[High-Tech] Military Equipment: Global War on Terror edition

[Michael Thayne]

Another vehicle stated out with some help from Vehicles 3e

AV-8B Harrier II

ST/HP: 87
Hnd/SR: +3/4
HT: 12f
Move: 7/336
SM: +5
Occ: 1SP
DR: 7
Range: 2,100
Loc.: g3WWi
Stall: 25

It's armed with the same GAU-12 as the AC-130. Other weapns include the 70mm Hydra, Sidewinders, AIM-120s (which as noted in a previous post I'm extremely unsure how to deal with), the AGM-84 Harpoon, and the AGM-88 HARM.

The Harpoon is a 34 cm anti-ship missile based on high explosives. This makes it the first case where rule of using cube-root damage for explosives over 100 lbs. TNT becomes relevant. Because I favor that rule, the Harpoon should be something like 6dx27 [6dx3] cr ex. with a range of something like 268/140,000. Using the same Acc 4 for the Sidewinder is probably fine, though it's unclear what makes the most sense at such extreme ranges.

The HARM appears to be designed for taking out radar stations. Possibly ABF, if so then like the AIM-120 I'm unsure how to handle it.

[Michael Thayne]

Apache Helicopter

ST/HP: 90
Hnd/SR: +2/2
HT: 11f
Move: 4/91
SM: +6
Occ: 2SP
DR: 3
Range: 1,180
Loc.: GH2R
Stall: 0

Weapons:
M230 Chaingun: Don't know how to improve on the "Dogfight Action!" 30mm gun, in spite of objections that have been raised by this.
Hellfire Missiles: 6dx18(10) + linked 6dx6 [9d]. Minimum range 475/8,800.

Can also be armed with 70mm Hydra rockets and Stinger missiles.

[Donny Brook]

This is a great thread, Michael Thayne.

Note, you forgot a bold title in post #17.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

This is a great thread, Michael Thayne.

I agree. This comes at a good time as I'm contemplating a TW2K GURPS game!

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

I think improved accuracy was the main point in both cases, I don't know if reliability was improved as well.

Improved accuracy or a longer effective engagement range being a design goal unfortunately doesn't suffice to give a weapon Fine (Accurate) in GURPS terms. The range of Acc numbers for real weapons is not wide and the breakpoints aren't granular enough to differentiate between many weapons that demonstratably have different performance envelopes in the real world.

Consider that Acc 4 covers anything from the MP5 through a wide variety of carbines in 5.56x45mm/.223 Remington, the AKM rifle and the SKS, the Barrett REC7 carbine in 6.8mm or the FN SCAR-H in 7.62x51mm in any barrel length shorter than 19.7-inch*. Even pistols like the USP Match in 9x19mm or an AMT Hardballer Longslide in .45 ACP have functionally the same Acc bonus when held in two hands (Braced) as a high-end carbine in a military rifle chambering fired from the shoulder.

Acc 5 includes anything from budget .30-30 deer rifles, the Vietnam-era M16 firing M193 5.56x45mm and the RPK in 7.62x39mm up to such high-end, accurate and long ranged rifles as the G36, L86A2 Light Support Weapon, Steyr AUG with 24-inch barrel, Remington Model 700 in .308, FN BAR Magnum in .300 Win Mag and the FN SCAR, both in the 5.56x45mm Mk 16 MOD 0 Sniper Variant (18" barrel) and the 7.62x51mm Mk 17 MOD 0 SV (19.7" barrel).

Acc 6 is basically all sniper rifles.

*I'll admit I can't figure out how the 16-inch barrel SCAR-H in 7.62x51mm rates only Acc 4 while GURPS gives the HK33 and HK93A2 in 5.56x45mm Acc 5 despite the shorter 15.4-inch and 16.25-inch barrels and less powerful, flat-shooting and long-ranged round.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Improved accuracy or a longer effective engagement range being a design goal unfortunately doesn't suffice to give a weapon Fine (Accurate) in GURPS terms. The range of Acc numbers for real weapons is not wide and the breakpoints aren't granular enough to differentiate between many weapons that demonstratably have different performance envelopes in the real world.

Consider that Acc 4 covers anything from the MP5 through a wide variety of carbines in 5.56x45mm/.223 Remington, the AKM rifle and the SKS, the Barrett REC7 carbine in 6.8mm or the FN SCAR-H in 7.62x51mm in any barrel length shorter than 19.7-inch*. Even pistols like the USP Match in 9x19mm or an AMT Hardballer Longslide in .45 ACP have functionally the same Acc bonus when held in two hands (Braced) as a high-end carbine in a military rifle chambering fired from the shoulder.

Acc 5 includes anything from budget .30-30 deer rifles, the Vietnam-era M16 firing M193 5.56x45mm and the RPK in 7.62x39mm up to such high-end, accurate and long ranged rifles as the G36, L86A2 Light Support Weapon, Steyr AUG with 24-inch barrel, Remington Model 700 in .308, FN BAR Magnum in .300 Win Mag and the FN SCAR, both in the 5.56x45mm Mk 16 MOD 0 Sniper Variant (18" barrel) and the 7.62x51mm Mk 17 MOD 0 SV (19.7" barrel).

Acc 6 is basically all sniper rifles.

*I'll admit I can't figure out how the 16-inch barrel SCAR-H in 7.62x51mm rates only Acc 4 while GURPS gives the HK33 in 5.56x45mm Acc 5 despite the shorter 15.4-inch barrel and less powerful, flat-shooting and long-ranged round.

Good point(s). It's possible they're essentially normal M16s at the level of granularity GURPS accounts for.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Good point(s). It's possible they're essentially normal M16s at the level of granularity GURPS accounts for.

At the very least, we probably shouldn't give them higher Acc than the FN SCAR and HK416/HK417 rifles that are meant to replace such stop-gap weapons in Australian, UK and US service unless there is some evidence that the purpose-built rifles are substantially less accurate than the modified M16/M4 rifles like the Mk 12 SPR and similar weapons.

Personally, I think there is room to make some sub-MOA sniper rifles in flat-shooting calibers with good ballistics Acc 7. This would allow some of the high-end long-barrelled DMR and Sniper Support rifles to have Acc 6, as, indeed, the SR-25 and M110 SASS already do.

I'd also like to see some of the high-end 12-16" barrel recce rifles and carbines get Acc 5, as I don't really think that an inch or three more of barrel should make all commercial .223 rifles with 16-18" barrels much more accurate and effective than the 'M4 Sniper' with 14.5" barrel, the SCAR-L with 13.8" barrel, the HK416D145RS that Delta actually uses for recce rifles/DMR these days, let alone the FN SCAR-H with a 16" barrel that many SMUs seem to favour in the role nowadays.

In game terms, I think that Fine (Accurate) would make sense for some of the carbines that GURPS currently makes Acc 4. Some 12" barrel carbines with rounds that perform better than .223 at long range might qualify, like the 6.8 SPC or the .50 Beowulf. And I think that many of the newest and shiniest assault rifle/carbine families ought to as well, if only to prevent in-unit gunsmithed stop-gap measures adopted until these were available from being clearly mechanically superior in GURPS.

Upgrading an M4A1 to Fine (Accurate and Reliable) through two days of work and less than $500 in parts shouldn't be clearly mechanically superior to buying the latest $1,500+ carbine that JSOC and SOCOM selected instead. I'm fine with it being equivalent, but I'm leery of stats that essentially say that anyone with Armoury 12+ can easily do better with a basic workshop than top-notch industrial engineers ever do with the best high-tech factories.

[Michael Thayne]

Now on to the bombers:

B-1 Lancer

ST/HP: 208
Hnd/SR: +1/3
HT: 11f
Move: 4/413
SM: +8
Occ: 4SP
DR: 3
Range: 5,900
Loc.: g3WWi
Stall: 64

Can carry a payload of 125,000 lbs. of bombs.

B-2 Spirit

Everyone's favorite stealth bomber.

ST/HP: 195
Hnd/SR: +1/3
HT: 11f
Move: 2/315
SM: +6
Occ: 2SP
DR: 3
Range: 5,900
Loc.: g3WWi
Stall: 70

Can carry a payload of 40,000 lbs. of bombs. Stealth technology should probably give -2, maybe -3 to enemy Electronics Operation (Radar) rolls to detect it.

B-52

ST/HP: 205
Hnd/SR: +1/3
HT: 11f
Move: 3/325
SM: +8
Occ: 5SP
DR: 3
Range: 10,145
Loc.: g3WWi
Stall: 85

Payload is 70,000 lbs. of bombs. Used to use an M61 as a tail gun, but according to Wikipedia this has been removed from all currently-operational aircraft.