The Grey
Source (x)
RPG-51 in the Standard Configuration.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create a modern and powerful albeit unguided Rocket-Propelled Anti-Tank and Anti-Infantry weapon for the Special Forces and Stormtrooper Corps that's sure to give armoured crewmen and riflemen alike one hell of a fright for different reasons.
- Image Source: Source
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: RPS-6 Rocket Launcher, M1-VX "Vee Ex" Grenades
- Designer:
Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
[*]Manufacturer:
- First Order Corps of Imperial Engineers (Unlicensed Production)
- Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
[*]Affiliation: Closed-Market
- Core Imperial Confederation (Excluding VX Ammunition)
- First Order Corps of Imperial Engineers (Unlicensed Production)
- Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
- Model: Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher Model 851
- Cost: 7,500 Credits
- Value: 20,000 Credits (Black Market Value)
- Name: Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher Model 851
- Modularity: Yes (Projectile-Type, Optic-Type)
- Production: Minor
- Material: Titanium, Durasteel.
- Classification: Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher
- Size: Large
Shoulder-Fired
[*]Length:
- 1.83m (Ready to fire), 98cm (Disassembled)
[*]Weight: Very Heavy
- 30 Kg, Loaded.
- 22.3 Kg, Unloaded.
[*]Ammunition Type:
- Tandem-Charge High-Explosive Anti-Tank
- Thermobaric Anti-Personnel
- VX Anti-personnel.
[*]Ammunition Capacity: 1 (Breech-Loaded)
[*]Reload Speed: Slow)
- 10s
[*]Muzzle Velocity: 500 Meters Per Second
[*]Effective Range: Average
- 500 Meters
[*]Maximum Range: Long Range
- 800 Meters
[*]Rate of Fire: Low
- 6 Rounds/Min
[*]Fire Mode: Breech-Loaded
[*]Stopping Power: Very High
- 837 Kilojoules
[*]Recoil: Very High
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Ambidextrous Safety
- Ambidextrous Breech-Release
- Carry Handle
- HUD-Linked Optic Sight
- HUD-Linked Targeting Reticule
- 2.0x Magnification Optic
- Multi-Frequency Targeting & Acquisition System.
- Laser Rangefinder
- Triggerguard
- Weight Support Handle
- Dumb-Fired: Due to its' projectiles' 'dumb' nature they cannot be deflected or disarmed by electronic countermeasures, flares, chaff or other related common anti-missile systems. Whatever is in its' flight path is getting hit lest the target in question shift from flight path in question. The trade-off here is ineffectiveness against fast-moving targets particularly those moving too fast for most users to track such as Repulsor-type vehicles and fast moving star-fighters.
- Tandem Warhead: The RPG-51's High-Explosive Anti-Tank ammunition features a Tandem Warhead charge to defeat composite and reactive armour; the initial charge on the projectile detonates any reactive or composite armour before the second charge punches through what remains of the hull or turret's armour capable of easily breaching most tracked, wheeled and repulsor-propelled armoured vehicles capable of eviscerating everything inside their fighting compartment with the high possibility of detonating any ammunition struck.
- Thermobaric Anti-Personnel: When dealing with infantry or softer targets such as gun pits or pill boxes the RPG-51 can fire a Thermobaric Charge which upon detonation creates a wide over-pressure wave that can outright obliterate humanoid targets near the explosion and is designed to cause shattered eardrums, bones, ocular capillaries and liquefy the organs of any humanoids within the secondary casualty radius. Rarefraction of the over-pressure wave causes a brief localised vacuum and could rupture the respiratory system of its' victims and any burning fuel left behind by the explosives can be accidentally inhaled which can cause further damage to the airways and lungs, contact with the burning fuel can cause serious 3rd and 4th degree burns to exposed skins and the airways.
- VX Anti-Personnel: The last projectile fired by the RPG-51 is a charge containing a whopping amount of the VX-Chemical developed by the First Order, these projectiles deliver a huge payload of the chemical and disperse it into an aerosol solution saturating the blast area. This Projectile is particularly useful as an area denial weapon and inflicting mass casualties upon opposition forces.
- Cook-Off: Repeatedly discharging rounds from the weapon quickly builds up heat in the firing tube and around the ammunition's propellant; this issue is exasperated in environments with high background temperatures. Cook-Off becomes an issue and can cause anything from an accidental discharge to a pre-ignition detonation of the ammunition with the potential to inflict severe injuries on the user and render the weapon inoperable from damage.
- Crew Recommended: Due to the RPG-51's great weight it's recommended by the user manual that the user is aided by an accompanying loader who can load the weapon for the firer. Not having a loader aid the user drastically increases the time it takes to reload as they must personally heave the long tube off of their shoulder and perform the drill themselves, due to the weight doing this on the move is difficult to nigh impossible for regular troops.
- Droids: Droids and other automaton targets are resistant or outright immune to some of the Thermobaric and VX ammunition's effects, in the case of the latter the droids are totally immune to the nerve agents' effects.
- Muzzle Flash: When the weapon is discharged the rocket's ignition creates a highly visible flash down the tube and upon its' exit from weapon creates a visible and spectacular orange flash along with a distinct 'thud' sound both of which can identify the firer's direction and precise position. This makes it important for the first-shot to be carefully aimed as it lacks a magazine to self-load from and another round must then be loaded into the breech mechanism.
- Recoil: Without assuming the proper firing position the RPG-51 has the potential to shake its' user off-balance or push them back away from the barrel flat on their back if not careful. Not securing an adequate grip on weapon prior to firing can even see it flung wildly from user's hands leaving them potentially stunned or confused as the RPG flips through the air upon them.
- Unguided: The weapon doesn't feature any sort of guidance system which makes it ineffective at engaging fast moving targets such as speeder bikes or low-flying fighters, particularly at range. Its' effectiveness is limited mainly to slow-moving or stationary targets such as Walkers, Tracked or Wheeled Vehicles and hostile dropships or spacecraft lingering around at low altitude at approximately five hundred meters from the user.
- Weighty: Somewhat cumbersome and unwieldy of weight despite its' small size the rocket launcher is usually carried via carry handle or broken-down into parts while being transported in the field. Maintaining a prepared firing position constantly can quickly prove tiresome and fatiguing. For this reason at the Platoon and Section level typically the most robust Troopers wield this weapon.
DESCRIPTION
The ambidextrous RPG-51 was designed as a compact multi-purpose rocket-propelled grenade weapon that can be easily transported within the confines of vehicles when disassembled as appropriately; providing Stormtrooper Infantry with the means to effectively engage and destroy hostile armour, hardened defensive positions and deliver deadly VX gas to unlawful combatants or individuals the First Order have deemed to be War Criminals. The weapon's effective range is approximately five-hundred meters while models equipped with the Laser Rangefinder are capable of engaging targets at a ranges upto 800 Meters, making it particularly useful in Semi-Rural or Urban environments particularly. As a breech-loaded weapon there isn't any risk of backblast making it an excellent weapon to fire from a protected position such as within a building although it gives off a bright and distinctive flash as the projectile's rocket engine ignites within the weapon after trigger is pulled.
The Fin-Stabilized High-Explosive Anti-Tank Tandem Warhead charges fired by the RPG-51 are designed to be absolutely devastating weapons and can penetrate virtually any vehicle armour being used on the modern battlefield making it an extreme threat to hostile and even friendly armour crews in the wrong hands. The Projectile works by containing two shaped charges; the first when impacting an armoured vehicle's hull is designed to destroy any composite and reactive armour in the projectile's path while the second shaped charge then punches through the remaining armour into the fighting compartment where the high-explosive filler is designed to detonate.
Thermobaric Charge Projectiles fired from the RPG-51 aren't designed to be used against armoured vehicles instead they're intended to be used against Infantry and Defensive emplacements which they can absolutely decimate. The overpressure wave created around the immediate area of this charge detonating could be so violent and powerful that lightly armored or unarmored victims are at risk of being outright obliterated by the force. The fuel contained within the Thermobaric charge is highly hazardous and is at high risk of not being entirely vaporised in the explosion where the burning liquid can cause third degree burns on unprotected skin and could damage the airways and lungs if inhaled due to the fuel's chemical properties; for these reasons it's important Troops operating near the RPG-51 are wearing their personal protective equipment. When the Overpressure wave rarefracts it is designed to create a localised vacuum that can cause unprotected eardrums to burst, bones to break and capillaries in the eyes to burst rendering the effected temporarily blind.
The final ammunition for the RPG-51 and its' most controversial is the low explosive-yield Vee Ex gas warhead; a potent nerve agent that has been in the First Order's use for a considerable amount of time. The M1-VX Area Denial/Antipersonnel round is distinguished from the other two rounds immediately by the sickly green colour of its' warhead, based on experience during the original First Imperial-Galactic Alliance War this ammunition can not be used or carried within twenty-five kilometers of a densely populated urban area unless provided with the explicit authorisation of a field-grade officer of the rank of colonel and its' equivalents or above. This projectile is almost exclusively reserved for use on insurgents and rebels in remote locations who the First Order considers unlawful combatants and therefore undeserving of legal protection from such a weapon although its' use against professional military forces isn't prohibited so long as its' authorised by a field-grade officer of the rank of Colonel its' equivalents and above and that individual can only authorise its' use if they reasonably suspect hostile forces have made gross violations of the customary laws of war.
Unfortunately droids are immune to the VX projectiles as they lack a central nervous system. The VX gas produced by the projectiles attacks the victim's nervous system, designed to enter the body through either skin contact with the vapour or inhalation within seconds of exposure symptoms such as nausea and uncontrollable muscular convulsions throughout the body can begin to become apparent. Without immediate and emergency medical treatment paralysis, complete respiratory failure and death is designed occur within eighteen seconds to fifteen minutes with projected time until death being inversely proportional to proximity with round detonation; the further away from it you are the less likely one will absorb a lethal dose potentially providing greater time to receive medical treatment. The most effective defence against this weapon is to wear hermetically sealed body armour, which makes the wearer immune to the nerve agent provided the seal is maintained. Which makes it an optimal weapon for the First Imperial Military as they make use of this type of armour virtually to the exclusion of all others.
The RPG-51 is not mass-produced and available for issue to each soldier for example, within the context of the Stormtrooper Corps one squad of Troopers will typically only have access to one of these weapons and eight to ten rounds of ammunition; the types of ammunition carried dependent on the operating environment and anticipated threats but is usually a mix of 5 tandem-warhead and 5 thermo.
SUBMISSION MODIFICATION RECORDS
- 09/04/2019: Edited the Affiliations, Manufacturer, Designer to include the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation and Core Imperial Confederation. Specified Closed-Market. Increased Production to Minor.
