Grand Admiral, First Order Central Command
Image Source: St. Theo, of course.
Intent: To create a unique, distinctive weapon for the Helldivers
Development Thread: N/A
Manufacturer: Shadowline
Model: SA-15 Assault Maser Rifle
Affiliation: Shadowline. NOT for retail sale.
Modularity: Limited, see below.
Production: Minor
Material: Durasteel, Blaster Components
Classification: Maser/Shattergun
Size: Handheld
Length: 69.1cm
Weight: 4.9 kg
Ammunition Type: Maser: Power cell/Gas Canister | Shattergun: Typically either 12ga explosive shells or 4mm discarding sabot rounds.
Ammunition Capacity: Maser: 75 shot power pack, 400 shot gas canister. Shattergun: 12 round drum magazine.
Effective Range: Maser: Standard | Shattergun: Blaster range, basically
Rate of Fire: Maser: Selective (Single, Three-shot burst, Full-auto) Shattergun: Single Shot
Special Features:
Reflex Sight (standard 4x rifle scope can be substituted)
Undermounted Shattergun
Tactical Rail for various lights, laser sights, and accessories
When the Helldivers were first imagined, as a branch of the Atrisian Empire's military, one of their missions was to be able to confront and defeat force users. Special weapons needed to be developed, but at the time the only result of the project was the Nexu Maser Rifle. It failed to meet the stated goals, but was widely deployed anyway, and when Cyrus joined the Sith he kept the design plans and several copies of the weapon.
The SA-15 is an improvement of that weapon, manufactured by Shadowline specifically for the Helldivers. It features a Maser Rifle with a detachable undermounted large-bore Shattergun (can fire up to shotgun shell sized ammunition). The Maser gives your conventional blaster some kick, while the shattergun can be used for a variety of munitions, but is typically loaded with either explosive rounds or high-velocity penetrators.
There are two basic variants of the weapon (top pic is variant A, bottom is variant B), both of which have a interchangeable receiver. The long-barrel receiver has a longer effective range with a trade off of being heavier, limiting maneuverability, and lower barrel life. The shorter one is standard (as is variant A in general). In nearly every other respect, the two variants perform identically, with trooper preference being the primary factor in which one is used.
The weapon is somewhat heavy, though the shattergun portion can be detached if necessary (it is not functional when it is). The shattergun is also not in an ideal position for precision shooting, limiting the otherwise impressive capabilities of the weapon. The extra weight comes with some ruggedness, though, perfect for a unit who can expect to see particularly vicious close quarters combat.
Overall the weapon can be deemed a moderate success, and is standard issue for Helldiver infantry.
