamber into the adjoining coolth pack]. However, its high rate of fire often causes higher levels of barrel fatigue - often requiring the barrel to be changed out or repaired to maintain constant operation - with failure to do so leading to a potential catastrophic event such as a shell miss-firing in the barrel or the barrel itself becoming warped and twisted. Unlike many Project Theta weapon systems - the Autocannon variant comes equipped with rudimentary iron sights which often appear similar to that of anti-aircraft spider sights. This coupled with the sophisticated internal Smart-Gun Armorlink provides greater reliability of round trajectory and target acquisition when compared to other Project Theta weapon platforms. Despite some of its other drawbacks and weaknesses - such as the fact that these weapons are much more efficient in operational status when crewed by two individuals [with a singular individual having trouble setting up, loading, and maintaining the weapon during operations] - or the fact that it is heavily reliant upon the availability of munitions to continue operation; its strengths have seen it widely deployed by Confederate Forces or those closely affiliated with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. With first and foremost the primary intent and ideal of this weapon being utilized as an emplacement weapon - either via additional fortifications or by being capable of moving it via its detachable wheel carriage. Likewise, its operational team must keep in mind that the weapon has the potential of jamming [if equipped with a belt-feed rather than the drum magazines] as well as its cumbersomeness due to its size and weight. The Autocannon as a whole serves its primary purpose and does so with great esteem and reliability. It is a weapon centered around defense more so than its offensive capabilities - installed in key locations to cause an opposition force to reconsider their motives and attack when faced against the destructive firepower of the Project Theta M64 Kinetic Autocannon.

 

[MANIAC]

Amelia von Sorenn

A very nicely made and detailed submission again! Enjoy it!

Approved.