6.45×42mm WA CTA

Display of polymer cased ammunition, similar to the 'Faerber'.

The 6.45×42mm WA CTA ('Faerber') is a rimless, cased telescoped ammunition cartridge developed by Wolf Armaments for the TECT Armed Forces. The Faerber is a derivative of the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge, which had been the military's primary rifle cartridge until being phased out officially starting in 1995. Since the original inception of the 6.45 mm Faerber, Wolf Armaments has launched a series of ammunition based off the original Faerber concept. This project, known as the "Faerber Project," includes the 6.45 mm, 6.48 mm, 7.58 mm, 8.20 mm, and 14.5 mm ammunition; other large caliber ammunition (20-80 mm) were also developed with or under the Faerber Project. The Project developed two design types for its ammunition; pistol and rifle cartridges (6.45-8.20 mm currently) are telescoped cartridges that use a new biodegradable polymer that replaces the majority of the casing and removes most traditional metal components. Larger cartridges (14.5-80 mm currently) use a caseless telescoped cartridge design that fully encases the bullet itself, replacing the traditional casing design entirely. Technically both deisgn styles would work if swapped with the other, but currently this is how Wolf Armaments produces ammunition other than its tank ammunition. Faerber is the primary cartridge family used by the TECT Armed Forces, TECT police forces nationwide, and is very popular among civilians in TECT as well; Faerber exports to other customers worldwide, both military and civilian, remain extensively high to this date.

The stated goal of the Faerber line of ammunition is to "reduce weight and size of ammunition, decrease cost-per-production while also improving quality, and enhancing overall performance of the projectile." As a result, more ammunition can be carried/stored overall, ammunition becomes cheaper, and the recycling process becomes immensely streamlined. This newer material technology has also improved the performance of the munitions itself by making them more efficient, better performing, and easier to store. In order to achieve these results, Faerber cartridges feature two unique improvements over traditionally older cartridge designs. The first is the casing design. Wolf Armaments uses a redesigned telescoped ammunition casing featuring a new molded polymer build that replaces all the metal used in the cartridge aside from the bullet itself. Fully enclosed casings are built with the same polymer but the construction includes another lighter polymer on the end that acts as a bullet cap; said cap breaks apart when ignited so that the bullet passes through without any resistance. The second feature that differentiate Faerber cartridges with older designs is a new propellant that is a blended LOVA propellant. RDX LOVA propellant reduces the amount of propellant needed to achieve maximum force, is far stronger than traditional propellants, has improved performance, and has low sensitivity and vulnerability, making it safer to handle and store. Additional features of Faerber cartridges include easier markings to identify the cartridge type, use of blue glowing pyrotechnics for tracers, and enhanced recyclability. Simulation cartridges (simunition) are available in all calibers in marker, silent, and loud models.

The standard bullet used in Faerber cartridges (6.48-8.20 mm) is the "Standard Penetrator Bullet", or "SPB" for short. SPB's are steel cored with a zinc jacket enveloping the core.

Designs

6.45×42 mm

The 6.45×42, or the original Faerber design, is the 6.45 millimeter intermediate cartridge used with numerous rifle platforms, but was originally created for Wolf Armaments' flagship the AR Scorpion . As a leap in ammunition technology in Commoner munitions manufacturing, 6.45 was to be lighter and perform better than its predecessor the 6.5mm Grendel, a rifle cartridge known for its low recoil and high-precision. Construction is similar to traditional modern firearms cartridges overall, being telescoped ammunition with a bullet capped on top. Changes occur mainly in materials and the concept approach. The casing itself is made out of a strong heat/weather/environment resistant polymer that replaces all metal in the cartridge minus the bullet; this is achieved via the use of molds during manufacturing and complex assembly on production lines. Another leap in Commoner ammunition technology is the incorporation of low sensitivity, low vulnerability, and improved quality propellant, or otherwise known as LOVA propellant. The LOVA propellant, a RDX mix to be specific, is shown to increase the munition's velocity, have lower vulnerability, and overall improved operation characteristics; its more condensed construction means the cartridge requires less propellant to perform its function. Because of the WA CTA's propellant and construction, the 6.45 mm (and other telescoped rounds of the series) are approximately 45%-50% lighter then their traditional brass counterparts. They are also about five percent smaller in volume as well, further increasing its slim characteristics. Tests have shown that velocity and discharge are significantly improved compared to more traditional cartridges - increasing their effective range and stomping power/penetration.

6.45 mm comes in several different variations preoduced by Wolf Armaments while other smaller ammunition makers in TECT have made after-market variants based on the 6.45 or designed for 6.45 rifles. The standard design since its inception is the "Standard Penetrator Bullet" or "SPB" for short. It is a 123 grain steel core bullet with a zinc jacket. For claridy, the SPB has more kenetic energy and armor penetration than the standard M80 7.62 NATO round due to its intermediate nature. But this is the case with the Grendel too, thus the 6.45, an improvement on the concept design, even out performs the Grendel in these aspects too.

Standard Penetrator Bullet (SPB): Standard use for militaries all over the world, the "SPB" is 123 grain full metal jacket with a steel core and zinc jacket. It travels at a muzzle velocity of over eight-hundred and twenty-four meters per-second, making it a signifigant threat even past a full kilometer in distance. Although not entirely traditional in material design, the SPB was designed to excel in kenetic energy, accuracy, and armor penetration.

Standard Penetrator Bullet-Armor Penetrator (SPB-AP): Built upon the SPB, "SPB-AP" is an improved armor penetrating variant of the SPB cartridge. It utilizes a stronger, more streamlined dart-shaped steel alloy core for maximum armor penetration. Although not as powerful as some AP ammunition, the improvement to armor penetration when compared to the SPB is statistically far greater while also saving money on more expensive AP ammunition.

Armor Penetrating Bullet (APB): Punching harder than the SPB, the "APB" is 138 grain full metal jacketed cartridge that uses a dual method of armor penetration. While still using the streamlined core method used with the SPB-AP, the APB uses a different hardened steel alloy as its core with the same zinc jacket. Furthermore, the APB uses a tungsten-carbide (Tungsten-Cobalt alloy) tip as a penetrator. Thus creating a dual penetration method; the penetrating tip creates a tunnel into the armor plate while the hardened steel core strikes through the created opening. With a eight hundred meters per-second muzzle velocity, the APB is adapt at defeating even the sturdiest of armored plates at over a kilometer's distance.

Ballistic Tip, Hollow-Point (BT-HP): For those fleshy targets, the "BT-HP" is a 123 grain cartridge design with a muzzle velocity of eight-hundred twenty-four meters per-second. BT-HP rounds are closely designed to their FMJ sibling the SPB with notable changes to the bullet itself. The tip of the bullet itself is a circular hollow section similar to most hollow-point ammunition. Included, however, is a synthetic polymer tip fitted inside the hollow end of the bullet. This inclusion of a "ballistic tip" serves three vital functions: First, as a malfunction reducer since many feed systems can be prone to jamming when using hollow point ammuniton due to lacking a full body design. Second, the inclusion of a ballistic tip retains the bullet's aerodynamics, which is vital for long range energy delivery and accuracy. Lastly, the ballistic tip assists the hollow section to better form a "mushroom" upon impact since the ballistic tip is forced down into the cavity upon impact - the natural result is enhanced lethality. The rest of the bullet is deisnged similar to SPB ammunition as previously noted, including the use of the same steel core and zinc jacket. Although not particularly lethal to armored targets, fleshy or un-armored targets will take immense damage if struke by said bullet. Even at over a kilometer away the BT-HP is a potent threat.

Standard Penetrator Tracer (SPT): Simply an SPB with a small pyrotechnic charge at the base of the bullet. SPTs utilize a pyrotechnic mixture that produces a fairly bight looking light up to around eight hundred meters; said light often appears as a dull white color during daylight hours while darker hours produce a more distinguishing blueish hue.

Standard Frangible Bullet (SFB): Often shortened to simply "Frangible," SFB ammunition shares the same specifications as the SPB/SPT round with the sole difference being the bullet design. Crafted entirely of compressed granules of alloy copper, SFB is designed to shatter upon striking any hard surface; this also means that SFB is the only official 6.45 cartridge to feature a non-zinc jacket. The purpose behind this design is to reduce or totally eliminate any penetration by having the bullet itself disperse in every other direction using its own propelled force - it is the ultimate spear striking the ultimate shield. This is useful mostly for training purposes, such as kill-house training and hitting metal targets at closer ranges; non-lead SFB's are safer to be around health wise and since they break apart upon impact, there are no chances of ricochets. SFB's are also far cheaper than standard FMJ styled ammunition since they only utilize a cheap copper alloy, making them excellent practice rounds all around.

6.48×28 mm

The 6.48×28 millimeter Faerber is a small caliber, high velocity, rebated rim pistol cartridge used with various pistol platforms, but is mainly utilized in Wolf Armaments pistol caliber firearms such as the SM Stinger. As a design largely based off the rifle model, the construction is mostly similar to the 6.45x42 Faerber. 6.48 remains a telescoped ammunition casing made out of a strong heat/weather/environment resistant polymer that replaces all metal compnents traditionally found in older cartridges; 6.48 cartridges also incorporate the same low sensitivity, low vulnerability, and improved quality LOVA propellant. Alterations begin with the actual dimensions of the cartridge itself and many of the bullet designs surrounding those changes.

The change begins with casing and ball size; the casing is shorter and the ball larger then most traditional balls. The heightened velocity is a change from more common nine millimeter ammunition, which both lack penetration and uselessly slugs energy at targets. Focusing on penetration, the 6.45 is designed to travel at high velocity in order to penetrate body armor; the base military standard version is capable of penetrating level IIIA body armor at about two-hundred and fifty meters. The armor piercing version is capable of penetration of stronger armor at similar ranges. 6.45 are also designed for safety and the decreasing of collateral damage; the lightweight projectile limits over penetration and ricochets - it loses much of its kinetic energy pass four-hundred and fifty meters, lessening more the potential collateral damage the bullet can produce at such ranges. The maximum range is one-thousand and eight-hundred meters while the effective range is around two-hundred meters. Multiple variants of the cartridge exist including mentioned above variants, hollow point, civilian/sport, tracer, and subsonic variants.

The 6.45 is very popular among police, security, and civilian shooters. Military and multiple police forces around TECT use the cartridge in standard pistols, CQW's, and rifles that fire such cartridges. 6.45 cartridges are very popular on the civilian, military, and foreign markets.

7.58×54 mm

7.58×54 mm is a 7.6 mm Faerber; it is identical in almost all fashions to the 6.5 mm version and is often called the 'Faerber Mk. 2 (or just '2')'. The 7.6 mm is designed to be used in larger rifle weapons, such as machine guns and sniper rifles - therefore, Wolf Armaments created 7.6 mm with the exact same technology behind the 6.5 mm. Its improved qualities for weight and size follow over from the 6.5 mm - its improved propellent performance also the same. The Faerber II is the standard cartridge for DMRs and sniper rifles, light machine guns, and other rifle systems. It is used most often in the [TECT Armed Forces] as a medium machine gun cartridge for the LSW MareV2 and similar systems. The Faerber II fits into standard magazines like traditional ammunition and can be fitted on belt systems.

8.20×60 mm

8.20×60 mm is an eight millimeter heavy assault rifle cartridge part of the Faerber line of assault rifle cartridges. It is identical in most fashion to the earlier 7.58 and 6.45 in its construction; the difference begin in the shaping of the cartridge, which has a larger base to accustom more propellant. The .30-06 Springfield was the initial inspiration for the 8.20, considering its long history of effectiveness. 9.68 was designed initially as a possible replacement to earlier seven millimeter cartridges; the conversion never came, leaving designers to design cartridge for the Nashorn CAR, which serves as a "heavy automatic assault rifle". As a large caliber round, the 8.20 draws its design heavily from the .30-06; key features include a thicker base, larger rifle bullet, and additional propellant. 9.68 wasn't designed for use in general infantry, but rather for supporting forces using stationary arms such as marksmen rifles and machine guns; it now serves as a machine gun round for medium machine guns, marksmen rifles, and sniper rifles. Wolf Armaments claims the 8.20 is "shy from a heavy machine gun cartridge", meaning it has improved range, penetration, and stomping power compared to its 7.58 round, but it doesn't match up compared to 12.7mm rounds.

14.5×114mm (WA 14.5 mm)

Example of the casing used for the 14.5 mm WA, though the image displays a full casing variant of the above cartridge systems.

The 14.5×114mm (WA 14.5 mm) is a heavy machine gun/anti-material cartridge designed as the first tier of fully cased telescoped rounds. It is very similar to the Russian 14.5×114 mm (.57 Cal) cartridge for which it is based on. 14.5 mm WA is used by the TECT Armed Forces for its heavy machine gun systems, anti-material weapons, and other heavy weapons. It is often called the 'Faerber Mk. 3 (or just '3', as in 'Faerber III')'. The Faerber III uses a cased telescoped ammunition design that surrounds the ball projectile instead of traditionally being attached in a brass like configuration (as with smaller Faerber cartridges). The polymer case protects the internal components, which are the bullet, the same configuration of LOVA propellant, and smaller propellant cups adding additional propellant force. It features a primer cap instead of a traditional metal rim; its operation is not changed though as it is designed to work with rotary bolts (like the traditional Russian KPV and the Commoner SMJ. The Faerber III shares many statistical boosts that previous Faerber cartridges have; it is 45% smaller then its traditional Russian design, as well as 5% smaller in volume - it has improved velocity and propellant safety as well. There are currently three variants of the Faerber Mk. 3:

AP14: The AP14 is an armor-piercing full metal jacket round with a tungsten-carbide (Tungsten-Cobalt alloy) core. It weighs about sixty-three grams and has a muzzle velocity of one-thousand and three meters per-second. Armor penetration at five-hundred meters is up to thirty-five millimeters of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) at zero degrees. Similar to the Soviet B-32 standard AP round - the AP14 differs by excluding the incendiary aspects for added performance capabilities, choosing to penetrate over any additional damage done possibly after penetration. A tracer variant of the AP14 allows for a two-thousand five-hundred meter burn.

AP14-B: An incendiary variant to the AP14 - the AP14-B offers an incendiary high explosive compartment that is off-timed to explode mere milliseconds on contact rather then directly on contact. This slight delay allows for the bullet to begin digging into a target before exploding - if the bullet fractures to the point of hitting the explosive compartment before the trigger receives the signal to detonate, the explosion will happen at that moment rather then later. Although usually unnoticed, this change in design can cause serious damage to armor by exploding while still penetrating the armor, causing major damage to it. If the round penetrates fully without the explosion happening yet, it will directly explode inside the target. The affect on ground is almost exactly the same as normal explosive tips, as well as heavier armor, which will often explode even faster as penetrations is very little to minimal. AP14-B's weigh about sixty-three grams and have a muzzle velocity of nine-hundred and eighty-two meters per-second. Armor penetration at five-hundred meters is up to thirty-two millimeters of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) at zero degrees. The tracer variant for the AP14-B can burn for two-thousand five-hundred meters.

HE14: The HE14 is a high-explosive full metal jacket incendiary bullet that uses an instant action detonation tip. The intention of the bullet is to explode on impact, rather then to penetrate, causing shrapnel and force damage. Although not very capable of penetrating most hard armors - HE14 rounds can easily tear apart flesh, light skinned vehicles, and many aircraft build materials. The goal of this round is to explode upon impact, causing an explosion which sends shrapnel along with explosive force to anything nearby. For ground targets, HE14's blow apart people on direct hits or explode on surrounding surfaces, sending shrapnel and broken debris onto intended targets - they essentially maim their targets to death using shrapnel and explosive force in order to destroy targets, rather then an instant penetration of one projectile. Against aircraft they often penetrate just before exploding depending on the type of aircraft targeted; aircraft are especially at risk of HE14's as exploding incendiary shrapnel can be deadly as shrapnel could shred the air frame or kill pilots or the very possibility of actually blowing holes into air frames. HE14's weigh about fifty-nine grams and has a muzzle velocity of one-thousand and fourteen meters per-second. A tracer variant of allows for a two-thousand five-hundred meter burn.