Small arms
From SaschaWiki
Small arms are firearms and more modern ranged weapons designed to carried and fired by a single human operator. Developments in bionic human augmentation and self-powered exoskeletons have broadened the scope of small arms as a category by breaking the recoil limit. There is some debate over whether modern Infantry Hardpoint Weapons should be considered small arms, since they do not use a humaniform interface and therefore cannot by default be operated even by augmented human soldiers. They are including here for the sake of completeness, not as a statement of opinion on whether they are or are not small arms.
Since at least the Cold War 2, Corpsec forces have adopted paramilitary organisation, and so this article is written in military terminology first used by National military forces and later adopted by the Corporations.
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Uses of small arms
Legal uses
Legal use of small arms is divided into several categories. Since 2065 the Corporations have sole legal right over deployment of weapons of greater than civilian grade.
- Civilian use is legally permissable in certain regions. Civilians use small arms primarily for hunting, sport shooting and home defence. Legal restrictions vary by area, but generally limit use to handguns, shotguns and rifles. Civilian use of fully automatic weapons is illegal worldwide.
- Corporate defence refers to the use of small arms (and other weaponry) for the defence of Corporate property. Redefinitions of this term between 2062 and 2065 extended the legal definition of property to include Corporate interests. In practical terms this can refer to anywhere on Earth, and as such there are no real restrictions on use of weaponry with the remit of Corporate defence.
- Corporate law enforcement refers to the use of small arms in defence of the Rule of Law, typically in the defence of civilians and civilian property. From an external point of view there may seem to be little difference between this and Corporate defence, but law enforcement services are provided by very specific Corporations who operate under specific regulations. Corporate defence and Corporate law enforcement are very different purviews.
Personal Defence Weapons
A Personal Defence Weapon (PDW) or "sidearm" is a small weapon intended for personal protection in the absence of a larger weapon. Most PDWs are handguns or small submachine guns. The principle tactical roles of sidearms include:
- As a backup weapon for a soldier upon unavailability or unsuitability of their main weapon.
- As a civilian weapon where larger weapons are not legally permitted.
- As a primary defensive weapon for military or paramilitary personnel who are unable to carry a larger weapon in their combat role (for example, as a pilot).
- As a concealable weapon for espionage agents who do not want to be seen to carry a weapon.
- As a comfortable or light weapon for law enforcement agents whose role requires that they be armed at all times and who do not want the encumbrance of a larger weapon.
Popular Personal Defence Weapons
Personal Recreation Weapons
Personal Recreation Weapon (PRW) is a legal term used to describe any non-military weapon which is not concealable (these would be classified as PDWs). The more blatant nature of PRWs (making them less useful to criminals) makes restrictions on civilian use lighter. Almost all PRWs are shotguns or rifles, used for hunting or sports shooting. There are weapons in the PRW class which law enforcement agencies find uses for.
Infantry Combat Weapons
An Infantry Combat Weapon (ICW) is the primary offensive weapon of an individual soldier in a conflict situation. In the early 21st Century the category included a large number of different assault rifles, and during and before World War 2 a range of battle rifles and submachine guns. Since 2025 however, the role of Infantry Combat Weapon has been almost exclusively filled worldwide by variants of the HK AR2025 AICW. The primary requirement of an ICW is flexibility - it needs to be valuable in as many tactical situations as possible rather than being specialised towards one purpose.
Modern ICWs are effective at close, medium and long ranged anti-personnel work and have limited anti-armour capability.
Popular Infantry Combat Weapons
Infantry Tactical Weapons
An Infantry Tactical Weapon (ITW) is a replacement for a soldier's ICW in a tactical situation where a more specialised weapon would be advantageous. ITWs are distinct from ICWs in that they have very specific tactical uses and would only be deployed in a situation in which they were valuable. Example ITWs are shotguns, riotguns, netguns, flameguns and grenade launchers. Deployment of ITWs may be across entire squads or only to specific members. Typically an ITW is deployed where the ICW will be ineffective.
Popular Infantry Tactical Weapons
Infantry Support Weapons
An Infantry Support Weapon (ISW) is a replacement for a soldier's ICW where the addition of small quantities of specialised weapons will enhance the effectiveness of the soldier's unit. ISWs are distinct from ICWs in that they have specific tactical uses. ISWs are distinct from ITWs in that although they fulfil a specific tactical role, that role is one which only a few members of a combat unit normally need to fulfil. Examples of combat roles fulfilled by ISWs include suppressive fire, sharpshooting and anti-armour fire. Example types of weapon include light and medium machine guns, anti-armour rifles, marksman rifles, sniper rifles and rocket launchers. Since the development of the AICW several ISW roles have been fulfilled by that weapons system.
Typically one of each ISW considered relevant to the conflict situation will be included in a squad, replacing a specially trained soldier's ICW.
Popular Infantry Support Weapons
Improved Combat Capacity Weapons
Developments in the fields of bionic human augmentation and self-powered exoskeletons have lead to a new category of weapons which are not intended to be fired by an unaugmented human operator, known as Improved Combat Capacity Weapons (ICCWs). Conventional restrictions on recoil, weight and even tactical usefulness have been revised for this category of weapon. ICCWs range from upgraded, heavier versions of more standard weapons to adapted versions of heavy vehicle weapons to specially constructed experimental or specialised weapons. Unlike IHWs, ICCWs retain humaniform interfaces. ICCW is considered by some military analysts to be a poor definition because it does not describe the tactical role of the weapon, but rather the capability of the operator.
