The World of The Gunny

M25A1 Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER: Westinghouse Automated Manufactory, Block A5, Sector 4, Tulsa OK, USA, North America

PRODUCTION: 02:10:2005 to 09:20:2015 A.D. Limited production batches until 2029 A.D. Model A1 production run from inception to 2008 A.D. Model A2 production run from 2008 A.D. until 2018 A.D. Replaced in service by M95A1 weapon system at that time.

TYPE: Personal, fully portable very high energy weapon system

CONSTRUCTION: Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments.

OPERATION: Level III magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. High percentage of component mass of plasma pulse cartridge forms core of pulse and transitory lining of magnetic bottle during pulse initialization.

BORE SIZE: 7mm / 4mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT: 3.35kg, unloaded. Loaded box magazine of 40 plasma pulse cartridges weighs 1.5kg Battery (charged or discharged) weighs 1kg Total loaded weapon weight: 5.85kg

DIMENSIONS: Length overall, 1.05 meters (1050mm)

AMMUNITION: M109T5 PPC plasma pulse cartridge, 7mm x 50mm, loaded into staggered box magazine Type 3AM8 very high density crystal matrix battery, provides power for 120 shots (3 magazines)

FEED SOURCE: 40 round box magazine, standard. Optional 60 round staggered box magazine and 120 round drum magazine.

RATE OF FIRE: 60rpm initial, 30rpm sustained given cooling cycle. Onboard diagnsotic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels. Semi-automatic cycling only.

PROJECTILE: 0.32 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY: Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE: 2000 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.22 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE: 750 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.083 seconds.

PERFORMANCE: Contact hit produces 4mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 4mm x 400mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 4cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX: Consistent Damage Index of 95 / 3.5 representing at effective range the 4mm x 400mm bolt will penetrate 95cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 3.5 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.


HISTORY:
When SKYNET leveled the world, personal energy weapons were still on the drawing boards of the Americans, the Russians and the Chinese. It wasn't a matter of "if" so much as it was a matter of "when." Though no standing First World army had any examples of these weapons in their arsenals, they were on the drawing boards and at least America had two working prototypes in development, Russia wasn't far behind and China was trying its best to steal either of the other two countries designs since its own designs were still lagging behind. Most scientists agreed that the first working field issue prototypes would probably appear within the next two decades, give or take a handful of years either way. The unexpected destruction of most of the human race, of course, stalled any further development of these types of weapons and, except for the American designs, destroyed the research and development facilities where these advanced weapons were being tested. The American High Energy Testing Center (HETC) at White Sands survived the exchange with little damage.

SKYNET was very careful in its initial exchange to destroy what it could of anything that could be used against it, namely strategic assets (long range missiles, ICBMs, big nukes and any orbital weapon systems) as well as the theoretical and practical technology centers of the Russians and the Chinese. The fact that most of these centers were located near large civilian and industrial complexes made collateral damage to those secondary targets an added consideration. The return exchange from Russia and the very limited exchange from China wrecked wide spread devastation over American population centers but for the most part spared not only those areas that had been key in the construction of SKYNET but also those areas which could quickly be brought back online after the exchange. SKYNET protected its assets with ballistic interceptors and its own emplaced, high energy weapons both ground mounted at Cheyenne Mountain and in orbit above (part of the overall SDI project). This allowed SKYNET to recover a large amount of military industrialization in the years immediately following the exchange, industrialization that SKYNET used to quickly produce a large standing military force and furthermore to equip that force with the best weapons and defenses ever devised. SKYNET's rapid spool up to an automated industrial conglomerate was key to its plans and tantamount to the early critical successes that SKYNET enjoyed in the first decade after the War.

SKYNET, as part of its core operations, had been programmed with all the theory, research, application and science of American designed personal high energy weapons and it continued to develop this chain of technology as rapidly as it could, realizing the potential advantage. As SKYNET learned and developed at an incredible rate, so did it's ability to research and develop practical as well as theoretical technologies. Three years of research into magnetic fields allowed SKYNET to produce smaller and smaller magnetic bottles for the containment of plasma reactions. This led directly to the advent and introduction of the first infantry-class high energy weapons.

The first truly portable infantry-class personal high energy weapon, the M25A1 phased plasma rifle, was developed at the Tulsa, Oklahoma Westinghouse macro-assembly plant in 2008 A.D. by SKYNET using automated production routines. The weapon was considered acceptable, at the time, for use by SKYNET's ground forces and mass production began in late 2008 A.D.

The operation of the M25A1 plasma weapon was simple. A magazine held a power cell and a small amount of refined hydrogen fuel. When the trigger (firing actuator) was pulled, both hydrogen and energy were siphoned off from the magazine and fed into their respective parts of the weapon. The hydrogen was injected into a magnetic bottle where it was compressed by powerful magnetic fields. The siphoned energy from the magazine powered a rapid flex high energy pulse laser to nearly instantaneously superheat the compressed hydrogen to a highly volatile, excited plasma state, producing an ionized gas with a temperature of several thousand degrees. The magnetic bottle was then opened on the 'barrel' end and a series of staged magnetic fields both guided and accelerated the superheated plasma bolt down the barrel. A high intensity infra-red pilot laser in the weapon vaporized a line of sight path through the atmosphere to the target a microsecond before the actual bolt was produced, resulting in less atmospheric diffraction of the bolt and tighter cohesion of the plasma packet. The plasma bolt followed the pilot laser beam at a muzzle velocity in excess of 8500 meters per second, packing a considerable amount of kinetic energy as well as thermal energy upon impact. With the trigger held down, this routine happened several times a second, allowing rates of fire equal to the best large caliber automatic rifles. Excess temperature was a problem, and full automatic fire often resulted in overheating and premature weapon shutdown, with some extreme cases resulting in weapon damage or even catastrophic detonation of the fuel cell on weapons with low serial numbers and early batch production codes. Cyclic fire selectors were built into the design, allowing for single shots or short bursts and offered the weapon time to cool to safe operating temperatures in part to . Heavier weapons were built with integral cooling systems and thus were capable of higher rates of sustained fire.

Armor was easily penetrated by the super hot plasma bolt which could burn its way through more than a half meter of case hardened steel (one quarter meter of composite laminate) in an instant. Organic targets struck by the bolt suffered severe kinetic damage from the hyper velocity impact of the semi-solid bolt as well as massive collateral and thermal damage from rapid fluid expansion, bolt dispersion and subsequent plasma splash over. The high temperature plasma effected super heating of standing body fluids, resulting in massive steam explosions which could explode apart a living person or neatly amputate and cauterize a limb. Near misses produced horrible third degree burns. A close hit against a more substantial material (such as armor plate or a concrete wall) produced a 'splatter' effect where some of the plasma became deadly, high speed super hot fragments. Modern personal body armor (Kevlar) proved to be useless as protection against phased plasma weapons with heavy vehicular composite armor such as Chobham and other late development laminates providing largely diminished and only somewhat effective protection.

Weighing in at only a kilo more than the standard issue American M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle, the M25 was housed in a polymer one piece stock, in a compact bullpup configuration, and was fed by a combination homopolar power / hydrogen fuel cell good for 40 shots. The magazine (battery and fuel cell) for the M25 was only slightly twice the weight of a standard 30 round M16 magazine. In 2011 A.D., the M25A1 was supplemented by the M25A2, a product improved model with slightly longer range and superior cooling capacity. By 2012 A.D., the M25A1 phased plasma rifle began showing up in the hands of armed human resistance. Several shipments of M25A1 rifles, produced at the Westinghouse macro-plant, were hijacked by coordinated human elements early in 2013 A.D. These weapons were then used against SKYNET's forces in a variety of operational theaters and priority fronts in the midwestern United States.

Examples of the M25A1 were smuggled out by Australian and Japanese mercenaries in late 2015 A. D. and the Heckler and Koch plant at Sydney, Australia began producing (and distributing) a much better phased plasma rifle, the H&K GP32, in 2019 A.D. Several lots of GP32 weapons found their way back into America from smugglers entering the West Coast, the deep South and coming up through the Mexican / United States border between 2019 A.D. and 2026 A.D. SKYNET's capture of several H&K GP32 units (in varying states of functionality) from resistance elements led to its development of the larger, heavier M95 series phased plasma rifle.

Throughout the War, from 2013 A. D. until the destruction of SKYNET in 2029 A.D., the M25A1 (and later the A2) variants formed the mainstay of human weapons put into use against the Machines. Human modifications to the M25A1 and A2 series included reworking the upper stock for the addition of various mechanical and digital vision enhancement devices (most notably the TI M12 described below) as well as using a clip to hold an extra magazine to the side of the magazine already inserted (thus allowing for quick change during combat by dropping the spent magazine, flipping it in your hand then slamming the fresh magazine back into the weapon) and the inclusion of fore and aft swivels for combat slings. Some resistance fighters mounted flashlights or infra-red spots under the fore grip of their weapons, especially veterans with some years of experience in the field.

The M83 utilized an advanced binary stabilized liquid explosive (BINASLEX) device combining two inherently stable liquid high explosive mediums, stored under high pressure, into a single volatile solution. The device measured half a meter in length and a quarter meter in diameter, weighing exactly 5 kilos. A web harness constructed of nylon allowed a soldier to carry two of the M83HCCs slung over their shoulder in a quick release mount. If more than this number were carried, the extra units quickly became clumsy and cumbersome to wield or carry, especially in confined spaces among the debris fields or if the soldier was actively being pursued.

The M83HCCs arming sequence is designed to be simple and straight-forward; a large handle on the top of the canister is pulled 5cm upward and twisted 180 degrees in a clockwise rotation to afford a 10 second mixture rate of the two binary explosive liquids. Twisting the handle ten degrees further allows more time in mixing, in 5 second increments, up to a full minute. Notches on the rim of the arming cap allow the user to dial-in the correct arming time sequence using the arming handle, even if by feel alone. Pulling and turning the handle arms the M83 HCC by directing the two liquid explosives to flow from separate holding tubes into a central mixing chamber. A warning light on the rim of the HCC glows bright green and then slowly grows dim as the mixture is completed. Detonation is by a high amperage electric current directed into the central mixing tank as soon as both holding tubes are empty and the central tank reads full. The detonating current is supplied by an integral battery which may be kept charged by a special rack which holds the M83HCCs. The battery has a shelf life of 5 years without recharging. M83HCCs with depleted batteries may be charged and used successfully even after years of being uncharged, as long as the internal battery has not been damaged or become corroded. Replacement batteries are available in most armorer's kits.

The two liquids, though stable in each separate holding tank, become electrically volatile when mixed. A full 4 kilos of liquid high explosive is produced (2 kilos of each material, LiqEx A and LiqEx B) in the central mixing chamber. Each kilo of BINASLEX, when properly mixed, is the equivalent of 5 kilos of C-4 plastique. The M83HCC was a common demolition device used by the military during the last War. it was usually placed against a structure that was to be demolished and then activated for maximum fusing, allowing the human operator a wide margin of safety in order to clear the blast radius. A special cone-shaped filter could be attached to the device to tamp the charge and direct the energy of the explosive into a shaped ("Monroe") effect suitable for demolition work. These cone filters were comparatively rare but did see use in the final offensive against SKYNET at the Cheyenne Mountain complex in 2029 A.D.

During the War, the humans found that the M83 was well suited for cracking the heavy armor of SKYNET's larger ground units. A well placed charge, often thrown at the last second from protective cover, could penetrate the hyperalloy armor belt which were less thick on the underbody, the compression wave being capable of cracking the hyperalloy combat case where it was thinnest, allowing the high velocity plasma jet to enter the fighting body and wreck the internal components, often setting up sympathetic internal explosions and wrecking the larger units. Feedback damage from the initial explosion, as well as shrapnel and fragmentation in the form of anything the explosion can sweep up off the ground, can be lethal to the user if the user is not properly shielded or has not taken cover. Other Resistance units have installed trip wires, remote laser communicator detonators and even pressure switches to already pre-armed M83HCC units in order to produce effective ambush traps in advance of known Machine patrol routes.

MODEL 12 ADVANCED BATTLEFIELD SIGHT SYSTEM- CRT SCOPE / aka "Flexy Sight"

MANUFACTURER: None. Limited quantity unit, hand-made by Sci / Comp and Tech / Com core. Production requires 47 different parts salvaged or stolen from several SKYNET source machines. Reproduction of most parts beyond technical or industrial capacity of mankind at this time. Kitbashed unit, assembled by hand under controlled construction conditions.

TYPE: Integrated digital combat data assistant (CDA), tactical target acquisition unit produced from scavenged parts taken from destroyed Machines or raided from depot supplies.

CONSTRUCTION: Contemporary solid state microprocessor and motherboard, mated to a hardened carbon fiber / monofiber case rated as shock proof and environmentally sealed. Redundant sensors and arrays integrated into main array. Standard rail type attachment point for use on most standard human weapons. Can be removed and mounted on small tripod for use by itself. Includes cable port for the use of a standard shielded fiber optic data cable between the unit and any other hardware equipped with a hardwire port. Component parts are as follows:

1 quantity of Series 5 Mod 3 Type 4A Digital Processor Array
1 quantity of Series 3 Mod 3 Type B2 Digital Thermalgrapher
1 quantity of Series 4 Mod 2 Type Cx4 Digital Comparative Scan Processor
1 quantity of Series 4 Mod 2 Type Cx2 Digital HRIR High Resolution Infra-Red Array
1 quantity of Series 9 Mod 4 Type AA23 active IR emitter array
1 quantity of Series 3 Mod 3 Type B1 cryogenic coolant assembly
1 quantity of Series 4 Mod 1 Type C1 coolant pump rated to level 3 specs
1 quantity of Series A Mod 1 Type X5 variable spectrum pulse laser emitter
1 quantity of Model 7 Series 3 4000gb flash memory storage cache
2 quantity of Type 4 Level 6A video memory sticks (25gb memory ea)
1 quantity of Level 3, OS 4.0A, Rev 3G operating software with SIMA standard integrated modular assumption
1 quantity of Type 3i HDCMSA crystal matrix storage array
1 quantity of Type 3 Mod 5 Series 3x high resolution plasma display unit (5cm x 4cm, 4.5cm x 3.8cm viewing area)
1 quantity Series 2 Model 3 High Speed data bus, 5gb cache
1 quantity Type 4D mainboard, modified with redundant processor array inlay reworked to OS 4.0A specs

6 hours labor using specialized custom built assembly tools, a full metric set, a laptop running OS 4.0 Rev 3G, a copy of Martin's GUI, a soldering gun and the patience of Job.

OPERATION: Passive 30,000 multiple low light amplification with integrated 5 second digital overload filter. Passive high resolution wide band infra-red receiver with user selected active illuminator. Thermal and Electromagnetic sensor coaxial to main array. Frequency modulated pulsed laser with variable spectrum array. Microprocessor controlled digital and liquid optic image enhancement offering up to 40x zoom in all optic modes. Digital video capture mode at 200 frames per second, 10gb video buffered memory, 30 gigahertz cryo-cooled microprocessor. 400gb flash drive for onboard storage or can communicate at 2gb per second secure laser in laser to laser mode.

WEIGHT: Approximately (+ / -) 1.35kg standard, varies on an individual unit basis since each unit is
hand crafted and assembled from available parts on a limited production basis. Substitution of some parts for older or newer series may increase or decrease specified weight. Deletion of some component parts may also decrease weight in the expediency of assembling the unit.

Battery (charged or discharged) weighs .45kg
Total loaded weight: 1.8kg

DIMENSIONS: Length overall, 25.4 centimeters

POWER SOURCE: Rechargeable type 3i high density crystal storage matrix, optimized power conservation subroutines, 30 hour duration at maximum use. Slot for second battery pack which will increase weight of unit by another 0.45kg, bringing total weight of unit to 2.25kg.

MAXIMUM RANGE: 2000 meters for pulsed laser in designator or range finder mode, optical amplification at up to 40x in all option and modes. Active IR illumination 40 meters.

HISTORY:

SKYNET enjoyed a tremendous technological advantage over the human race, so much so that in the beginning, it was felt that the AI's lead would be insurmountable and it would have been, if humans had relied on their own technological development. Humanity was fighting an enemy it could not out research, an enemy which held the technological field and as such, humanity was often left with doing what they did best; adapt and overcome.

The Model 12 was just such a compromise. As SKYNET's technology was studied by the humans, the technological head start the AI enjoyed became all too readily apparent. The huge automated factories under machine control were operating with technology that seemed borderline magic. Mankind would never be able to get a technological advantage over its enemy, but it could adapt by salvaging and studying SKYNET's technology, trying to reverse engineer it or failing that, to integrate it into their own order of battle and use SKYNET's technology against it. The Model 12 was just such a breakthrough.

The Machines that hunted humans were equipped with very advanced sensor systems that scanned the visual spectrum from the infra-red, through visible light and into the ultra-violet range. The liquid crystals were capable of enhancing images at up to 40x zoom magnification while powerful processors filled in the rough spots to form a composite picture with 97% accuracy. Laser range finders in both infra-red and visible spectrum gave precise distance readings and with the pulsed array, constant feedback and adjustment. The thermal resolution of the standard optics employed by SKYNET's hunter killers could detect heat variances of + / - one degree, giving a composite picture and could read a residual thermal variance up to 30 minutes after it was made. The



This compact yet powerful vision enhancement and tactical data assimilation system offered thirty power digital telescopic zoom with microprocessor controlled high definition display as well as low-light, infra-red, and thermal imaging. A modulated Superconudyne variable spectrum targeting laser gave accurate range readings as well as acted as both a laser aiming device and a target painting designator. The variable design allowed the user to switch the laser either from visible spectrum to infra-red. it could also be linked to the soldier's personal tactical computer to send and receive data pulsed information on targets. A micro-pulse scanner built into the battlefield sight system could also scan a target to collect data. The collection and dissemination of data between soldiers was a key element of the USPLW21, allowing coded and secure sharing of all tactical information.

M20-A Series Weapon System Specifications

MANUFACTURER: Westinghouse Automated Manufactory,
Block A5, Sector 4, Tulsa OK, USA, North America

PRODUCTION: 03:02:2015 to 07:04:2029 A.D.

TYPE: Personal, fully portable very high energy weapon system

CONSTRUCTION: Enduralloy components mated to carbon fiber and moly fiber carrier, misc. plastics and metals with superconducting filaments.

OPERATION: Level IV magnetic field containment of refined hydrogen fuel excited with thermal rapid pulse chemical high energy laser ignition system. Caseless fuel / power integration.

BORE SIZE: 15mm / 10mm magnetically stabilized and insulated smoothbore

WEIGHT: 4.75kg, unloaded. Loaded power clip containing enough fuel and battery energy for 100 plasma pulse cartridges weighs 1.8kg Total loaded weapon weight: 6.55kg

DIMENSIONS: Length overall, 0.70 meters (705mm)

AMMUNITION: M35 Integrated Fuel Power (IFP) type stacked array containing enough refined hydrogen core fuel and battery power to initiate and produce 100 plasma pulses. Later capacity increased to 150 shots with introduction of M38 high capacity power clip.

FEED SOURCE: 100 pulse capable refined hydrogen fuel cell combined with coaxial high density Type IV crystal storage array. Later models are fed by 150 pulse capable fuel cell combo.

RATE OF FIRE: 60 pulses per minute sustained given cooling cycle and single rate of fire. Unit capable of select fire in three round bursts or full automatic fire. Cyclic rate of fire on full auto is 180 pulses per minute. Onboard diagnostic and safety interface systems prevent weapon overheating by locking out firing system if core temp rises beyond acceptable levels.

PROJECTILE: 0.45 Mj phased plasma bolt, flow wash temp at +4500 degrees

MUZZLE VELOCITY: Staged hand-off coils accelerate bolt to a velocity of 9000 meters per second (9.0kps).

MAXIMUM RANGE: 1200 meters (bolt integrity destabilizes and cohesion factor approaches .85% dispersal). Bolt reaches maximum range in 0.13 seconds.

EFFECTIVE RANGE: 600 meters (at this point bolt begins to lose cohesion, dispersal factor starts to rise). Bolt reaches effective range in 0.06 seconds.

PERFORMANCE: Contact hit produces 10mm diameter entry point forming destructive tunneling of target material through kinetic energy and super thermal contact. Upon negative penetration or contact with a superior surface, bolt will destabilize into high speed thermal tributary fragments with a one meter lethal splash radius. Laser excited, magnetically accelerated 4mm x 400mm pre-emptive phased conversion thermal bolt will penetrate 6.25cm of case hardened steel up to effective range with loss of overall penetration commensurate with range after that. Immediate transfer of thermo-kinetic energy to soft target tissues and standing fluids rated at greater than 95% with high speed liquid to vapor thermal expansion. High duration of residual thermal effects noted in hard surfaces struck by plasma fire. Explosive displacement of up to one cubic meter of material may result from bolt impact with material having trapped water or water vapor inside (porous rock, concrete, masonry, etc.) with lethal spall out to one point five meters from point of explosive decoupling of material cohesive structure.

DAMAGE INDEX: Consistent Damage Index of 135 / 6.8 representing at effective range the 10mm x 600mm bolt will penetrate 135 cm of standard ballistic gelatin with a wound channel radiating out 6.8 cm from the point of impact narrowing from that radius in accordance with depth and tensile strength of target material as the bolt loses temperature and velocity. This index rating does not take into account any standing liquids such as water or blood that may be encountered as such liquids will be instantaneously vaporized thus greatly increasing the wound channel radius through flash heating causing high velocity steam expansion and lethal bursting of soft tissues over a large volume of body area.



HISTORY: SKYNET had just began production of the T600 Terminator unit when it reached a critical decision junction. A soldier needed to be armed and SKYNET was logically wanting to equip its units with the best weapons it could design. The M25A2 series weapon had been surpassed now in research by newer, more powerful technology. SKYNET's continued research into small displacement fully portable plasma ejectors reached another level of achievement in 2014 A.D. with the introduction of a more powerful weapon than the M25A1/A2 series; the M20-A. The M20-A was a smaller version of the follow up M95A1, in essence, a sawed-off plasma rifle. Some theorize that the M95A1 was produced first and the M20-A secondly while others speculate just the opposite. In any case, the year 2015 A. D. saw the introduction to SKYNET forces of a superior phased plasma gun combo; a large, heavy duty pistol format plasma ejector and a much larger bull-pup configuration heavy duty plasma rifle. "Pistol" may not exactly be the right word, though it was certainly used as such in the grip of the Endoskeleton Terminators that the weapon was assigned to. When a human tried to use the weapon, it became more of a carbine in format.

The design of the new series plasma weapons was such that the core configuration could be graduated in size either up or down the production scale. A 30% smaller weapon was achieved by modeling the system in a smaller scale. The traditional bullpup configuration was discarded and total weapon balance was moved forward in the design by repositioning the fuel / power cell forward of the pistol grip and firing actuator assembly. The newly designated M20-A was intended to provide SKYNET mobile ground units with a lighter, more compact, rapid fatigue plasma generator capable of engaging any mobile target while at the same time being less costly in time and production materials than the larger M95A1 model. SKYNET could produce three M20-A plasma guns for each M95A1 plasma gun that it produced, a considerable cost in time and materials to arm its mobile infantry units. By 2016 A.D., endoskeletons carrying dual M20-A plasma guns became common sights in contested areas, coinciding with the across the board upgrade of most of SKYNET's front line combat units with the new series 3 model A44-X5 combat microprocessor and the Mod 5 sensor upgrades for which the M20-A was a perfect compliment.

The M20-A heavy snub-carbine plasma gun (human designation, also referred to colloquially among veterans as the "blunderbuss," source unknown.) and M20-A heavy plasma pistol (SKYNET designation) are the same weapon. The bulk of the snub plasma projector was such that it was effectively a one handed weapon when employed by the current series of endoskeleton combat chassis and a two handed weapon when employed by human Resistance fighters. A modified model 3A front EM suppressor assembly provided protection from plasma flash / thermal wash flashback during prolonged firing. With a 50% smaller plasma generator system, a substantial weight and space savings was noticed at an equally substantial loss to overall range. The M20-A also became the mainstay of installation support and security units, where a heavier more intense plasma discharge might not be advantageous to surrounding capital or critical priority equipment as it didn't have the punch of the larger M95A1 series weapon.

The M20-A was designed for select fire, from single pulse, to three round pulses, to full automatic though the limited cooling of the weapon made full automatic fire something of a risk during prolonged bursts. The Series 2 power / fuel cell gave 100 pulses before being exhausted. The Series 3 power / fuel cell of the M20-A2 weapon class increased this capacity through containment management to 150 pulses between replacement. Refueling was accomplished either by replacing the entire power cell. SKYNET's facilities had plenty of recharging racks and were often full of power cartridges.





Since its introduction in 2015 A.D., the M20-A heavy pistol has been adapted by many elements of the Resistance as a carbine or submachinegun-type weapon, especially among covert teams and those which the humans refer to as "SCI-TECH" and "TECH/COM"; technical commandos and highly intelligent raiders who often operate in restricted areas and environments where the power of a full size energy weapon is needed but the overall bulk of a full sized projector would be detrimental to operating conditions and speed on the move. Several factory lots of the weapon have also fallen into the hands of Human raiders and the M20-A is seeing wider dispersion among the Resistance as the older M25 becomes harder to find or field. In three instances, ELINT forces have recovered weapons which not only appear to have been adapted to a human built reinforced stock, but also two which were mounted with the primitive optical enhancement sights using salvaged parts from several Endoskeleton models and mounted with crude mounts thus proving that the humans are readily adapting captured technology to their needs, a fact that greatly disturbed SKYNET. Other later examples included swivel point attachments for over and under combat slings, clip-on magazine stacking, auxiliary infra-red and / or high intensity white light devices and what appeared to be a bolt on collapsible / adjustable buttstock for use by humans in improving long distance accuracy.