Made availible in YE 40 by the Frontier Manufacturing Service, this is a general purpose weapon designed to serve as a variable output laser weapon with modest ammo capacity and reasonable destructive power. Powered by FMS Universal Battery Cells the weapon is both inexpensive and easy to use. Though it does not possess the destructive potential of many plasma weapons it features exceptional penetrative capabilities that help it to cut straight to vital organs and critical components so as to reduce collateral and/or excessive damages. Additionally, the PDW is designed for compatibility with all FMS Universal Pulse Laser Equipment.

Built originally as a defensive weapon, and marketed as such, the r23 was intended to offer users that could not access powered armor the ability to protect themselves. By using the FMS Universal Pulse Laser Equipment as a base the design was quickly realized to be capable of both civilian and paramilitary usage. Though not nearly as fast firing as the w4002 the r23 is a very capable weapon by way of it's versatility. An operator may choose the precise amount of penetrative power desired for the situation. As a home defense weapon this helps limit causing unintentional injuries or deaths by overpenetration of solid objects. Alternatively, more power can be supplied for dealing with more heavily armored combatants.

Though lacking brute force the precision of the pulse laser can be extremely effective at quickly killing assailants when in the hands of a skilled shooter. For those with a less reliable aim the wide angle lens makes it possible to convert the weapon into a laser based shotgun with a quarter of the range of the standard variant. If in the employ of someone engaged in fast-paced combat a targeting assistance module might make the difference between life and death. The greatest ability of the r23 is the offer of options.

Designer: Frontier Manufacturing Service, Laser Division

Manufacturer: Frontier Manufacturing Service

Name: UPLE Repeating Rifle

Nomenclature: Fs-Wr23-3900

Type: Pulse Laser Repeater

Role: General combat

Purpose: Tier 1-4, Light Anti-Personnel to Light Anti-armor

Beam Diameter: 15mm

Length: 40 cm (~15.7 in.)

Width: 5 cm (~2 in.)

Height: 20 cm (~8 in.)

Mass: 7 kg (~15 lbs) unloaded

The r23 has a bullpup design with an overall boxy appearance. Universal rails are present on the top, bottom, and sides. There is a handle in front of the trigger and the cover over the battery compartment on the stock has an integrated rubber cheek rest.

Muzzle Flash: Advanced polarization in the lens ensures that all of the photons emitted by the laser is traveling in one direction, and in doing so prevents bystanders from being blinded while also reducing the overall flash to be no greater than that of a traditional firearm.

Beam Appearance: While also making the beam color visible as a streak that seams to dissipate over the course of a second. The color of the beam is dependent on the emitter that has been installed. Red, blue, and green emitters create beams of corresponding colors while the UV emitter is just blurry.

Retort: The act of firing is very quiet, sounding much like a noisy camera flash. It's the power assembly that is noisy. The standard motor cycling electrode is noisy, like a drill motor. With high performance parts it can be incredibly quiet, like a small brushless motor.

Effective Range varies based on atmospheric conditions.

• Space: 140,000 Kilometres

• Atmosphere: 3000 meters

Rate of Fire: 550 RPM

Recoil: Negligible/very light backwards recoil from rapid expansion of coolant.

Only a single FMS Universal Battery Cells is needed to power the r23 PDW however damage is relatively minor with only one battery. The weapon is capable of holding up to 4 batteries in series and is capable of delivering damage to armored targets, however the scale of the damage is still small as the laser beam is no bigger than before, it is only more intense.

Average DR: varies based on battery configuration.

• 1 UBC: Light Anti-Personnel (Tier 1)
• 2 UBC: Medium Anti-Personnel (Tier 2)
• 3 UBC: Heavy Anti-Personnel (Tier 3)
• 4 UBC: Light Anti-Armor (Tier 4)
  • A special note should be made regarding damage rating. While the highest damage rating is rated quite high the scale of the damage is quite small. Shooters must use this weapon to strike vital organs and critical components to utilize the full potential of this weapon. The laser is incapable of causing any more than a hole in a victim along with injuries similar to the ballistic damage of a .223 bullet.

Round Capacity: Capacity is measured with no additional UBC stacked in parallel to increase capacity. On the topic of overheating, it is not a real concern for the shooter as coolant is flushed through the barrel every time it fires.

• Full-power: 30 (Tier 1-4)
• Low-power: 60 (Tier, half of battery bank output)
• Coolant Tank: 3000 rounds

• Firing Mechanism: The weapon is built from UPLE components.

The twin internal capacitors are charged almost instantly, and thus the weapon could theoretically possess an incredible rate of fire, but the coolant must be primed and released to flush the barrel between each shot or the multiple lenses will shatter and the pulses generated will be harmless.

• Loading: Up to four(4) UBCs stacked in series are inserted into the battery slot located on the bottom side of the stock. the first row of batteries fit completely inside the stock while the rest of the batteries, or battery case, is visible.

• Mode Selector: An ambidextrous rotating switch by the thumb toggles off, semi, and full automatic firing modes while a sliding switch on the inside of the battery compartment toggles full and half power modes. Sliding the ambidexterous charging handle backwards primes the first charge of coolant, and should only be used after insertion of the batteries and before firing the first shot. Hands must be kept clear of this handle as it moves forward and back after every shot as coolant is pumped into the barrel.

• Firing Modes: Full-auto, semi-auto, off

• Weapon Sight: The iron sights on the front and rear of the barrel are no different in function than any iron sights. Rails are provided for additional optics.

• Attachment Hard Points: Universal rails on the sides, top, and bottom are present for attaching accessories.

The r23 is intended to be affordable so as to be easily obtainable by the common person.

• r23 PDW:
  • 300KS
  • 600DA

• Pulse Laser Emitter Assembly:
  • ~100KS
  • ~200DA
  • For a more accurate price point consult the pricing guide.

• Pulse Laser Power Assembly:
  • 100KS
  • 200DA

• Emitter Upgrades: Consult the emitter specifications.

Rizzo created this article on 2017/11/02 10:06.