The M-31a1 Advanced Infantry Combat Weapon, simply known as the M-31a1 AICW, is a weapon manufactured by Militech in Cyberpunk 2020.
History[]
In 2018, the Provisional United States government proposed a new competition to select an advanced infantry combat weapon. The armed services committee at the time felt that the military had a more than capable firearm already, and decided to instead create an impossible set of design parameters to purposely set this weapon program back at least ten years. No weapons manufacturer was willing to participate except for Militech, who showcased the first and only entrant in the competition, the M-31a1 rifle.[1][2][3]
To accomplish the objectives set by the committee (which included a minimum of 100 rounds capacity per magazine), Militech began working on the rifle to specifically incorporate two recently developed weaponry systems. The first one was the Mini-Grenade Launcher, which was capable of firing a projectile the size of a 10-gauge shotgun shell, but with the performance almost equal to a standard 40mm grenade. The second one had recently been patented by Malorian Arms and it was a system they called liquid-propellant-action. Since Malorian lacked the capital needed to develop anything more than a working prototype, Eran Malour offered the license to Militech so they could use it in their new firearm.[1][2] Additionally, the rifle was set to use an electric trigger that was developed as part of binary weapons technology, which was used for caseless weaponry and to eliminate primers.[4] Around eighteen months later, the M-31 AICW was in full production.[1][2]
By 2020, the M-31a1 was an expensive and impressive hybrid weapon using special binary ammunition that had not yet found its way to real active service, only appearing sporadically on "field trials." The rifle was running into all manner of oppositions from all sides, with the biggest problem being its practical use as a field weapon, since it was not related to other pieces of equipment already in service, and would otherwise be absurdly expensive to acquire in bulk. It wasn't simply the rifle's price, but also its ammunition and support parts that would raise the total to around 3000eb per gun.[5]
Despite its difficulties on regular usage, the M-31a1 was still a popular choice among those that could afford it, such as Susan Forrest, Morgan Blackhand, or Rogue Amendiares.[6][7][8]
Specifications[]
The M-31a1 was a 4.5mm caliber over-and-under configuration assault rifle atop a pump-action mini-grenade launcher. The liquid-propellant-action functioned similar to an old-style gasoline motor in that the propellant and oxidizer were mixed in a firing chamber, then electrically fired by pulling the trigger to launch a 4.5mm copper-jacketed bullet, and finally cycled the action to feed the next round into the chamber. The rifle had a capacity of 150 rounds per magazine and the propellant necessary to fire them. Paired with the grenade launcher, this design soon proved to be an efficient and deadly combination.[1][2]
Due to the weapon's technicalities, the M-31a1 was not equipped to be outfitted with standard rifle accessories.[5][2]
Notes[]
- In Maximum Metal, there is a striped-down version of this rifle called the Militech M-31PA.
- In the 2018 E3 Gameplay trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, what is known as the Militech M-179 Achilles in the videogame was originally labelled as Militech M-31a1 AICW.[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FISK, C. Chromebook Volume 1. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (pp.45–46,94)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 QUINTANAR, D. Blackhand's Street Weapons 2020. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1995. (pp.28,35–36)
- ↑ Countdown to the Dark Future (#82)
- ↑ TAYLOR, S. Solo of Fortune 2. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1994. (pp.8–9)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 MACDONALD, M. Home of the Brave. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1992. (p.82)
- ↑ PASS, G. Protect & Serve. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1992. (p.47)
- ↑ SEVILE, A. Firestorm Stormfront. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1997. (p.114)
- ↑ ACKERMAN-GRAY, D. Firestorm Shockwave. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1997. (p.143)
- ↑ Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Reveal (43:53)