M92 Individual Combat Weapon System

The M92 Individual Combat Weapon System is a family of military-grade rifles originally created for the Edenian Defense Forces.

Description
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In service, the M92 ICWS was quickly established as the backbone of EDF small arms. Soldiers by and large swear by it. The most common criticism leveled against the M92B is its length. More general complaints with the M92 series as a whole is with the power of the 8mm Government cartridge- not the lack of it, but rather its sheer power makes the M92 series somewhat difficult to control in fully-automatic fire.

It was supplanted as the standard service rifle of the EDF by the M25 ICWS, but has remained in limited use in specialist roles in the EDF, and is still used by non-government forces.

Development
The Next-Generation Infantry Combat Weapon System (NGICWS) program was started in 2167 as a result of the relative ineffectiveness of UEG-era infantry firearms against the tougher armor of Havilahan combat forms during the Unsung War. The program was variously delayed and put on the backburner as shipbuilding took priority in wake of the destruction of the UEG and Red Scare. In the 2180s, however, the program received a new burst of attention as part of a new drive for military standardization in the EDF.

The decision to focus on a multi-weapon came logically- the assault rifle component would handle most soft targets, where the munitions launcher would allow the infantryman an unparalleled level of tactical usability on the battlefield. The 30mm launcher could fit a wide variety of ordnance- primarily grenades, but specialist rounds including flechette rounds, flares, and a fire-and-forget HEAT rocket were also developed. Combined with integration with the individual soldier's BattleNet, this makes the M92 ICWS an incredibly versatile weapons platform.

8mm Government
The 8mm Government cartridge (8×60mm) was developed specifically for the M92 ICWS based on experience in the Unsung War. As a conventional cased cartridge, 8mm Government was designed to allow for a wide range of ammunition- the most popular being High-Explosive Incendiary (HEI), High-Explosive Incendiary/Armor-Piercing (HEIAP), and Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) rounds.

M92A
The M92A is conceptually a simple design: the M92B without the lower munitions launcher, making it cheaper and safer to export. In practice, the M92A was outshone as an alternative to the M92B by the M92C, which simply offered a superior solution in most circumstances. The M92A is the unloved child of the M92 ICWS series, and was mostly relegated to arms sales to those who, for some reason or another, did not want the M92B or M92C.

M92B
Perhaps the definitive variant of the M92 ICWS, the M92B represents the objectives of the original M92 project. The assault rifle section fires 8mm Government, and an underslung grenade launcher firing a wide variety of 30mm smart munitions- most commonly airburst grenades, but it featured a wide variety of munitions ranging from flechette rounds to flares to a small-bore fire-and-forget shaped-charge HEAT rocket.

M92C
With the keen awareness that the M92B was unwieldy at best in tight environments- such as indoors or on ships- the M92C was developed alongside the longer rifle. In practice, the M92C and M92B filled different roles and were used alongside each other. In particular, the M92C proved popular in Eden's navy, as Fleet troopers could more easily manage the carbine's length in the course of their duties- but the Marines and Army continued to use it alongside the M92B as well, especially to equip troops that needed a gun of some sort but did not need the capability of the M92B.

M92D
The M92D is a version of the M92B with tighter tolerances for accuracy and a reinforced construction, designed to serve as a designated marksman rifle. The refined prices increased the cost of the rifle substantially when compared to a standard M92B, thus why the M92D was not adopted in place of the M92B but rather alongside it. The M92D can use a variety of specialized 8mm Government ammunition beyond the wide variety already available to the other M92s due to its reinforced construction. These various rounds are generally designed for superior performance at longer ranges.