Firedrake Support Needler

This article is about the infantry support weapon. For the battle armor variant, see Firedrake Support Needler (battle armor).

Firedrake Support Needler

Overview

The "Firedrake" Incendiary Support Needler is a support weapon produced by Mauser & Gray Firearms for the Lyran Alliance. First introduced in 3061, the "Firedrake" continues in the spirit of previous weapons like the Shredder Heavy Needler on improving the range and power of traditional flechette-based weapons, this time by combining a high rate-of-fire and superior range with the incendiary properties of its special ammunition. These polymer ammunition blocks encapsulate hypergolic chemicals which ignite upon air contact. A single ten-shot burst of these white-hot needles can cover a broad area, allowing the "Firedrake" to saturate a full squad of enemy soldiers and ignite the surrounding terrain in a blaze in less than five seconds, though it has no effect on armored units such as combat vehicles or battle armor as the flechettes simply bounce off.

Since its introduction the "Firedrake" has found its way into the hands of specialized LAAF headhunter commando squads tasked with the liquidation of "soft" assets. The weapon can also be mounted on battle armor, though its size and bulk are increased as a result of the required extra fittings and expanded magazine.

Notes

Specification

Item:Support Needler, Firedrake

Equipment Rating: D/X-X-C/F

Armor Piercing/Base Damage: 3B/7BCS

Range: 16/35/55/80 meters

Shots: 30

Cost/Reload: 500/10

Affiliation: LA

Mass/Reload: 25kg/3kg

Notes: Burst 10; Recoil -2; Crew 2; Needler

Bibliography

• A Time of War
• Combat Equipment
• TechManual