aliases:
- CoilgunCoilguns are the general standard for basic ranged weapons in the galaxy. Introduced by then-leading development company Lance Innovations in 887 CE, they are the most common type of ranged infantry weapon in the galaxy. Coilguns operate by propelling a ferromagnetic projectile (a bullet) out of a tube containing a series of solenoids at extremely high speeds, by using the magnetic fields generated by this array of electromagnetic coils as propulsive mechanisms. Two shells (called the Internal and External shells) encase this system, for insulation and durability purposes. This combination of existing technology allows for coilguns to be used as primary arms or secondary arms in almost any environment, including in space, which is their key reason for mainstream use.
The coilgun manufacturing industry is one of the greatest and most lucrative. Constant conflict in various territories mean a constant supply of reliable weaponry is required. This has attracted companies of many forms to also invest in both the purchasing and production of the most modern coilgun technology.
There is a vast variety of different coilguns and bullets that allow for use in varying applications. Infantry coilguns are designed to be portable, accessible and, most of all, safe for the user. More conventional coilguns contain a simple electric circuit consisting of various solenoids and systems used to maximise efficiency and potency of the projectile emitted. Some more modern designs also introduce other coilgun integrated systems to assist the user themself.
Most non-infantry coilgun designs come with light, medium, heavy and occasionally superheavy variants, offering a range of performances. Light designs tend to be less effective against strong armour but offer increased performance in other areas. Heavy designs provide stronger destructive and armour piercing capabilities at the cost of other aspects such as fire rate and accuracy. Superheavy designs amp this up further, for maximum destructive capabilities but generally perform similarly to light artillery with slow fire rates. Medium designs offer more balanced performance in most aspects.
Different coilguns have different purposes and intended functions, meaning it can be hard to appropriately rate their performance in the field. As such, they are not rated by comparison against each other, but rather through testing on how well they fulfil their intended job. Some common variable properties of a coilgun include, but are not limited to the RPS, muzzle velocity, size and ammunition capacity. The latter two aforementioned properties are self-defining, but RPS and muzzle velocity are less understood by the public.
The RPS (Rounds Per Second) of a coilgun refers to its fire rate. As the acronym suggests, it is a measure of how many continuous, consecutive rounds the coilgun can fire in any given second, not including possible reload times. For example, a coilgun with an RPS of 20 will fire 20 bullets in one second, or one bullet every 0.05 seconds. Since this number does not include possible reload times, if the coilgun had a magazine size of 5 bullets, it would take 0.25 seconds to empty it.
The muzzle velocity, like conventional guns, refers to the relative speed of the projectile as it exits the barrel (or muzzle) of the coilgun. The magnitude of this property can depend on several factors, such as the mass of the projectile, the power rating of the coilgun and the total length of the barrel. Depending on the intended purpose of the coilgun itself, it may be more important for this value to be higher or lower.