Post by sunlead on Feb 9, 2011 5:28:32 GMT -5
Based heavily off of the lovely Aliens Colonial Marines Tech Manual.
The Kaleth Marine is the best infantry that the Allied Cities has to offer, combining firepower and mobility together they are able to operate in small numbers, effectively and efficiently. Recruitment into the Kaleth Marine Corp requires at least 2 years of service in the Kaleth Home Guard, where the Home Guard requires a high school degree and passing a few tests.
The Marine doctrine calls for small, autonomous infantry units capable of operating with or without higher level support on the highly mobile battlefield.
A rifle squad consists of 4 marines including a Corporal, a Lance Corporal, and two Privates. Further divided into two-man fire-teams: the Rifle Team and Gun Team. The Rifle Team consists of a pair of rifleman assigned together on the buddy system both equipped with the M41 pulse-rifle. The Gun Team consists or a rifleman with a pulse-rifle and a machine-gunner carrying the automatic M56 Smart Gun. Two squads led by a Sergeant and riding with a driver in an APC, make up a section. In a drop operation, a Haven Dropship is attached to the section from the aerospace company team. Two sections led by a Lieutenant, form a rifle platoon, for a total paper strength of 25 marines including the APC and dropship crews.
"The most dangerous weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
- Unnamed Marine
The ACK M41A is a 10mm pulse-action air-cooled automatic assault rifle. The standard service variant has an over-and-under configuration incorporating a PN 30mm pump-action grenade launcher.
Lightweight and rugged, the M41 is constructed largely from ultra-light alloy precision metal stampings. The outer casing is made from titanium aluminide alloy and many internal parts are moulded from high-impact, temperature resistant plastics. Layout is conventional, and a spring loaded retractable stock allows the rifle to be used either in carbine format (with stock retracted) or as a rifle, with the 'in-line' stock extended for greater stability during automatic fire from the shoulder. Sighting is made down a groove in the carrying handle, with an adjustable tangent leaf backsight positioned in the rear slot. a 3x power AN/RVS-S2 CCD television sight can optionally be fitted to the carrying handle for accuracy at range and under low light conditions.
The M41 fires the standard ACK M309 10mm x 24 round. This ammunition comprimises a 210 grain (13.6 gram) projectile embedded within a rectangular caseless propellant block of Nitramine 50. The propellant content is small but highly efficient, generating muzzle velocities on the order of 840 meters per second. The round is steel-jacketed and explosive tipped, with impact fusing which is pre-set during manufacture. Terminal ballistic characteristics have been optimised for maximum lethality against infantry wearing personal armor. The round is designed to penetrate the armor, exploding just after impact to inflict lethal internal damage. The standard M41 ammunition clip will hold 95 M309 rounds in an 'U' bend conveyor, which feeds the rounds mechanically into the rotating breech mechanism.
The M41 uses electronic pulse action to fire, controlled directly from the trigger. The internal mechanism, including the rotating breech, is mounted on free-floating rails within a carbon fiber jacket. This assembly is recoil dampened to reduce the effects of muzzle climb during burst and full automatic fire. From the thumb selector, the weapon can be set to selective, four-round burst, or full automatic fire, the latter allowing a rate of fire up to the weapon's cyclic rate of 900 rpm. Electrical power for the gun's motor mechanism is provided by a Lithium battery in the carrying handle. This battery is good for 10,000 rounds and can be recharged either from a rifle rack or a portable power clip.
The underslung 30mm grenade launcher comprises a barrel, breech and a four round internal magazine which is charged by handloading individual grenade cartridges into the mechanism. A pump action is used to load rounds into the breech and cock the firing mechanism. Once loaded, the launcher is primed to fire from a trigger positioned just in front of the magazine housing, which is used as a handgrip when firing a grenade.
The most commonly used round in the grenade launcher is the M40 High Explosive fragmentation round which is marked with a red plastic cap. The other grenade ammunition includes, M38 High Explosive Armor Piercing round, capable of penetrating 7 cm of homogeneous steel, the M51A Air burst round, M108 Canister (Buckshot) round, M230 Baton round, M60 White Phosphorous Incendiary round, and the M72A1 Starshell (flares).
"The M56? Year, a spooky gun, man; Jesus, it's just too damned accurate! I 'member checking the bodycount after an ambush on a Rossport Commonwealth cadre. It was beautiful; we'd caught eight of 'em in a triangulated crossfire, and greased 'em with the smarts before they knew what happened. When we checked the bodies afterward, each one had like a single entry wound in the center of mass, depending on how they were standing when they were hit. No grouping, nothing; in each case all the shells had entered thru the same hole. That freaked some of the guys out. After that they kept the tracking switched off... They wanted to hose that thang, man!"
- L/Cpl. Guy 'Goober' Alcala, ACKMC
The core of the Kaleth Marine squad's fighting power is its machine guns. More effective than a rifle, machine guns can sustain large volumes of continuous fire both in the attack and defense, and are frequently the decisive weapon in a firefight. The M56 Smart Gun is the Marines' primary squad machine gun. Lightweight, rugged and reliable, the Smart Gun is carried into battle on a self-aiming stabilized mount- so negating the need to position or set up the gun for full automatic fire - and is linked to an infrared target tracking system for accurate aiming. Flexible and powerful the M56 system is now deployed in a variety of combat theatres and environments.
The M56A2 is a 10mm general-purpose automatic squad support weapon, effective out to 1500 meters. The pulse-action system employs a free-floating recoil-dampened motorized rotating breech mechanism chambered for the M250 series 10mm x 28 caseless round. The gun also incorporates a muzzle booster to ensure the necessary operating forces from the large round. Cyclic rate is around 1200 rpm. The gun is constructed largely from molded carbon-fiber and light alloy stampings, though some interior parts of the mechanism are made from plastic. The replaceable barrel system is air-cooled though a heat-sink attachment can be jacketed into it. The system is mounted on an operator's harness and slaved to an infrared tracking system. The gun is self-steering on the mount, though firing must be commanded manually. The entire gun assembly (including harness and full ammo load) masses 17.82 kg. The length of the gun itself is 122cm, and the length of the barrel is 54.5cm.
When powered up, the gun begins tracking targets via its infrared tracker mounted above the barrel. The tracker consists of a 256 x 256 element Platinum-Silicide focal plane array cooled to 77K by a tiny cryogenic gas-cooler working on the Stirling principle. This system monitors a 30 degree cone in front of the gun, and transmits high-resolution thermal images in the 8-10 um(i duno) range to a miniature video display in the operator's eyepiece. If a target is detected, the tracker will overlay a lighted box or rectangle on the screen over the target's center of mass. The articulation arm will then self-steer the gun to aim at this point, and as soon as it has done so, a target lock circle on the screen lights to indicate the target is boresighted. If multiple targets or infrared false-target decoys appear in the sight, the operator simply steers the lighted box to bracket whichever target he actually wishes to engage.
"The M56 Smartgun...Shiiiit, that thin' ken put holes in a fucker with the kind of accuracy that would make most people cry, I remember the Commonwealth bitching 'bout our use of it. Callin' it unfair and shit. Well fuck 'em!"
- Private David Anderson, Smart Gun Operator, ACKMC
BDUs
Standard ACKMC battledress utilities are two-piece, lightweight polycotton coveralls with pockets secured by silent fasteners. BDUs are issued in several patterns for deployments to temperate, desert, and jungle zones. The disruptive pattern of the fabric is printed in at least three colors, dependent on the design, and the different high-temperature dyes used in the print process are each designed to absorb infrared radiation at different frequencies, effectively breaking up the wearer's IR signature. The dyes' IR properties break down after time, especially after repeated washing, and so uniform utilities have to be replaced on a regular basis.
Normal utility fatigues, shirts, caps etc. have no special thermal properties, although ACKMC issue body warmers, ponchos and arctic clothes are designed to a 'blackbody' standard that provides a complete thermal shield.
Of the boots issued to Marines in the field, the three main types available are the standard M3, which has a leather upper; the M7 jungle boot with a breathable nylon and leather upper; and the M8A2 thermal lined arctic boot. All of these boots have a synthetic sole incorporating several layers of resin-bonded flexible Venlar micromesh to provide protection against spikes such as caltrops or punji sticks; there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that this armor layer has even saved the feet of some land-mine victims from serious mutilation. Marines engaged in logistics duties involving cargo handling are issued with commercial industrial boots with steel toe protection.
Personal Armor
With devastating firepower now deployed on the modern battlefield, personal protection for the Marine rifleman is essential. The major threats are not just from small-arms fire, but also from artillery blast and fragmentation. Marine combat armor is designed to balance lightness and comfort with optimum protection. The M3 pattern personal armor consists of a sandwich of materials molded to form a rigid shell. The outer layer of the sandwich is an ultra-light titanium aluminide alloy to provide structural strength. Beneath this is a core, consisting of boron carbide, resin bonded to a layer of graphite composite carbon-fiber. Boron carbide is an incredibly hard ceramic designed to shatter a bullet on impact while simultaneously forming a conoid base to absorb its energy. Beneath this, the carbon-fiber layer provides ballistic protection at the point of penetration by delaminating across a large area, so absorbing more energy. Finally, on the inside of the armor is a woven liner made of 1500 denier Venlar fibers. This woven liner dissipates the remainder of the energy by deforming in the area of impact, and is also able to catch any spalling or fragmentation from the first three layers. Since any bullet or fragment impact on the armor shell tends to compromise its integrity and ability to provide ballistic protection, it is standard procedure to replace any affected sections immediately.
In practice, the stopping power of the armor is somewhat limited versus direct hits, particularly from high-velocity ball ammunition and HEAP small-arm rounds. However it can be expected to stop low-powered ball ammunition and provide some protection against impact-fused explosive bullets and grenade or artillery fragments. Some stealth characteristics have also been included, such as curved and rounded surfaces to reduce radar signature, and infrared masking.
KALETH MARINE MANUAL
The Kaleth Marine is the best infantry that the Allied Cities has to offer, combining firepower and mobility together they are able to operate in small numbers, effectively and efficiently. Recruitment into the Kaleth Marine Corp requires at least 2 years of service in the Kaleth Home Guard, where the Home Guard requires a high school degree and passing a few tests.
The Marine doctrine calls for small, autonomous infantry units capable of operating with or without higher level support on the highly mobile battlefield.
A rifle squad consists of 4 marines including a Corporal, a Lance Corporal, and two Privates. Further divided into two-man fire-teams: the Rifle Team and Gun Team. The Rifle Team consists of a pair of rifleman assigned together on the buddy system both equipped with the M41 pulse-rifle. The Gun Team consists or a rifleman with a pulse-rifle and a machine-gunner carrying the automatic M56 Smart Gun. Two squads led by a Sergeant and riding with a driver in an APC, make up a section. In a drop operation, a Haven Dropship is attached to the section from the aerospace company team. Two sections led by a Lieutenant, form a rifle platoon, for a total paper strength of 25 marines including the APC and dropship crews.
M41A Pulse Rifle
"The most dangerous weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
- Unnamed Marine
The ACK M41A is a 10mm pulse-action air-cooled automatic assault rifle. The standard service variant has an over-and-under configuration incorporating a PN 30mm pump-action grenade launcher.
Lightweight and rugged, the M41 is constructed largely from ultra-light alloy precision metal stampings. The outer casing is made from titanium aluminide alloy and many internal parts are moulded from high-impact, temperature resistant plastics. Layout is conventional, and a spring loaded retractable stock allows the rifle to be used either in carbine format (with stock retracted) or as a rifle, with the 'in-line' stock extended for greater stability during automatic fire from the shoulder. Sighting is made down a groove in the carrying handle, with an adjustable tangent leaf backsight positioned in the rear slot. a 3x power AN/RVS-S2 CCD television sight can optionally be fitted to the carrying handle for accuracy at range and under low light conditions.
The M41 fires the standard ACK M309 10mm x 24 round. This ammunition comprimises a 210 grain (13.6 gram) projectile embedded within a rectangular caseless propellant block of Nitramine 50. The propellant content is small but highly efficient, generating muzzle velocities on the order of 840 meters per second. The round is steel-jacketed and explosive tipped, with impact fusing which is pre-set during manufacture. Terminal ballistic characteristics have been optimised for maximum lethality against infantry wearing personal armor. The round is designed to penetrate the armor, exploding just after impact to inflict lethal internal damage. The standard M41 ammunition clip will hold 95 M309 rounds in an 'U' bend conveyor, which feeds the rounds mechanically into the rotating breech mechanism.
The M41 uses electronic pulse action to fire, controlled directly from the trigger. The internal mechanism, including the rotating breech, is mounted on free-floating rails within a carbon fiber jacket. This assembly is recoil dampened to reduce the effects of muzzle climb during burst and full automatic fire. From the thumb selector, the weapon can be set to selective, four-round burst, or full automatic fire, the latter allowing a rate of fire up to the weapon's cyclic rate of 900 rpm. Electrical power for the gun's motor mechanism is provided by a Lithium battery in the carrying handle. This battery is good for 10,000 rounds and can be recharged either from a rifle rack or a portable power clip.
The underslung 30mm grenade launcher comprises a barrel, breech and a four round internal magazine which is charged by handloading individual grenade cartridges into the mechanism. A pump action is used to load rounds into the breech and cock the firing mechanism. Once loaded, the launcher is primed to fire from a trigger positioned just in front of the magazine housing, which is used as a handgrip when firing a grenade.
The most commonly used round in the grenade launcher is the M40 High Explosive fragmentation round which is marked with a red plastic cap. The other grenade ammunition includes, M38 High Explosive Armor Piercing round, capable of penetrating 7 cm of homogeneous steel, the M51A Air burst round, M108 Canister (Buckshot) round, M230 Baton round, M60 White Phosphorous Incendiary round, and the M72A1 Starshell (flares).
M56 Smart Gun
"The M56? Year, a spooky gun, man; Jesus, it's just too damned accurate! I 'member checking the bodycount after an ambush on a Rossport Commonwealth cadre. It was beautiful; we'd caught eight of 'em in a triangulated crossfire, and greased 'em with the smarts before they knew what happened. When we checked the bodies afterward, each one had like a single entry wound in the center of mass, depending on how they were standing when they were hit. No grouping, nothing; in each case all the shells had entered thru the same hole. That freaked some of the guys out. After that they kept the tracking switched off... They wanted to hose that thang, man!"
- L/Cpl. Guy 'Goober' Alcala, ACKMC
The core of the Kaleth Marine squad's fighting power is its machine guns. More effective than a rifle, machine guns can sustain large volumes of continuous fire both in the attack and defense, and are frequently the decisive weapon in a firefight. The M56 Smart Gun is the Marines' primary squad machine gun. Lightweight, rugged and reliable, the Smart Gun is carried into battle on a self-aiming stabilized mount- so negating the need to position or set up the gun for full automatic fire - and is linked to an infrared target tracking system for accurate aiming. Flexible and powerful the M56 system is now deployed in a variety of combat theatres and environments.
The M56A2 is a 10mm general-purpose automatic squad support weapon, effective out to 1500 meters. The pulse-action system employs a free-floating recoil-dampened motorized rotating breech mechanism chambered for the M250 series 10mm x 28 caseless round. The gun also incorporates a muzzle booster to ensure the necessary operating forces from the large round. Cyclic rate is around 1200 rpm. The gun is constructed largely from molded carbon-fiber and light alloy stampings, though some interior parts of the mechanism are made from plastic. The replaceable barrel system is air-cooled though a heat-sink attachment can be jacketed into it. The system is mounted on an operator's harness and slaved to an infrared tracking system. The gun is self-steering on the mount, though firing must be commanded manually. The entire gun assembly (including harness and full ammo load) masses 17.82 kg. The length of the gun itself is 122cm, and the length of the barrel is 54.5cm.
When powered up, the gun begins tracking targets via its infrared tracker mounted above the barrel. The tracker consists of a 256 x 256 element Platinum-Silicide focal plane array cooled to 77K by a tiny cryogenic gas-cooler working on the Stirling principle. This system monitors a 30 degree cone in front of the gun, and transmits high-resolution thermal images in the 8-10 um(i duno) range to a miniature video display in the operator's eyepiece. If a target is detected, the tracker will overlay a lighted box or rectangle on the screen over the target's center of mass. The articulation arm will then self-steer the gun to aim at this point, and as soon as it has done so, a target lock circle on the screen lights to indicate the target is boresighted. If multiple targets or infrared false-target decoys appear in the sight, the operator simply steers the lighted box to bracket whichever target he actually wishes to engage.
"The M56 Smartgun...Shiiiit, that thin' ken put holes in a fucker with the kind of accuracy that would make most people cry, I remember the Commonwealth bitching 'bout our use of it. Callin' it unfair and shit. Well fuck 'em!"
- Private David Anderson, Smart Gun Operator, ACKMC
Battledress
BDUs
Standard ACKMC battledress utilities are two-piece, lightweight polycotton coveralls with pockets secured by silent fasteners. BDUs are issued in several patterns for deployments to temperate, desert, and jungle zones. The disruptive pattern of the fabric is printed in at least three colors, dependent on the design, and the different high-temperature dyes used in the print process are each designed to absorb infrared radiation at different frequencies, effectively breaking up the wearer's IR signature. The dyes' IR properties break down after time, especially after repeated washing, and so uniform utilities have to be replaced on a regular basis.
Normal utility fatigues, shirts, caps etc. have no special thermal properties, although ACKMC issue body warmers, ponchos and arctic clothes are designed to a 'blackbody' standard that provides a complete thermal shield.
Of the boots issued to Marines in the field, the three main types available are the standard M3, which has a leather upper; the M7 jungle boot with a breathable nylon and leather upper; and the M8A2 thermal lined arctic boot. All of these boots have a synthetic sole incorporating several layers of resin-bonded flexible Venlar micromesh to provide protection against spikes such as caltrops or punji sticks; there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that this armor layer has even saved the feet of some land-mine victims from serious mutilation. Marines engaged in logistics duties involving cargo handling are issued with commercial industrial boots with steel toe protection.
Personal Armor
With devastating firepower now deployed on the modern battlefield, personal protection for the Marine rifleman is essential. The major threats are not just from small-arms fire, but also from artillery blast and fragmentation. Marine combat armor is designed to balance lightness and comfort with optimum protection. The M3 pattern personal armor consists of a sandwich of materials molded to form a rigid shell. The outer layer of the sandwich is an ultra-light titanium aluminide alloy to provide structural strength. Beneath this is a core, consisting of boron carbide, resin bonded to a layer of graphite composite carbon-fiber. Boron carbide is an incredibly hard ceramic designed to shatter a bullet on impact while simultaneously forming a conoid base to absorb its energy. Beneath this, the carbon-fiber layer provides ballistic protection at the point of penetration by delaminating across a large area, so absorbing more energy. Finally, on the inside of the armor is a woven liner made of 1500 denier Venlar fibers. This woven liner dissipates the remainder of the energy by deforming in the area of impact, and is also able to catch any spalling or fragmentation from the first three layers. Since any bullet or fragment impact on the armor shell tends to compromise its integrity and ability to provide ballistic protection, it is standard procedure to replace any affected sections immediately.
In practice, the stopping power of the armor is somewhat limited versus direct hits, particularly from high-velocity ball ammunition and HEAP small-arm rounds. However it can be expected to stop low-powered ball ammunition and provide some protection against impact-fused explosive bullets and grenade or artillery fragments. Some stealth characteristics have also been included, such as curved and rounded surfaces to reduce radar signature, and infrared masking.