Previous to the NAM Terratech ELEMENTAL series of powered armorsuits, small point defense on armor was a common occurrence from high-end Yamataian Star Army models to even the lowest of discount security armors Demon M1 Infantry Power Armor. So, when the design of the ELEMENTAL, or E series came into being, the addition of the PLA Pulse Laser Array system was felt to be a necessary step in the design philosophy.

The first actual PLA system was not, in fact, a laser array but a simple automated mounted chaingun, known as the VUA system. Breakthroughs in laser technology eventually led to the switch to the PLA system, however, but it was the VUA system that first preceded the newer models.

Historically, PLA systems on SMoDIN powered armor has a purpose of light point defense, whereas heavier attack was left to other, more capable weapon systems present on the armorsuit. the PLA's specific purpose was intended to be precision take-down of incoming missile systems, and on occasion use against unarmored opponents as a matter of efficiency. Future iterations have not deviated much from the original design purpose, and remain largely the same as a staple component on SMoDIN powered infantry.

In YE 38, Aerotech created a larger, turret-mounted version for use on its small craft.

The distant predecessor of the PLA, the VUA-01a Vulcan Array was a set of four small linked chainguns, installed over the left shoulder. The weapon was belt-fed from an ammunition storage present on the back of the armorsuit.

The VUA-01a was the first Nepleslian armor-grade point defense system, and as such was mounted with several small problems. Ammunition for the chaingun had to be carried with the armorsuit, and the amount to be useful in multiple situations was paired with a detrimental increase in overall armorsuit mass. The nature of the chemically-fired chainguns also gave rise to a myriad of targeting problems as well as weight and maintenance issues.

Location: Above the left chest Purpose: Point Defense Secondary: Anti-Infantry Damage: Tier 1, Light Anti-Personnel

Range: ~1,000m Rate of Fire: 40 rpm Area of Effect: Single Effect Muzzle Velocity: 3,000 m/s Ammunition 6,000 rounds

The original PLA-01a was a simple, high-precision laser mounted on the area between the neck and shoulder of the powered armorsuit. PLA-01a systems usually came in pairs, mounted on both the left and right side by a simple axis mechanism, and were able to fire in a 180 degree cone in front of the armorsuit itself. The PLA-01a system was semi-automatic in that targeting was usually handled by the armorsuit's systems rather than the user, however the user's input was still required to use the laser arrays.

The PLA-01a system showed a great increase in potential over the VUA units as the lack of ammunition storage gave more room for other, more useful utilities while the nature of laser technology gave it more of an edge over the archaic simple chaingun system.

Location: In the area between the neck and shoulder of armor Purpose: Point Defense Secondary: Anti-Infantry Damage: Tier 2, Medium Anti-Personnel

Range: ~1,000m Rate of Fire: Continuous Rate of Fire Area of Effect: Single Effect Muzzle Velocity: 1c Ammunition Effectively unlimited

While the original PLA-01a was fairly flawless in its intended design, NAM Terratech was able to slightly improve on it for new designs. The NAM Terratech General Combat Armorsuit – “Hostile” and NAM VOID Advanced Tactical Power Armor were the first to receive the new PLA-02a model, which was basically a slightly larger version of its predecessor. Terratech was able to give the PLA-02a a slight upgrade due to the increased weight tolerance and new design philosophy of multiple generators present on a single armor to increase the power threshold.

Location: In the area between the neck and shoulder of armor Purpose: Point Defense Secondary: Anti-Infantry Damage: Tier 2, Medium Anti-Personnel

Range: ~1,000m Rate of Fire: Continuous Rate of Fire Area of Effect: Single Effect Muzzle Velocity: 1c Ammunition Effectively unlimited \

fter the success of the PLA-02a on the Terratech M-series of Power Armors, Aerotech created its own up-scaled version for usage on its small craft. It features twin laser barrels that alternate between firing each laser pulse in order to minimize the heat and stress from sustained combat; additionally, this model has been enhanced in both its operable range and damage output, due to the greater internal volume available.

Location: Turret Mount Purpose: Point Defense Damage: Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel/Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel

Range: ~180,000m Rate of Fire: Continuous Rate of Fire Area of Effect: Single Effect Muzzle Velocity: 1c Ammunition Effectively unlimited