Greyhounds, Couriers and Packets.

Greyhounds (also known as Couriers or Packets) are relatively small space vessels. Greyhounds are used for the rapid transport of very high value individuals and materials. Their passenger accommodation, if any, is very basic and passengers are typically transported in nanostasis. Most of the ship is taken up by the drive, fuel and reaction mass. The purpose of the greyhound is to rapidly move objects from one place to another. Greyhounds vary considerably. Some can carry a small party, others just one or two people and others can only carry packages smaller than a baseline human.

Some greyhounds may be piloted by a human but AI piloting is more common. Many things that are moved by greyhound are confidential and the memory of an AI pilot is easier to erase.  Information too sensitive to be broadcast may be transported on a data core in a greyhound. Greyhounds may incorporate various systems to prevent their cargo being intercepted, tampered with or stolen.

Weapons: 40x225mm Super Forty

The CTAI CT2000, 40x225mmCTA Super Forty is a rival to the 50mm Supershot and appears currently to be the preference of the USMC and British Army. The Pyramid article suggests that it will arm IFVs and other vehicles till 2050. Given the British tradition of “making do” and defence cuts it is likely vehicles with these weapons are still be “soldiering on” in 2100. US-made vehicles with these weapons may have been given to allied nations as military aid.

The Super Forty fires 40 x 225mmCTA rounds with a plastic case. A version of the Bushmaster is offered that fires this round or 30 x 176mm or 30 x 170mm cannon rounds. This system is often referred to as a 30/40mm and this term may be used for other weapons of this chambering. The CT2000 had a linkless triple-feed system. The Bushmaster Mk44 is 343lb; Rof: 3 or 7; Dual belt feed.
            Apart from standard ammunition, CTAI also designed a guided APEDS-CLGP round, which fired a saboted, armor-piercing tungsten projectile with a HE charge. This laser-guided 25mm dart was modified from the submunitions of the British Starstreak surface-to-air missile. By the TS-era homing ammunition will doubtless have been developed for this cannon.

Name	Ammo	Damage	Acc	Range	RoF	Ewt	WPS	VPS	CPS	Pow	Notes
CTAI CT2000	APFSDS	6d x 11(2)	8	4,500/18,000	6	725	4.0	0.015	$110	9kW
	AHEAD	6d x 6(0.5) plus 3d[4d(2)]	7	3,500/9,000			4.8		$110		[1]
	APEDS-CLGP	6d x 6(2) plus 1d[2d] cr ex	7	4,000/12,000			4.2		$833
	HEPF	6d[4d] cr ex	7	4,000/10,000			4.8				[2]

 

[1] AHEAD ammunition is effectively a shrapnel shell (HT 4e p.173) that can be programmed to explode at a range set at the moment of firing. It is primarily intended to engage airborne targets. The 3e Damage stat above is rather unrealistic for a round of this type. Explosive content would actually be a modest ejection charge. I have no specific data for the 30/40 AHEAD round. Online sources claim a 30mm version of the AHEAD contains 150 pellets but this may be confusion with the original 35mm round containing 152 tungsten pellets. 6d x 6(0.5) pi++ should be considered the KE damage from an intact shell. Using the rules in HT 4e p.166 & 172 based on 6d x 6 damage the pellets of an AHEAD are 3d(2) pi; RoF x 150; Rcl 1 The pellets get an armour-piercing modifier for being tungsten and high-velocity.

[2] The original table did not include any explosive round for the Super Forty. The HEPF is a programmable-fused airburst round based on the stats for a 40mm shell, reflecting improved explosive compositions in the TS-era.

Flight times for Homing Ammunition.

            When firing homing rounds they may take more than one turn to reach the target. Basic rules (B p.413) say to use any 1/2D figure as projectile speed but this doesn’t really work for small arms. The following values can be used instead to give a simple but reasonably realistic performance. Bullets get slower the further they get from the muzzle so for the second and subsequent rounds speed is generally halved.
            Projectiles that travel at 375 yards/sec or faster exceed the speed of sound, creating a very audible bullet-crack.

·         15mm micro-missiles and 30mm mini-missiles: 500 yard/sec. (Will usually hit in same turn that they are fired).

·         20mm micro-missiles: 320 yard/sec.

·         40mm mini-missiles: 295 yards/sec.

·         4mm and 10mm pistol/PDW: 350 yards in first second, 175 yards each second after. (The 4mm has a higher muzzle velocity but the 10mm retains more energy down range so for convenience average velocity is treated as the same for both). Muzzle velocity exceeds the speed of sound.

·         5.6mm and 6.6mm rifle: 600 yards in first sec, 300 yards each second after. (Higher muzzle velocity of the 5.6mm is balanced out by better sectional density of the 6.6mm so average velocity is treated as the same.)

·         7.62x39mm AKM/Maku: 500 yards first sec, 250 yards each second after. Generally these weapons use non-homing ammunition.

·         7.5mmMG: 700 yards first sec, 350 yards each second after. Uses a heavy streamlined bullet designed for target effect at long range.

·         9mm MAX and Subsonic Ammunition: Treat as 300 yards first sec, 150 yards each second after. Generally 9mm MAX weapons use non-homing ammunition.

·         Plastic Ammunition : Half speed of standard type (therefore Plastic subsonic ammunition is 150 yards in first second, 75 yards each second after.)

·         Supercavitating 15mm mini-torpedoes are move 25 for the first second, Move 40 for the next two.

·         Supercavitating 30mm mini-torpedoes are move 30 for one second, Move 80 for the next three.

·         Supercavitating ammunition fired underwater has 1/10^th the speed of a normal round of the calibre.

 

Weapons: AKM and Maku

            At the dawn of the 22^nd century the AK-47/AKM still continues to soldier on. Most of the weapons in active use are minifactured or 3D printed replicas, of course, but the Kalashnikov is still a common sight in many of the remoter parts of the world or even off-world. Some have even been forged by village blacksmiths rather than printed!

            For many users their choice may be due to tradition, practicality or conservatism. The AK was good enough for granddad and still does the job, so who needs a high-tech, far more expensive weapon? Many isolationist groups prefer weapons with cased ammunition that they can reload. AKMs are favoured by many ceremonial guard units, particularly if the weapon is also featured on the national flag. 

            “Maku” the street name for a version of the AKM that is manufactured illegally in many urban areas. It is readily recognized by its crude finish. The fore-end is usually a section of plastic pipe and the stock shaped scrap. Sights are often crude affairs and fixed. The foresight may be either mounted at the muzzle or the top of the gas tube. Rear sight also varies in position and may be either a simple notch or aperture. Despite its ugly duckling appearance the Maku is still an AKM inside.

            Note: I have changed the Damage of the AKM et al to 4d+4 to represent that compared to the 5.56x45mm the 7.62x39mm round often exhibits less spectacular but more consistent terminal effects.

GUNS (RIFLE) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)
 

Name	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Recoil
AKM 7.62mm	4d+4 pi	4	500/3,100	8.7/1.8	10	30(3)	9†	-5/-5*	2
Maku 7.62mm	4d+4 pi	3	500/3,100	11/1.8	10	30(3)	9†	-5	2
APHC ammo CPSx2	4d+4(2) pi-