Militech Backpack Mortar

One of the biggest problems with modern warfare's reliance on very small unit actions is the difficulty of providing support for the troops—when there aren't more than 20-30 troops involved in the entire engagement there usually isn't time to roll up a battery of artillery or mortars.

The back-pack mortar is a self-contained, short-barreled 40mm mortar with powered servo traverse and elevation, equipped with a global positioning sensor, a scrambled radio, and an INT 2 computer brain, all folded into a back-pack sized unit that weighs 25kg. To operate it, the user sets the unit on the ground and folds out the three stabilizing legs (which ensure stability on uneven surfaces, clutching with the attached claws or even deploying instant epoxy that allows it to stick to sheer surfaces—up to 800 slopes).

Using the mortar is very simple. When fire support is needed, a soldier with the right scrambler combination (issued individually with the mortar) calls in the request with precise GPS coordinates, and the mortar commences firing. The mortars effective Heavy Weapons skill of +17 is the only modifier used in the indirect fire sequence, so it's likely to miss often.

The mortar can be reloaded for extended barrages (each 20-round clip weighs 10kg). The mortar may be retrieved by disengaging the stabilizers; when this is done, an access code must be entered into the computer or it wipes its programming, becoming useless until reprogrammed—and the reprogramming codes are kept at the factory. This feature prevents the mortar from being seized and used against its owners (although there is still a danger of the enemy acquiring the scrambler combination and issuing fire orders to the mortar! This is not likely to happen, though).