M45A sniper rifle

"Never shoot twice."

- Theran Army Marksman

The M45A Compact Ranged Weapon System, also known as the M45A CRWS or M45A Marksman Rifle, was a long range weapon used by The Royal Allegiance during the Swarm War. Designed as a smaller, more manageable alternative to full scale sniper rifles, the M45 essentially bridge the gap between high calibre, long range sniper rifles and smaller calibre, shorter ranged battle rifles. The M45A CRWS was versatile in that it could be used as a dedicated sniper rifle, but also function in a designated marksman role where true battle rifles were unsuitable or unavailable. Effective at mid and long ranges, skilled users could utilise the weapon effectively at shorter ranges too, though the weapon's relative small size allowed for more capable weapons to be carried to this end.

History
Designed in the 2660s by Hall Munitions Inc, the M45A aimed to bridge the gap between battle and sniper rifles, with the ability to substitute both simultaneously on the battlefield. A key requirement of its design was that it was shorter than 120cm, allowing troops other than true snipers to carry the weapon for use in squad-based combat. This led to the adoption of a bullpup layout which, although making the weapon somewhat back-heavy, maximised the length of the barrel, aiding in range and accuracy. The M45A performed better than designated marksman rifles in squad-based combat, being only slightly larger yet having superior range, accuracy and stopping power due to its large 11.4x60mm round. It was also more easily wielded than larger sniper rifles and, although it did not share their extreme range, was perfect for mid-long engagement and more suited for combat in urban and CQB environments.

Usage
The M45A was utilised in a great range of roles. Primarily, it was used as a cross between battle rifles and sniper rifles, bridging the two in terms of size, range and power. Sniper units would often request the M45A for urban combat or other environments where size or weight were issues. Similarly, some squad-based marksman utilised the M45A in lieu of battle rifles, favouring its greater power, range and accuracy. While liked by some users, others preferred the use of fully fledged battle or sniper rifles, this being purely a matter of personal preference. The rifle was heavily used by troops facing the Swarm needing both a sniper and a battle rifle, but having the space to carry neither. The M45A was widely utilised against Swarm forces as its 11mm round was more than sufficient to take down the most heavily armoured infantry forms, either fragmenting and destroying their innards or continuing through to a secondary target, depending on the type of ammunition used. The most common form of ammunition for the M45 was HVS/AP-HE, or High Velocity Shield/Armour Piercing-High Explosive, which could take out a fully shielded and armoured Drone or Reaper in a single shot.

Design
Utilising a bullpup layout, the magazine and firing mechanism were located to the rear of the weapon behind the thumbhole stock. This maximised the barrel to weapon length ratio and meant the M45A was as accurate as possible. The fire mode selector was located above and between the conventional trigger and magazine well, the 'A' variant featuring safety, semi-auto and three round burst firing modes. Forward of this were a number of rails, one on each side of the weapon and a third on its underside. These could accommodate a wide range of attachments such as flashlights and bipods. On the weapon's upper receiver was a fourth rail, this one used for advanced optical sights and scopes, usually in addition to backup holographic ironsights. The 37 inch barrel protruded a large degree from the weapon, though this could be replaced for shorter barrels in a tradeoff between compactness and range. The weapon's upper receiver also mounted a large cheekrest, which was essential for accurate and comfortable aiming. An extendable stock was fitted onto the M45's rear mechanism housing behind the magazine, and could be retracted or extended to suit an individual's preferences. The magazine release catch was located on the weapon's underside between the buttstock and the magazine; while quite exposed, merely pulling the catch would not release the magazine; this action had to be done along with the user's command to eject the magazine via their neural interface. The M45's ejection port was as standard on the right hand side though this could easily be changed for an individual's preference.

Ammunition
The M45A utilised the calibre 11.4x60mm. This was a long range, accurate and high velocity round with crippling stopping power. The M45A most commonly accepted this round in 10-round single column or 15-round staggered column magazines. While this round had not unsubstantial recoil, inertial compensators integral to the weapon negated the majority of this and allowed for rapid groups of shots to be fired, with a very short target reacquisition time, even when using the 3-round burst firing mode. The 11.4mm round was capable of piercing the strongest infantry shielding and armour, especially in ammunition types such as HVS/AP-HE, HPHE, HPSDAP and HEPA. Upon leaving the barrel, a microprocessor in the bullet was fed the target the user was aiming at, this having been detected by the user's neural interface. Using small steering vanes the bullet had an active ability to self-correct its path, adjusting in-flight for windage and other conditions, and even the target's movement. At 2500m the round had a 99.975% chance of hitting its target. In the event that the target was not hit by the bullet, for example being killed by an ally or ducking behind thick cover, the microprocessor would guide the bullet to the target's previous position, and, providing the bullet had an explosive or incendiary component, would activate it, wounding the target or surrounding enemies. Similarly, the user of the weapon could utilise air-bursting ammunition using a rangefinder affixed to the weapon or integral to their armour, or via satellite link. The ammunition would then burst mid-air at the appropriate distance.

Unlike some Allegiance infantry weapons, the round was not caseless, the magazine containing both bullets and their attached casings. Rather than using a plasma-based propellant in these casings, they instead contained gas which was ionised, super-expanding and forcing the bullets out of the barrel at a muzzle velocity of just under 3,500m/s. In order to partially ionise this gas, the weapon utilised a miniaturised Electrothermal Acceleration system.

The system used a plasma discharge rather than a chemical reaction to force the bullet down the barrel. A high current, high voltage energy source was used along with a capacitor bank. The capacitor was located inside the weapon itself towards the rear, had a life span of 8 to 10 years and was removable through a mechanism in the stock. The energy source was a small device located in each magazine, providing a high voltage and current energy source capable of providing power for propellant of that magazine's rounds. This system replaced the older method of a single power source located in the weapon that needed to be reloaded every so often; this way the magazine was the only thing that needed to be changed. Both were attached in series to the electrode system in the M45A's barrel. The capacitor was loaded with as high a voltage as possible, and the capacitor was then discharged. The gas in the gap between the electrodes would ionise, turning the non-flammable propellant into superheated conductive plasma. At this point, associated volumetric expansion would propel the projectile from the barrel at very high velocity. This added to the M45A's already potent battlefield ability.

M45B DMR
The M45B Designated Marskman Rifle featured a shortened barrel length of 74cm (29 inches), reducing the weapon's overall length to 90cm. It was used more akin to a designated marksman rifle and saw most usage as part of squad-based tactics, with one or two soldiers using an M45B providing accurate support fire without being burdened by a full sized M45. Essentially a battle rifle with a much larger round, the only sniper combat the M45B regularly saw was urban combat against Swarm invaders.

M45C HMG
The M45C Heavy Machine Gun featured a heavy duty reinforced 79cm (31 inch) barrel, more powerful recoil dampening and an advanced thermal energy dissipation device. Utilised in lieu of a long range heavy machine gun, it was used with a 30 round drum magazine. Although heavy, it was more capable at longer ranges than LMGs for laying down covering and suppressing fire. Featuring a fully automatic mode and a rate of fire of 180 rounds per minute, the M45 was utilised mainly with powered armour users, such as those using the M14 Powered Assault Armour. It was less useful than LMGs at shorter ranges where, although lacking a large round, they had higher rates of fire and were less cumbersome. The standard 30-round magazine lasted the M45C a full ten seconds of firing.

Quotes
"Yes, it's a Sniper Rifle. Yes, It'll down a target in one shot at 2 klicks. No, you don't need powered armour and three APCs to carry it and its ammo."

- Theran Marine

"I'd take it over a Sniper or a BR any day because it's just so versatile. It does 90% of what a sniper rifle does in half the size, and twice what a battle rifle can do in a slightly larger package."

- Theran Sniper

"The M45 totally dominates every urban battle it gets used in- just stay away from the 'C' variant. It's just asking to get outmaneuvred, unless you bolt it to a vehicle mount."

- Theran Marine