GRU Standard Rifle Program

A development program to develop next-generation weapons for use in all GRU branches.

SR Program, Rifle Program

Polymer, High Quality Alloys, Steel

Gun Milling

By military contract

Unknown

Abundant

The overall goal was to develop a family of weapons systems that had the capability to use the new GRU/AAF Fullpulse round and GRU/AAF Casepulse round technology. The diffuculty of the program was caused by the lack of development and resulting standardisation of using pulse technology.

The program began in 7 API.

Mechanically, all of the Standard Rifle variants are very similar. The principle weapon, the SR-AR 10mm, was the first to be developed using a number of considerations. Firstly, the weapon had to be capable of firing the new, nonpulse 10mm caseless round. This round would act as a proof of concept for the viability of using caseless ammunition for infantry rifles before further developing the expensive casedpulse or fullpulse ammunition.

The interchangeability of the there ammunitions would result in a lot of debate on the overall design of the SR series. While the standard caseless ammunition was to be the most common and a high performing round in its own right, it was vastly outperformed by even the casepulse round. The difference in ballistics was brought up by numerous studies as a potential problem, and the researchers and engineers of the program offered many solutions.

The first solution was to alter shrink the propellant load of the casepulse and fullpulse round. The resulting size difference would be offset by adding a large wad between the propellant and the bullet. Multiple different wads were designed to tackle the problem. Some were self discarding, being incinerated upon firing. Others were merely ejected out of the barrel behind the bullet. When tested on the casepulse, most wads performed well, the average trajectories were nearly identical to the caseless round. However, the incinerating wads generated a lot of additional fouling, which led to more frequent jams. The solid wads induced the risk of firing two projectiles, as well as the possibility of a wad getting stuck in the barrel, only to be hit by a subsequent bullet with disastrous consequences. The approach was ultimately abandoned as reducing the effectiveness of the expensive pulse ammunition defeated the entire purpose of the program anyway.

The second solution was to have the magazine interface with the weapon via a system of three electrical contacts. These contacts would travel through the weapon and into the mounted optics. Magazines were to be loaded with a specific, consistent ammunition type, which would be communicated to the optics through the contacts. The contacts were aligned forward to back on the left side of the magazine. The middle contact would receive power for the optic's battery and would travel back to the optic on the other two lines, depending on the load. If the magazine returned no lines, it was a standard caseless round (These magazines were to not have any contacts installed to reduce cost). If it returned one or two lines, it was a casedpulse or fullpulse round respectively. While sound as an idea, concerns were raised about the maintenance of wiring traveling through the weapon, the increased time to mount an optic, as well as the issues with magazines not seating properly within the well to permit continuity.

The third and developed solution was the most simple. There was a button introduced on optics to change between the rounds. The field tests showed that it was plainly obvious which round was being fired by the rifle that the user was perfectly capable of selecting the right cartridge. In addition, it was unforeseeable why a soldier would be equipped with a mix of three different ammo types at the same time that they would need to switch in a battle situation. It was also pointed out that, even if they did somehow switch types without knowing, they would only fire one shot before it was made obvious, and the fix would only take one second at most.

Apart from the optic ballistics debacle, another issue that was raised was the misfire or stuck cartridge problem. For brass cartridges, the operator only had to cycle the bolt to eject an unspent cartridge. However, the SR program specifically sought to eliminate that routine use. While the program couldn't get rid of the ejecting mechanism as a whole, it did change it significantly. Firstly, the device was no longer tied to the firing cycle. The rapid dry firing of the ejector pin caused issues with the spring system that drove it, and opening the chamber during an unnecessary ejection cycle increased the possibility of it jamming open and allowing debris and fouling materials back into the chamber, a cause for concern giving the potential static volatility of pulse ammunition that would later prove unfounded. Ultimately, the ejection mechanism was linked to two external charging handles, located symmetrically along the side of the weapon, that drove an ambidextrous ejection system. If the left handle was pulled, the cartridge would eject on the right side of the weapon, and vice versa. This would also rechamber the bolt, but was not necessary to close it. The bolt could be closed by a slap switch located on either side of the magazine well.

Due to the publicity and potential decades-long lifespan of the program, special attention was paid to the program by high profile individuals such as Task Landager and Powersk, who both sought to ensure its success and effectiveness. Both Landager and Powersk were present during the first field tests of the SR-AR 10mm and took the opportunity to fire it themselves. In 9 API, soon after testing concluded, a limited initial order was placed on the SR-AR 10mm , and development approved for two new variants, the SR-C 10mm (Carbine) and SR-MR 10mm (Marksman Rifle). These two variants were selected to do to research and development teams' estimation that the two types were similar enough to the SR-AR 10mm that development would proceed quickly. That estimation was based on the SR-C 10mm 's construction being the exact same as the SR-AR 10mm 's save for a shorter barrel and grip assembly. The SR-MR 10mm required more development in the areas of stability and recoil control, which resulted in a longer piston system for energy absorption. The longer lines meant that the cyclic action of the chamber was less violent, but also resulted in fewer rounds per minute in automatic fire. This was an acceptable compromise due to the priority of attacking distant targets more accurately more often over any suppressive effects of automatic fire.

As testing for the SR-C 10mm and SR-MR 10mm wrapped up in 10 API, the final weapon of the 10mm SR family was authorized, the SR-SW (Squad Weapon). The SR-SW 10mm was a size between the SR-AR and the SR-MR and had an RPM 20% greater than the SR-AR. In addition, it was designed to use 100 round quad stack magazines, which required a thicker barrel for such sustained fire. Special consideration was taken in regard to the center of mass of the weapon. The larger magazines and thicker barrel meant that the balance was heavier in the front, making the weapon unwieldy to fire from a standing position. To fix this, a vertical grip was added to the lower rail mount to give the user more control over the weapon.

Following the issue of the 10mm family, it became apparent that a smaller, lightweight weapon was also needed. The SR-C, while smaller than the SR-AR, was still too large for concealed carry and the 10mm ammunition was incredibly powerful for civil use. Ideas were tossed around for what type of weapon should be developed, principally between a new Submachine gun, Carbine, or Compact Rifle.

Following developments in the pulse ammunition program, namely the analysis that pulse rounds work best in divisions of 2.5 mm diameter, the selection of a 5mm round was made. With 10mm being that standard for full-size rounds, there were few choices. Most felt that 7.5mm was too close to the full power round, and 2.5 mm was simply too small for conventional, non-pulse ammunition to be effective.

Consideration was placed into labeling it as a Personal Defense Weapon, but the potential to use the 5mm cartridge in new handguns meant it was more appropriate to use the SMG title. Development started on the SR-SM (Submachine Gun). While not a true SMG from a conventional standpoint as it uses a full-powered, albeit smaller rifle style cartridge, the designation of a Carbine was thought to be confused with the already widely issued SR-C 10mm.

As released in 11 API, The SR-SM is characterized by its incredibly compact and lightweight design while still allowing rail mounts for numerous attachments. It has a very fast rate of fire but is controllable enough to operate into intermediate ranges in automatic fire. The weapon was designed to engage targets at or closer than 120 meters but has been noted to be effective up to 450m with standard caseless ammunition. At rangers further than that, accuracy and projectile velocity becomes problematic.

As the SR-SM was being developed, a split-off program to modernize large-caliber anti-material weapons was begun, under the designation of SR-SR (Sniper Rifle). The GRU had in its inventory a great number of different weapons for a multitude of ammo types, principally due to the surge of diverse armor and methods of defeating them. Similar to the reason of the 5mm rounds selection for the SR-SMG 5mm, the 15mm round was selected for the SR-SR. Several high ranking officers felt that a larger caliber should have been selected, such as a 17.5mm or even 20mm. However, such a large diameter would mean a heavier rifle and ammunition, leading to an overall less effective weapon system.

The entire arsenal of anti-material weapons could never be replaced by a single firearm; there were simply too great a number of specific threats that a rifle could not stand against, including fast-moving aircraft, beyond-line-of-sight armor, and situations requiring a splash effect. Furthermore, there already existed several sniper rifle systems that were incredibly fast for conventional rounds, faster than the 15mm caseless, but lacked significant armor-piercing capabilities as well as the ability to fire the new pulse ammunition. Therefore, the goal of the SR-SR program was simply to design a new anti-material rifle that could.

The end result of the 13 API SR-SR 15mm was a colossal, 1.8 m long semi-automatic weapon that, using standard caseless ammunition, could tear through light armor at ranges approaching 1.5km, and effective against unarmored infantry up to 5km (although the ballistic solution to accomplish this is ridiculous). The rounds' impact with a main battle tanks' explosive reactive armor at ranges less than 500m has a high chance of setting it off and leaving the tank more vulnerable to proper anti-tank weapons.

Following the conclusion of initial development, the Standard Rifle Program team continued conducting field tests and monitoring training exercising to further enhance and improve their weapons.

Polymer, Plastics, Metal Alloys

NaN

NaN

NaN

NaN

None