Translation:Shotgun2 txt/en
Technical Specifications: CRC-212 Riot Shotgun
CLASSIFIED LEVEL YELLOW
PHALANX Extraterrestrial Response Unit
Technical Document, Delta Clearance
Filed: 20 March 2084
By: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command
Overview
The alien attack on Mumbai made our situation painfully clear. Their technology is far more advanced than ours. The complete inability of Commonwealth troops to make a dent in the Mumbai offensive revealed critical weaknesses in current military training and equipment. They lost three battalions just bringing the aliens to a standstill without inflicting significant casualties. PHALANX has to overcome these odds, and to do that we need the very best human technology has to offer.
The Excalibur Program was created to find the most effective weapons on Earth by reviewing their manufacturing standards, durability, operational record, and their combat performance in the situations where we've managed to bring the aliens to battle.
From our experiences in Mumbai and other stricken cities, we've concluded that the aliens seem to concentrate their efforts on population centres, especially dense urban areas. A majority of engagements have taken place at knife-fighting range. For the purposes of the Excalibur Program, we've chosen several high-performance weapons for our Close Range Combat package.
Many great shotguns have come out of Italy over the past two centuries; the latest is the Rossi AAA, a semi-automatic combat shotgun developed for use by SWAT and anti-terrorist units. It features several ground-breaking technologies, but its most impressive feature is without a doubt the specially-developed 'Twist' barrel. The Twist is a new type of shotgun barrel that, with a sharp twist of the front handguard, can protrude or flatten the rifling inside the barrel. With this mechanism, the AAA can change its barrel from smoothbore to rifled and back in a tenth of a second. The barrel even adjusts its own diameter and choke to fit whatever type of shell is in the chamber. These two innovations allow the AAA to fire any kind of shotgun ammo at a moment's notice.
The most commonly used military and SWAT ammunition is the 12mm centerfire flechette shell. Each shell contains 8 tiny flechettes -- solid steel needles with fins to stabilise their flight. This ammunition has superior accuracy compared to buckshot and performs excellently against armour. The flechettes are also prone to tumble after penetration, resulting in impressive wounding capability for such a small projectile. Their drawbacks are vulnerability to wind conditions and other deflecting factors. Other types of ammo are available to deal with these situations, however -- and the AAA can fire them all.
In conclusion, the Rossi AAA is a highly versatile shotgun that is among the most effective close-range weapons available. It has a longer range than the CRC-FL Flamethrower and causes more damage than the CRC-8 SMG, providing a good compromise between speed, range and stopping power.
For PHALANX use, we have given this shotgun the classification CRC-212.
Recommended Doctrine
The CRC-212 performs very well at close quarters but quickly loses power as the range increases. Flechette shot tends to spread too far to be effective at range (though less so than ordinary buckshot), while rifled slugs suffer a pronounced projectile drop and are highly susceptible to wind conditions. Though the shotgun can shoot out to medium range, don't expect it to be very effective.
Where this weapon will truly shine is in urban situations where the enemy has little cover to hide behind and can be engaged at close range. However, it can be too long to manoeuvre properly in tight spaces. The CRC-M9 Micro Shotgun may be preferable in these situations.
Addenda
None.