Mars Defense Mk I Subcarbine
| Mars Defense Mk I Subcarbine "Thorstopper" | |
|---|---|
| File:MarsdefCarbine.JPG Military issue carbine, AR5PDW (SPECMOD) | |
| Type | Subcarbine |
| Place of origin |  The North American Socialist Commonwealth |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2062-current |
| Used by | The North American Socialist Commonwealth
|
| Wars | None |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mars Defense Cooperative |
| Designed | 2060 |
| Manufacturer | Mars Defense Cooperative |
| Unit cost | $850-$1,150 |
| Produced | 2061-current |
| No. built | 23,000 |
| Variants | AR5PDW SPECMOD |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.7kg |
| Length | 593mm (391.4mm with stock folded) |
| Barrel length | 150mm |
| Cartridge | 11.43x23mm (.45 ACP) |
| Action | Delayed Blowback, Closed Bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700 RPM |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,350 ft/s |
| Effective firing range | 70m |
| Maximum firing range | 375m |
| Feed system | 30 round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron Sights |
The Mars Defense Mk I Subcarbine is a compact assault carbine intended to bridge the gap between a lighter PDW and an assault carbine. It was designed as an independent project by Mars Defense Cooperative, and has since been adopted by numerous agencies within the government of the Commonwealth, most notably the Special Persons Protective Unit, which favors the small size and ease of concealment, which allows the user to carry a weapon with a rifle's punch that won't need to be carried around in a blindingly obvious fashion, and that could conceivably be concealed in reasonably loose clothing.
Background and Service
In the late 2050s Mars Defense conducted a survey among various law enforcement and military agencies in regards to their wishes for weaponry. In particular, Mars Defense spoke to the oft neglected departments within the Ministry of State Security, the SPPU, and District Police Corps. A common thread among those surveyed was the desire for a lightweight, and concealable weapon with the stopping power of a rifle. After having gathered results from the survey, Mars Defense started an independent program to develop a "Subcarbine" which would combine the light weight and compact size of a PDW and the stopping power of a rifle.
Throughout 2060 R&D at Mars Defense experimented with various prototypes eventually producing a viable prototype, which would eventually become the Mk I, which was jokingly referred to as the "Thorstopper" for its defining characteristics of punch and size. In an attempt to recoup the costs of development, Mars Defense began to market the weapon to the Commonwealth's government. Though reluctant at first, a number of agencies adopted the weapon, including the Special Forces of the Commonwealth Navy and the Proletarian Guard which warranted a modification of the weapon. Currently, the weapon has seen limited action and is still currently in the trial phase, before being more widely issued. However, given the desire to eventually replace the AR3PDW the Mk I has strong prospects for the future.
Design
The Mk I Subcarbine is an assault carbine making use of a heavy pistol cartridge (the .45 ACP that is fired by the Commonwealth's service pistol). It is a standard configuration weapon, making use of a folding stock to help reduce the length and overall bulk of the weapon in close quarters engagements. The Mk I is constructed out of a lightweight composite materials with a titanium alloy used in the barrel and other high stress moving parts of the weapon. The Mk I is fairly spartan for a Commonwealther weapon, lacking the advanced electronics of other weapons or even an integral sight (aside from iron sights), at least within the baseline model. Also unlike most Commonwealther automatic weapons, the Mk I is not restricted to burst fire.
Variants
The only variant of the Mk I that currently exists is the military variant, which is referred to as the AR5PDW SPECMOD. The SPECMOD is almost identical except that it has a top rail to attach optics to the weapon, and that it has a Networking chip standard to most weapons in CODFOR's arsenal. Subvariants of the SPECMOD used by the Intelligence services also have an integral silencer to assist in situations that call for a silenced automatic firearm.