Weapon Name- AE-0006 21-50B
Round Type- 6.2mm x 34mm
Over-all length- 24.5 inches
Barrel length- 16.5 inches
Weight- 7.1 lb
Rate of Fire- 540 RPM
Feed Mechanism- Top fed detachable box magazine
Round Capacity- 60 rounds
Effective Range- 600 meters
Range- 1200 meters
Accuracy- 1 MOA
Accessories- Picatinny Rails
Quick switch firing mechanism-
Scope/Sights- Picatinny Rails
Muzzle Velocity- 850 m/s, 7.15 grams (2600 joules)
Firing System- Long stroke gas piston counter balancing
Miscellaneous/electronic information- The weapon is essentially based on the AEK-971, with a long stroke gas piston counter balancing system in a bullpup body, utilizing the caseless 6.2mm round.
Basic Information
The weapon is essentially based on the AEK-971, with a long stroke gas piston counter balancing system in a bullpup body, utilizing the caseless 6.2mm round. The AEK-971 mechanism is relatively short, and the barrel is only 16.5 inches long due to the faster burning propellant, allowing the weapon to be 24.5 inches long, or marginally longer than many submachine guns, such as the P90, MP7 or Micro Tavor. The short overall length makes it easily maneuverable in close quarters combat, being substantially shorter than the M4 carbine at 33 inches, the Tavor at 30 inches, and around the same length as the micro Tavor and other firearms. Combined with this is the counter balancing recoil system, which utilizes a forward reciprocating mechanism to cancel out felt recoil, reducing muzzle climb and making the weapon much easier to operate in fully automatic or rapid fire. The weapon most commonly utilizes a 60 round magazine, with each round being 9.15 grams, and each magazine weighing approximately 1.5 pounds.
The counter balancing system works by using an operating rod that pushes a gear forwards as well as backwards to achieve it's effect. This system uses a recoil-reducing countermass mechanism with two operating rods that move in opposite directions, thereby providing "balance". One operating rod, the upper, has a gas piston facing forward while the lower also has a gas piston. The gas tube at the forward end of the handguard is double-ended to accommodate the two rods. The enlarged gas tube cover of the upper handguard guides both rods in their travel. When the rifle is fired, gas is tapped from the gas port to enter the gas tube, driving the bolt carrier to the rear and the counter-recoil upper rail forward. The critical timing of the reciprocating parts is accomplished by a star-shaped sprocket that links and synchronizes both components, causing both to reach their maximum extension, or null point where forces are exactly equal, at exactly the same instant. The felt recoil is therefore eliminated, enhancing accuracy and assisting control during fully automatic fire. The travel distance of the AK-107 reciprocating parts is less than other Kalashnikov designs, so the cyclic rate is higher at 850–900 rounds/min rather than 600 rounds/min on other AK rifles. However, as the felt recoil is virtually eliminated, the manufacturer claims that accuracy is enhanced, especially during burst fire. An enhancement of 1.5 to 2 times, compared to the original AK-100 series, has been reported. Additional mechansism, such as an extremely smooth surface like in the AGS-30 helps to further reduce recoil by smoothing out the action. A multiple stage spring is used, in addition to a recoil buffer mechanism similiar to that used in the HK45 is used to help spread out the peak recoil force over the rifle's actions, instead of causing sudden jerks, reducing the felt recoil and decreasing the disruption of the user from shifting off his point of impact. A simple but important pepper pot muzzle break helps provide an additional 30-40% reduction in recoil, but does not disrupt the bullet in flight, aligning itself with the grooves of the barrel, similiar to the FN F1 and F2 sniper rifles, in order to maintain accuracy.
The round has very good long range performance, possessing more energy at 300 yards (1800 joules) than the 5.56mm at the muzzle, 1300 joules at 600 yards, more energy than a .357 magnum at 800 yards (1000 joules), and roughly the same energy as a standard handgun round while also still being supersonic to 1500 yards (400 joules). The 6mm has more energy than a 7.62mm NATO at 500-600 yards and beyond, meaning it actually performs better at these ranges despite the low initial muzzle energy. This incredible long range performance out does even the .308, and is vastly superior to the 5.56mm, which drops off in power substantially at 300 yards. The round is intended to fulfill the 6mm SAW requirements, being a round that performed as well as the 7.62mm NATO at long ranges but could be used in a 5.56mm sized rifle and be shared between the LMG and assault rifles of the squad. In addition, the firearm fills the gap left by the 5.56mm's poor terminal performance. While the 5.56mm is adequate at close range, past 300 yards the round suffers dramatically, losing most of it's power and accuracy and additionally failing to tumble and fragment under 760 m/s. According to reports by the U.S. military, the 5.56mm failed to perform as well as the military was hoping at ranges of 300-600 meters, and has roughly 50% of engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan were between 300-900 meters, this became a pertinent issue for the U.S. military. The M14, a weapon chambered in the 7.62mm NATO, was reintroduced, but due to it's heavier weight, poorer maneuverability and lack of standardization with the 5.56mm, created issues being integrated in to the squad. Instead with the 6.2mm caseless round, the round can now reach these ranges with relatively little problem, allowing every soldier to be potentially be a marksmen, and the machine gunner to suppress out to long ranges, the same as the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. The 6mm round has more energy than the 7.62mm NATO at 600 yards, and a flatter trajectory, reaching a maximum height of 3 foot above the target along a 600 yard trajectory. At 1000 yards the round only reaches a maximum height of 8 feet, which is less than the 7.62mm NATO at 850 yards with 10 feet, or the 7.62mm NATO sniper round of 10 feet at 1000 yards. However, the weapon drops off rapidly after this, increasing the maximum height of the cartridge to 12 feet at 1200 yards. Compared to the 6mm SAW cartridge, it uses a heavier bullet and has slightly more power, utilizing .25-45 sharp gun powder and 35 grains of powder instead. By using the same powder in the 6.2mm casless round, the cartridge is much smaller than it's power would otherwise suggest, and it allows for a cooler, cleaner burn. The powder is also the same type of caseless powder and binder used in the LSAT series of weapons, being smaller, lighter and less prone to overheating and cook-offs than most caseless weapons.
The weapon uses a detachable polygonal cobalt chrome gain twist "flow formed" 3 groove 1:7 inch (1 complete turn in 1 in 7 inches / 180 mm) right hand turn barrel; the barrel is made of an alloy that contains more than 50 percent cobalt. The barrel is roughly 13% heavier than standard steel barrels, but is more erosion and corrosion-resistant and is designed to retain high strength during long-term exposure to high temperatures. Cobalt alloys are frequently used in the aerospace industry, such as the hot-gas section of turbine engines. A proof of concept M240 7.62mm x 51mm NATO barrel, in practice, had 24,000 rounds test-fired through it, causing it to reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees, without failure. A steel barrel would have failed under such treatment. The gain twist not only enhances the accuracy of the weapon, but also dramatically increases it's life. As the first 4 inches and last 4 inches of the barrel receive the greatest wear, the gain twist allows a more gradual application of the rifling, thus providing less friction to the bullet and the barrel, which both increases accuracy and durability, as well as the velocity of the bullet. The barrel itself, combined with polygonal rifling, is extremely durable, and has a minimum 30,000 round barrel life, although it is possible to extend this or get use out of the rifle after the minimum is reached. In addition to this, the barrel is cryogenically treated, making it harder and thus slightly more durable. The weapon resultingly has high accuracy, achieving approximately 1 MOA, and good durability nad heat resistance for sustained fir use. The barrel is detachable in a mechanism similar to the Tavor, but uses locking lugs on both sides of the barrel, and is optionally quick detachable. Quick-detachable barrels, like on the Steyr Aug, are generally inaccurate, possessing around 4.5 MOA, which either requires precision made parts (like on a machine gun) to compensate or poor accuracy in order to operate. As a result, like the Tavor it has a locking mechanism to keep barrel tight within the weapon, but it also can be fitted in the weapon without these tightening mechanisms. This gives the option of having a quick-detachable barrel or a slow detachable barrel, thus allowing for the ability to swap barrels quickly in combat with LMG or SAW variants of the weapon, but be tightened if better accuracy (such as with a Marksmen weapon) is desired.
The weapon uses a muzzle break which contours with the rifling grooves of the barrel and is tightened in the barrel to retain the weapon's barrel harmonics, like with the FR F2. This muzzlebreak prevents the disruption of the gyroscopic stability of the rifling imparted normally by muzzlebreaks, reducing accuracy problems that are often associated with them. Thus the muzzlebreak not only reduces the recoil by approximately 40%, but also increases accuracy over normal firearms. The muzzle break essentially dampens barrel vibrations and reduces the felt recoil, and the muzzle ports matches the grooves the rifling in the barrel which helps limit distortion to the projectile as it's leaving the barrel. Combined with rotating cylinder and lack of moving parts while firing, the recoil of the weapon is rather low, and slightly lighter than a 5.56mm weapon. This helps the weapon maintain controllability under high volumes of fire. The weapon has 2 inches of adjustability in the stock, which allows it to fit to the shoulder and gear of an individual soldier, but is much stiffer than most adjustable stocks, serving as a good platform for accuracy. The weapon possesses an ambidextrous 3-position safety and a non-reciprocating bolt handle on the top of the firearm, as well as an adjustable cheek weld with an additional kevlar pad underneath it to protect the soldier's face in case of a catastrophic malfunction in the firearm. The trigger is 5.5 pounds, relatively light for a bullpup and crisp, using an incredibly smooth and deburred trigger system to reduce the pull weight and make it easier to rapid fire with. The weapon performs remarkably well out to 600 yards, being far superior to the 5.56mm in terms of power and barrier penetration, as well as the 7.62mm NATO round. The smaller diameter bullet with high energy can penetrate armor better than the 5.56mm or 7.62mm at 600 and 1000 yards, and does better than the 5.56mm even under 100 yards. The weapon has 45% more power than a 5.56mm and 30% more power than an Ak-47 at the muzzle, with a round roughly the same size as an Ak-47, giving it good barrier penetration and stopping power. The round shares commonality with the machine gun of the squad, thus reducing logistics problems for the military. The high accuracy, low felt recoil, light weight and small size of the gun makes for a very effective combat rifle, that can function effectively as an infantry automatic rifle or assault rifle.
