Rifts Up Close: C-27 Heavy Plasma Cannon

By Tim Willard

After the Federation of Magic War, the CS knew it needed a heavy support weapon, since too many times the mages of the Federation of Magic had outgunned CS troops armed with only C-18 pistols, C-10 Laser Rifles, and hand grenades.

The researchers at Chi-Town knew that the NEMA forces had possessed heavy weapons, they had plenty of battlefield data showing two seperate plasma cannons in action, but only had the schematics for one of them.

Much of the minaturization involved in the NEMA plasma weapons proved far beyond the limited capabilities of the Chi-Town manufacturing facilities that remained after the Second Dark Ages and the Federation of Magic terrorist attack, meaning the researchers had to start basically from scratch in order to recreate the weapon with the materials and technology available.

After nearly 15 years of research, development, and testing, the C-27 Heavy Plasma Cannon was unvieled and added to the CS military's heavy weapons equipment. Initially the C-27 was manufactured only in Chi-Town, however after the aquisition of Iron Heart, another factory there was opened up. Not to be outdone, Free Quebec began producing the C-27A1 in order to show how superior their manufacturing techniques were to Iron Heart. By 101 PA, Chi-Town, Iron Heart, and Free Quebec manufacture the C-27. Lone Star has never manufactured the weapon.

The plasma cannon functions by ionizing the air within the chamber, and then magnetically compressing the ionized gas (ie: plasma) until compression massively heats up the ionized gas, usually to temperatures in excess of 4000 degrees Farenhiet. Once the gas is ionized, heated, and compressed, electrons are added to the gas, positively charging the atoms, which are already in a state of flux, and making the plasma more effectively effected by magnetic fluxes. Once that occurs, the magnetic bottle "ruptures" and the plasma is jettisoned in the direction of the "rupture". Once the ball of superheated ionized charged matter (commonly referred to as plasma) strikes an object, the massive transfer of heat and electrons results in most solid matter turning to liquid, liquids vaporizing, and gas being torn into its component atoms.

The CR-27 has a sturdy frame made out of advanced polymers and alloys that can resist heat transfer from the plasma creation process, as well as not be effected by magnetics. The frame has a built in bipod system at the bottom front of the weapon that allows the firer to lay prone, have the bipod deployed, and be able to fire the weapon accurately and precisely, with the soldier able to absorb the recoil easily while keeping the target sighted in.

The scope on the C-27 provides passive nightvision, IR, and UV, as well as a laser rangefinder. It also provides 1X/3X/5X magnification, as well as flare compensation to keep the firer from being blinded by the plasma round firing or liberating its energy upon a target.

The largest problem with the C-27 Heavy Plasma Rifle is the fact that plasma packets have been known to detonate early on tree branches, bushes, and other light cover. Although the plasma round usually destroys the inadvertent target, it still consumes ammunition. Another set of problems was the fact that the e-clip canister suffered from ionization if the weapon was quick-charged, there was no e-clip port to provide emergency power, the weapon was short-ranged (100m/300 f t with a standoff distance of 10m/30 ft) and consumed the entire canister after 5 shots.

The C-27A was unvieled in 54 PA, and the weapon featured extended range due to the magnetic bottle pressurization system being reworked and signifigantly advanced. The weapon was able to directly affect targets up to 300m (900 ft) away. However the weight increased from 15 lbs to 17 lbs. However, the e-canister still suffered some problems and while the circuitry for an e-clip magazine well was in place, a factory oversight did not place a magazine well on the frame. For the most part this was corrected at unit armories, but some commanders refused to allow the "unauthorized modification" to the weapon that would allow 2 shots from a standard e-clip or 3 shots from an extended magazine.

In 72 PA the C-27A1 was unveiled, with better ranging (350m/1050 ft), a 100% increase in damage capability, extended range, and an emergency e-clip magazine well built into the weapon's grip. However, the C-27A1 suffered from 2 problems: The ionization problem had still not been corrected, and a hard impact could rupture the e-canister, causing it to leak capacitance gel. In 74 PA new canisters were issued and the problem fixed with the leaking, but there was a greater chance of ionization even if the weapon was trickle-charged.

In 85 PA the C-27A2 was released, which featured much improved targeting and range, as well as the ecanister finally fixed. The e-clip port was moved from the handgrip to the left side of the weapon above the e-canister. In addition the weapon featured a power conduit adapter on both the right and left sides just above the trigger. However, the bipod system proved faulty, as after roughly 100 shots, the bipod locking nut (where the bipod is affixed to the frame) suffered heat fatigue and the bolt failed, causing the bipod to break off. In 86 PA a fix was sent out, allowing armorers to fix the weapon. However, due to a framework mistake, a forward iron sight was added to the weapon, which left a 5 degree blind spot in the center of the scopes window of sight. Another problem cropped up with the fact that the power conduit socket suffered corrosion and had to be constantly maintained, or it would result in intermittent energy transfer.

In 98 PA, the C-27A3 forward sight was removed, the power conduit socket was refurbished, and an additional power conduit was added to the ecanister, allowing the canister to be charged by an outside source. 10 minutes for a quick-charge, 3 hours for a trickle charge. (The picture in the manual shows the wrong version, or a field repaired cannon, as the forward barrel heat shroud sports an iron sight, but the canister has a power conduit adapter on it) In addition, the cannon's range was signifigantly improved, although it was erronously listed as 488 kilometers, rather than 500 meters. Soldiers assigned the weapon were also relieved to see that the weapon had been lightened signifigantly, making it easy to carry. However, the years of combat use had shown that the barrel was prone to heat exhaustion and the accuracy of the weapon could degrade over time. The barrel shroud was difficult to remove, usually done at an unit level.

In 100PA an upgrade kit was delivered to all units for the C-27 series of plasma cannons that allowed the ecanister to be removed and swapped out in the field, resulting in an assistant gunner being assigned to the C-27 gunner, whose job was to carry extra barrels, as well as extra energy canisters, and the toolkit to remove it. (A trained operator can swap out the ecanister in less than 5 seconds) In addition the forward heat shroud was redesigned, simplifying its removal and allowing the gunner or assistance gunner to swap out an overheated or degraded barrel. A trained operator can swap out the barrel in under 10 seconds.

Weight: 12 lbs
Length: 50"
Caliber: 4.25cm
Maximum Range: 650m (1950 feet)
Maximum Effective Range: 600m (1800 ft)
Typical Combat Range: 200m (600 ft)
Magazine Capacity: 10 shots for the canister. 4 shots from a standard e-clip, 6 shots from an extended clip, 14 shots from a hip pack.
Manufacturer's Cost: 3,400 Cr
Wholesale Cost: 9.000 Cr
Manufacturer's Recommended Price: 32,000 Cr
Black Market Price: 45,000 Cr
Wilderness Price: 5,000 Cr