Electromagnetic Weaponry
Electromagnetic Weaponry are any weapons which use electromagnetic acceleration to propel a metal projectile down a long shaft using a linear system of either magnetic fields coils or magnetic rails, increasing the projectile's velocity until it carries an incredible amount of kinetic energy. They are generally separated into two categories: Coilguns, and Railguns. Coilguns consist of one or more coils arranged along a barrel. The coils are switched on and off in sequence, causing the projectile to be accelerated extremely quickly along the barrel via magnetic forces. Railguns consist of two parallel metal rails (hence the name) connected to an electrical power supply. When a conductive projectile is inserted between the rails (at the end connected to the power supply), it completes the circuit. Electrons flow from the negative terminal of the power supply up the negative rail, across the projectile, and down the positive rail, back to the power supply. This current makes the railgun behave as an electromagnet, creating a magnetic field inside the loop formed by the length of the rails up to the position of the armature. Since the current is in the opposite direction along each rail, the net magnetic field between the rails is directed at right angles to the plane formed by the central axes of the rails and the armature. This produces a force which accelerates the projectile along the rails, away from the power supply, and out of the gun's bore at extremely high velocities; usually higher than that of a coilgun's.
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Electromagnetic Weaponry of the Kingdom of Edolas
Electromagnetic Weaponry is rather commonplace among Ventus infantry; just above Plasma Weaponry in terms of commonality due to the The Kingdom of Edolas' viewpoint that it is far superior to Solid Projectile Weaponry in every way aside from cost. Generally, the biggest restraint when creating coilguns or railguns is power; as electromagnetic weapons generally use up extraordinary amounts of energy when firing a projectile. This is not an issue with the Kingdom of Edolas, who use Sakuradite as a power source and therefore are barely limited by power constraints. Railguns are more common than coilguns in the Edolas military due to higher velocities, but coilguns are still used in a variety of weapons. Recent efforts by Independent System Ventus companies such as Hekmatyr Armaments to replace the Sakuradite power source with modified Bridgend llachar Batteries have been undertaken to both reduce dependency on Sakuradite and make the weapons available for galactic trade, and are yielding promising results.
Infantry Weapons
M60 'Jackal' Coilgun Magnum The M60 uses an asynchronous linear-induction motor, with a coilgun mechanism, to produce a bipolar magnetic field capable of launching a 12.7x32.6mm projectile at an incredible speed of just under Mach 25, or approximately 8,507.25 m/s. This makes the Jackal an incredibly powerful weapon for it's size, capable of taking out much larger opponents with a single shot. This also makes it's recoil powerful, and would be near unhandleable by Ventus hands were it not for sophisticated recoil-dampening systems reducing it's recoil to manageable levels. Due to it's recoil, however, it takes a secondary role to the Ventus Plasma Handgun; only being used by those who prefer singular, quick, devastating shots.
M80 'Zephyr' Machine Railgun The M99 uses a linear acceleration motor to generate a strong electric current which travels from the motor, to the "positive" rail, through the projectile, and through the "negative" rail-completing a circuit; generating forward motion which propels the bullet out of it at extraordinary speeds. The speed utilized is lower than normal railgun velocities, but this is because the Zephyr is a fully automatic weapon and therefore both does not possess the charge to successively launch such powerful projectiles nor can the one firing it afford the massive recoil that would occur as a result. The M80 is among the preferred weapons in the Ventus military for these reasons, in addition to it's combat lethality and ease of firing. It is also highly modular, and equipable with multiple combat additions such as grenade launches, under-barrel shotguns, and orbital marker lasers.
M90 VARIS Railgun The Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Spitfire Railgun is a rifle with nearly no equal, capable of launching a powerful .55 caliber round at speeds nearing Mach 38 or 12,931 m/s. The ammunition is capable of being changed, but a common mistake that is that is what the rifle's nomenclature refers to. This is incorrect, as the 'Variable' refers to it's variable ammunition repulsion, and not to the variable ammunition itself. This is in reference to the fact that the VARIS can adapt the electromagnetic repulsion force applied on the projectile to fit any combat conditions, be it vehicle demolition or infantry decimation. The VARIS has three modes: Normal Mode, Burst Mode, and Cannon Mode. Normal Mode allows for it's regular semi-automatic rate of fire and power, Burst Mode allows for a fully automatic rate of fire, and Cannon Mode allows for two supercharged shots to be fired from the weapon before reloading; heavily increasing damage.
M89 Ballista Anti-Matériel Anti-Personel Railgun Sniper The Ballista is a compact-channel linear accelerator sniper rifle that fires a high-explosive round at incredible speed, delivering both kinetic and explosive force to both hard and soft targets alike. It fires a tungsten/depleted uranium alloy armor piercing or high explosive 14.6x116mm round at extremely high speeds of up to 16,014.5 m/s; either ripping apart shielding, armor, and flesh with single shots due to the sheer power of the round or disabling light vehicles with single shots to vulnerable areas. The Hyperion Scope of the M89 is capable of zooming up to 3000x, useful for recon operations and extremely long distance shots.
M100 'Taurus' Heavy Railgun The Taurus is a new weapon fresh out of Radient Garden's forges, it is a railgun using a far improved mechanism than previous railguns which was created using a mix of Dasan, Ventus, Ancient, and Unani technology. The munitions for the weapons are actually bars of unactivated nanites, which when activated turned into extremely hard molecularly reeinforced tungsten-carbide 15 mm shells which can travel at 17,014.5 m/s or Mach 50. The Taurus is unique in it's design in that it can be disassembled onto the body armor of a soldier and reassembled instantly by merely pressing a glyph on the underside of the gun, making it useful for Ventus who don't want to throw off their balance by lugging it around. It's a heavy weapon, and is the preferred heavy weapon of the Edolas military due to both it's power and it's disassembly mechanism.
M95 'Zangetsu' Enriched Sakuradite Coilgun Cannon The M95 is a Surface-to-Surface/Surface-to-Air coilgun-operated launcher which fires a 95mm HEAT shaped charge rocket-propelled guided Enriched Sakuradite projectile at extremely high velocities, the launcher sports a scope and can fire rockets over extremely long distances with devastating accuracy. The Zangetsu spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area, is capable of taking out entire groups of infantry at any range, and can decimate nearly any armored vehicle with it's sheer destructive power regardless of energy shielding. Its ability to fire two shots in rapid succession and destroy aerial targets such as jets or helicopters are also a major advantage. It is Edolas' primary anti-vehicular infantry weapon, and finds it's main usage among anti-vehicular squads who carry several of these weapons in order to wreak havoc amongst enemy vehicles.
Larger Variants
M87 'Shinigami' Gatling Coilgun The M87 is a is a six-barrel 40 mm Gatling-type rotary cannon, operated by a 90 hp electric Sakuradite powered motor in external mounts supplied by a bleed air driven pneumatic system. It uses a complete coilgun mechanism to fire Armor-Piercing Incendiary Rounds at 8400 rounds per minute with velocities nearing 10,208.7 meters per second; making it an incredibly powerful weapon capable of destroying even the most powerful MBTs in seconds. The current principal application for the Shinigami is as optional weaponry for several Knightmare Frames as well as optional mounted weaponry for Dragons, but is uncommonly used due to both it's weight and the additional reliability of other systems.
M88 'Mudamir' Hypervelocity Railgun Cannon
