Waffle Iron

[Zack]

(Yeah, this is here solely because of that other thread.)

NAM-M1 ‘Waffle Iron'

Designer/Manufacturer: Nepleslia Arms and Munitions
(Suggested) Price: 6000 KS

Individual Component Costs:
Weapon Core: 3000 KS
Weapon Magazine: 1000 KS
Ten year Warrantee: 1500 KS
Smart Stock: 500KS
Folding Stock: 10KS

Nomenclature Information

Type: Centrifugal Splat Rail Gun.

Role: The Waffle Iron was designed as an anti-material weapon useful in breaching doors or killing tanks/power armors through internal damage. The weapon is capable of of atmospheric and space based use though underwater and dense environment usage is strongly discouraged.

Length: 3 feet, up to 5 with extended stocks.
Weight: 10kg empty, 400kg fully loaded.

Discharge Information

Projection/ammo type: Magnetically propelled dimpled spheres of soft plastic explosive with nanomachine detonators in suspension.

Firing Mechanism: The weapon core accelerates the projectiles in the ring like magazine until trigger is depressed at which point one round is further accelerated out the centrifugal magazine and down the barrel at the target. Nanomachines are programmed to trigger detonation after the round has left the barrel and once certain requirements are reached such as impact and explosive spread.

Caliber: 2.25in diameter dimpled spheres.

Effective Range: 785 meters (friction environment)

Maximum Range: 3000m (friction environment)

Muzzle Velocity: 800m/s (friction environment) 5000 m/s (vacuum)

Muzzle Blast: deep 'thud' sound

Firing Mode(s): Semi-Auto

Recoil: None

Ammo Description:

Name: Splat Ball

Visual Description: A dull gray, red, or black sphere 2.25in in diameter with dimples (golf ball) around the exterior. The rounds are held in hollow metal ring created of smart metals The ring is taken out of the core to be restocked with ammo and can be clipped back on.

Ammo: 12 rounds

Damage Description: Impact flattens the sphere flat against the target before nanomachines detonate. The blast wave from the explosive is channeled forward and back of the point of impact, in theory knocking back the target or shattering the insides.

Weapon Mechanisms:

Safeties: A switch on the left side of the weapon under a hard plastic sleeve controls safety, off, and on modes. Off disables the weapon while safety disables the trigger and spins up the rounds to ready mode. On enables full weapon function.

Weapon sights: A simpel Iron sights are built into the top of the weapon while a target acquisition camera located below the barrel can transmit wireless information or be plugged into the user.

Smart Stock: The smart stock extends and contours to the user's body type to create a perfect fit every time through use of smart metals and foams in conjunction with nanomachine suspensions hooked into the weapon's onboard computer and power systems. The stock clips onto a port on the back of the core and is held tight by smart metal interactions.

Core: The core contains all major components from the trigger, to the computer, power system, and rail systems. The core is entirely self contained and is not intended to be repaired or maintained. The core contains enough power for 5000 shots. Upon draining of the power the core is to be replaced in its entirety.


Maintenance Information:

Field Maintenance Procedure: Scrub magazine and core component contact areas with a mild acid. (no less than PH4) Internal core has no serviceable parts, opening will void warrantee.

Visual Description:

Something like this:

History:

The Waffle Iron was made just for the hell of it in YE 29 to help test out the NAM production, testing, research, and development capabilities prior to major operations. The weapon was also designed not to be serviceable with the intention of keeping users dependent on NAM for the weapon to help keep it out of the hands of gangs and thugs thought the business plan for the weapon does include replacing core components for free upon request.

 

[Kilian]

Could this be categorised as a grenade launcher? A weird one, but it fires non-rocket proppeled spheres.

This is either not an infantry weapon, or the 400 kg is a typo. Mechas preferred to say the least. Uhhh... right? Unless power armor allows 10× the species strength.

No recoil? Add a wee bit at least. Every firearm has recoil. The user or hard point always suffers the same blow as the target. (For example: a shotgun hits your shoulder with as much power as the slug hits your target with. Hollywood is 'bull; people don't fly away from buckshot while the hero remains motionless.)

Is this 'magnetic propelling system' accepted here? If it is, wouldn't you need a rather looong barrel of electromagnetic rings to reach that bullet velocity? In that case, however, you can reduce weight by 'perforating' the barrel.

I might have misunderstood how the little explosive sphere works, but here goes:
It works almost the same as sticking a bar of C-4 on the target surface. Very safe and reliable system, proven and worshipped. Too bad it does almost no damage to armor (computer games and movies lie). Why, you might ask. Armor is tough, and more than halfof the explosion would go in the opposite direction. Shaped charges (made of C-1 or C-2) are good for blowing up locks and shit, while claymore (plastic explosive with a plate on the back and steel balls in the front, stuck in the explosive material) is a gruesomely effective trap against infantry.

Unless the explosion is directed by, say... a cumulative warhead, the explosion will simply leave a hard to scrubb off burnmark on the armor plate. The impact isn't too serious either. I like the detonator idea, but there are cheaper methods to do the same. An impact-set timed detonator. No detonator can channel the explosive wave, only a countermeasure, which in this case is absent.

Golf ball? I must admit that I like that idea as well. The little holes stabilise the ball immensely and allow good flight. I wonder if it would work on grenades, though.

This one is going to be unusually stupid, but I think the 12 round clip on the picture would seriously hinder mobility. Wouldn't a simple 12-round magazine work? Or perhaps you could turn it into pump-action and store ammunition under the barrel, which could be reloaded manually.

If I understood your tech, this is effective for breaching non-reinforced walls and making infantry s*** bricks. Light vehicles and craft could be shot down with a high succes rate, but armored vehicles and mecha will only feel a slight nudge. And for decency reasons: don't fire it straight at a trooper.

 

[Cora]

He has a point about the C-4 Ammo Uso. Unless it's a direcional shaped cap, the most the pilot inside the armor hit by this thing will feel, if anything is akin to a shove.

Also at 800m a second, since this is soft c4, it'd more then likely erode due to air friction. And if it didn't the velocity it's traveling at would make it splatter like a mudball.

 

[Zack]

The rounds are supposed to be pretty heavy to help reflect how much damage they do. A smaller ammo load could be used to allow a person to carry it.

No recoil exists in centrifugal weapons, period. All of the backward force is absorbed by the centrifuge part, slowing it down.

The centrifuge accelerates the projectiles, a long barrel is not needed.

This is a splat weapon. Upon impact the explosive would splat against the target. The charge becomes like a pancake flattened against the target and upon detonation would cause extensive damage. This type of round was used extensively as an anti-tank weapon prior to the introduction of Kevlar sheeting on the inside of tanks to reduce shattering of armor plates which would kill the crew. A shaped charge may be better at penetrating certain types of armor but a splat warhead would be more effective against others (plus you get to say splat a lot which is a cool word)

The golf ball indentions work on all spherical objects and even cylindrical ones of just about any size. Dam busters in WWII were to receive this treatment though there were not enough resources for it.

I don't think the clip would hinder mobility for an ID-sol or power armor.

Depending on the armor type the weapon would be incredibly effective against vehicles and power armors. Naturally it would not be effective against the NDI lightning shield among other things.

As for Cora, it isn't C4, there are more things out there than just directional charges, it is likely to kill a pilot, again this isn't c-4, and splattering is kind of the point of a weapon designed to splat an explosive against a target.

 

[Wes]

The owner had a brochure that was available on the defense review website and made a few claims that were physically impossible, regardless of the level of advanced technology used in the design of this hoax. Number one, the brochure said "no recoil", end quote. I brought this up on the defense review website and received a BS answer by the supposed "St. George" who is the inventor. I refer you to the website to see specifically what I asked and what he answered. Secondly, the power requirement would be something on the order of megawatts, and the brochure says 150 watts average. Lastly, the ballistic characteristics of golf-ball-like projectiles would make them utterly useless beyond a very short distance. By the response I got and the inter-relation between the website administrator of defensereview.com and the mysterious St. George, I suspect that they are one in the same and this hoax was just created for some attention for childish people who have a website that feebly attempts to 'look official'. Just look at the rest of the website and you will see what I mean. It's trailer trash.

There was another thread about this weapon, someone was trying to calculate if everything the inventor claimed was possible.

Here is a link to that thread: http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=66613

Based on the arguments presented in the physicsforums.com forums, I am going to have to put a definite NOT APPROVED on this one (as well as the DREAD system in general).

 

[Kilian]

Splat: I like the word, but what would keep the integrity of the sphere stiff or tough enough so that it wouldn't disperse as Cora wrote? And about the golf balls: the surface is carefully designed with computers and special electronics, not put in it in random order. These dimples would flatten out or cause a tear in the half-stiff (Do we use that word?) material.

1 lb of plastique (we, and many others, have been writing it wrong all along... plastic would mean 'fake explosive', heh) or whatever non-cumulative explosive does roughly as much damage on armor as 10 lb would. That means a mean burn mark. Crew won't go emo about it.

How does a magnetic system accelarate a non-metallic (plastique) object, anyway? As quoted below:

Projection/ammo type: Magnetically propelled dimpled spheres of soft plastic explosive with nanomachine detonators in suspension.

Not to mention that the weight of such a propulsion system would weigh more than 10 kg... 50 maybe. Unloaded.

A long barrel would also be necessary for accuracy. The rounds are fired dumb, and a short barrel will mess accuracy up big time.

 

[Zack]

Well, a few of the people on that site were special. Nothing on that site disproves the dread gun but merely makes good points on the details of how the system would operate. Clearly in this setting power requirements are not an issue for one.

The no recoil thing on the weapon I will need to change though there is no traditional recoil there would be serious torque on the weapon without some sort of stabilizer but that I can include.

All things considered the ballistic characteristics of golf balls should not be in question. We should all have seen how well they work. That aside, the weapon does have a fairly short range in an atmosphere and shape/mass whatever is not an issue when in a vacuum.

I did like that link though, it should help in fleshing out the weapon.

The strength of the material itself would keep it intact until it hit something. The weapon uses an as of yet unnamed advanced explosive not c-4. Yes, it would be enough to cause some damage. Almost all plastic explosives have metal in them these days. No, it would not weigh that much all things in this setting considered. A long barrel is unnecessary because of how the rounds are fired. Accuracy in relation to barrel length is not an issue.