The Type 21 Assault Phaser is a man-portable, high-powered directed energy weapon derived from the Type 3 Phaser Rifle and Type 19 Andorian Assault Phaser Cannon. Developed in secret by Solas Tempus Research and Development in the aftermath of the destruction of Blazing Umbra station, finalized prototypes are gradually making their ways to combat units as replacements for the aging Type 19 and M240ST.
History
Following the destruction of the Blazing Umbra station in 2381, Solas Tempus R&D, fearing a direct confrontation with Onyx forces in the near future, quickly began developing a new type of heavy phaser cannon for use in infantry squads to replace the rapidly-aging Type 19 Andorian Assault Phaser. With the advent of the heavily-modified Mark 19 phaser cannon and the resurgence of the Microgun, doctrine gravitated from traditional machine guns such as the M240 ST to more mobile, exoskeleton harness-assisted weapons. Weapon weight became less of a concern due to the nature of the "third arms" employed by machine gunners, which allowed weight distribution to the back and sometimes incorporated motor assistance units to ease strain on the arms. Later variants of the 240ST and the Mark 19 were both retrofitted to accommodate new exoskeleton arms, although Solas Tempus R&D had been searching for a dedicated, reliable proprietary phaser weapon as part of the revamped infantry doctrine employed by Solas Tempus ground forces.
Prototypes of the new weapon, designated as the X21 Man-Portable Phaser Emitter and later changed to the X21 Assault Phaser, saw service as early as 2382, with some select units receiving incremental upgrades and changes to their weapons as part of a more involved development process. Using new fabrication and design programs, the weapon was able to be developed based off of existing systems significantly faster than previously accomplished. By late 2382, the X21 was officially type-designated as the Type 21 Assault Phaser and approved for service in select units, with 66% of machine gunners receiving new Type 21s by mid-2383. Solas Tempus R&D projects that all units will be issued Type 21s by early 2384.
Design
Externally, the Type 21 is a very sleek, angular weapon, with the high-capacity segmented power cell mounted and tucked away underneath the receiver. The barrel assembly takes up almost half of the weapon's length, which measures in at 45-inches-long overall, and consists of a particle emitter connected to two over-and-under high-capacity heatsinks. The receiver is simple, with a single easy-access panel allowing quick field disassembly. A small screen mounted towards the rear of the receiver displays both setting and power supply information, while a similar panel near the vertical grip on the left side of the barrel displays the same information. There are two firing levers, a button near the forward grip and the gas nozzle-esque lever at the rear. A lightweight gunshield on the left side of the weapon protects sensitive electronics and the user's forearm from small arms fire.
The internals of the Type 21 are similar to the weapons it is derived from, plasma being passed to a phaser emitter to discharge nadion particles towards a target. All Type 21s are shipped with preset phaser adapter chips, as well as regenerative phaser technology allowing for operation in radiogenic environments and energy dampening fields. The power cell is of proprietary design, consisting of a large compartmentalized stack of 8 different cells in order to reduce chances that the weapon will be rendered totally ineffective if the pack is damaged.
Unlike the Mark 19, the weapon features two stun functions, along with 22 different "kill" settings ranging from "low kill" to total disintegration of most known materials to man. When set to compression setting, the weapon maintains a cyclic rate of fire of 900-1100 RPM, almost twice that of the slower Mark 19 without meaningful sacrifices in power and range. The controls are accessible from a simple panel attached to a grip on the left side of the weapon, and can easily be changed on the fly. There is a dial for dispersion frequency as well as switches for beam width and pulse settings.
Type 21s are shipped with a sighting unit that projects weapon orientation to an Ocular HUD device for aiming, and supports auto-targeting software like that of the Mark 19 for use with drones or automated defense systems. As part of the Flexible Universal Mount program alongside the Type 22 Heavy Machine Gun, the Type 21 can be mounted on all FUM-capable mounts on light vehicles, shuttles, and exosuits. As it is a phaser weapon, it does not require as heavy of a mount to compensate for recoil forces.