Jane's Weapons of the Rim

Ground Vehicles and Infantry

AK-2147

Type: Infantry
Tech: 2
Cost: 2 IP
Upkeep: 1 Supply
Base Purchase price: 1 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Requires only one month to train
Quite literally the most successful design of the century. The OC56 rifle and a basic combat rig were built for reliability, and it shows. The railgun is so easy to maintain that someone with a few weeks training can master it, and the rig can be cleaned with plain water. This weapon became so famous that Kalashnikov licensed its name to the brand. It is now found it the hands of militias and revolutionaries everywhere

Private Military Company

Type: Elite Infantry
Tech: 3
Cost: 50 IP
Upkeep: 3 W
DP: 4
+1 Black market electromag carbines
+1 Combat armor
+1 Security Training
Base Purchase price: 50 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Requires no training time, Upkeep paid in wealth
On the Rim, it is often easier to buy skilled help than to recruit it. Mercenary forces are a fact of life, and they provide hardened soldiers with good equipment for special roles. The basic gear of the average PMC is equivalent to that of a decent Core state, thanks to the ample cash flows these units bring in. They are especially useful for providing security in hostile areas, with advanced force protection training.

WZ-473

[1]
Type: APC Mobilization
Tech: 2
Cost: 12 IP
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 2 He3
+1 All-terrain mobility
Base Purchase price: 10 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim States pay 1/2 Supply for unmodified WZ-473s
The previous generation of APC used by the PLA, the WZ-473 is a straightforward APC, using off-the-shelf components. It has seen some work the police sector, and is a common sight on the Rim. Sometimes the basic mobility advantage of the WZ-473 could turn the tide of the infantry-centric warfare seen on the rim

T-75

[2]
Type: Armored Cavalry
Tech: 2
+1 Weaponry
Cost: 24 IP
Upkeep: 4 Supply
Base Purchase price: 50 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim States pay 1/2 Supply for unmodified T-75s
One the Rim, true tanks are rare. The T-75 is two generations behind modern Russian equipment. It has the firepower of a true tank, with a gatling cannon and heavy multi-purpose gun. Unfortunately, its design lacks the armor of a true tank, with numerous shot traps and poor sloping. This armored cavalry unit was built purely for export, and built on a massive scale There are even a number of re-engineered plants making this out on the Rim. While the armored cavalry is not comparable to modern weapons, a battalion off these can be the difference between victory and defeat.

SkyShield silo

Type: Orbital Defense
Tech: 3
Cost: 60 IP
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 2 He3
+1 Long Range missiles +1 Kinetic-Kill Warheads +1 Armored Bunker -2 Immobile
Base Purchase price: 60 Wealth
Availability: Limited
With a small navy, often nations desire orbital defense that can controlled from the ground. The SkyShield company responded with a line of hardened bunker-based orbital strike missles. The design was simple, and the company offered installation on site. The system grew to tremendous popularity The SkyShield name has become a generic term for any orbital defense system, but the company remains in business with the devices for sale.

Aerospace Craft and Mecha

F-76 Mustang III Fighter

[3]
Type: Fighter Flight
Tech: 2
Cost: 24 IP Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
+1 Ordnance
Base Purchase price: 16 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified F-76 Mustang IIIs. The F-76 Mustang III is, bar none, the most common fighter on the Rim. Originally designed as a lightweight multirole fighter for the USASF it was widely deployed all along the Pac-Am arm. Left behind by the state of the art, its rugged simplicity and reliability endured it to local militias. In 2180 the plans were officially sold to Falken Aerospace of Olander, though by this time it was estimated more than a dozen Rim worlds were producing reverse-engineered Mustangs for domestic or foreign sales.

Rafale-5200 Interceptors

Type: Interceptor Flight
Tech: 3
Cost: 16 IP
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 4 He3
Base Purchase price: 14 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Rafale 5200s. Unmodified Rafale 5200s have reduced He3 requirements, already included in their statline.
One of the great successes of Dassault Aerospace, the Rafale 5200 has swiftly became one of the most popular fighter craft on the Rim. Originally intended to be a multirole fighter, progressive design changes eventually resulted in a well-performing, lightweight interceptor. Praised for its inovative and efficient scramrocket design, the low mass Rafale 5200 achieves an admirable lifetime cost-effectiveness, a trait that has done much for its Rim popularity. Even some inner worlds have taken up the design as a trainer or low-cost patrol fighter.

Ge-03 Leonid Mobile Suit Family

Ge-03 Leonid Mobile Suit

[4]
Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 8 IP
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
Base Purchase price: 7 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Ge-03 Leonids. The Ge-3 Leonid is a symbol of the core's victory over ZOCU, as the Core’s first effective mass production mobile suit it saw service on nearly every front and helped turn the tide against the rebel mobile suit forces both in space and on land. Although not an exceptionally advanced machine, the Leonid maintained a reputation for reliability and its standard machine gun proved to be more than capable of destroying most mass production ZOCU units.

While now largely phased out of the core’s front line units in favor of newer models, a vast number of surplus suits have found their way to new owners. Leonids can be found in the hands of everyone from local militias on the frontier to pirates on the rim, and have been modified by some of these groups to considerable degrees. It is unlikely that they will disappear entirely from the battlefield anytime soon.

Ge-04 Leonid Gunner Heavy Mobile Suit

[5]
Type: Heavy Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 24 IP
Upkeep: 3 Supply, 6 He3
+2 Heavy Cannon
Base Purchase price: 20 Wealth
Availability: Open
Faced with the danger posed by ZOCU’s extremely powerful mobile armors, the United Nations fielded a highly modified Leonid Mobile Suit to counter the new threat. The Leonid Gunner is a reinforced Leonid Chassis equipped with a heavy shoulder mounted cannon in addition to the suit’s standard machine gun. While perhaps somewhat less capable in suit to suit combat, the Leonid Gunner’s power on the battlefield was undeniable and it proved equally capable on both land and in space.

Like the Leonid Commander, the Leonid Gunner has now largely been replaced by new mass production mobile suits and is often seen amongst militias on the second stage colonies.

Rimfox

[6]
Type: Superfighter
Tech: 2 Boutique
Cost: 60 IP
Upkeep: 8 Supply, 10 He3
+2 Lots of Missiles
+1 Agility
+1 Fusion Boosters
+0 Jolly Roger
-0 Stuck in Jet Mode
-1 High Maintenance
-2 Crazy Rim Design
Base Purchase price: 48 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive

CAM-117 short-range gunboat

Type: Mobile Armor
Tech: 2 Boutique
Cost: 150 IP, 50 Iotimiline
Upkeep: 20 Supply, 100 He3
Latch Points: 2
+1 Iotimiline Positron Impactor
+1 Missile Racks
+2 Nuclear Torch Drive
-1 Fuel Hog
-1 Space Only
-1 Large Size
Base Purchase price: 160 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive
The "Nuclear Kite" of Liliam, the CAM-117 was built by the Republic as a defensive vessel. Based off of a frigate hull with all its long-range equipment removed, the CAM-117 fit a massive nuclear pulse engine and a truly ludicrous amount of armament into the skeleton. Its nuclear pulse engine was incredibly powerful but inefficient for its output compared to more advanced drives. Defensive armor and aerodynamics were sacrificed for speed and offensive power; the CAM-117 mounts a devastating, albeit difficult to aim, positron beam weapon as a spinal armament. Although originally intended for multi-shot use, the power required to fire it even once meant that it was unlikely to recharge before the end of a battle or the destruction of the CAM-117. This is only the largest weapon in the gunboat's arsenal and the hull was packed with multiple-launch missile racks and secondary high-energy lasers drawing power from the CAM-117's oversized reactor.

A difficult ship to manage due to its plethora of high-output systems and limited reserve power, the CAM-117 was nevertheless a major contributor to the war, with numerous kills to its name in various defensive operations. A few examples have been "recovered", via sale, trade, or outright theft, and reverse engineered, and have found themselves in inevitably similar defensive roles. Although outdated compared to the closest design, the Asakuran Kuma, it is nevertheless still a significant threat against large vessels.

Warships and Support Vessels

Type 073-C Hainan Corvette

Type: Frigate
Tech Level: 3
Cost: 32 IP, 4 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 7 He3
+1 Extended range
+1 Sensors
+1 Aerospace
-1 AA
+0 Gravity Drive
+0 Civilian Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 30 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Type 073-C Hainan Corvettes. Treated as Civilian ships for FTL travel time calculation.
Though they saw the least of the fighting against ZOCU during the war, the military officials of the Chinese Arm produced vast quantities of war materials during the conflict, all of which needed escorting against ZOCU raiders operating behind enemy lines. To this end, hundreds of the Type 073-C (more popularly known as the Hainan) corvette were built. Built with a civilian-grade jump engine sufficient to keep up with their charges, they served to effectively reduce loses inflicted on the large supply convoys leading to the front lines.

Surplus after the war and unsuited for deployment with other naval assets, virtually all remaining Hainans were sold to small Rim states for local defense. A relatively modern design, the Hainans has indeed become extremely popular on the Rim. Where it is now a favored staple of frontier police and paramilitary groups who need a solid ship with which to patrol the borders of their space.

Merchant Cruiser

[7]
Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 48 IP, 8 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 12 He3
+1 Cannons
+1 Aerospace Capable
-1 Large Profile
+0 Gravity-Resist Drive
+0 Civilian Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 45 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Merchant Cruisers. Treated as Civilian ships for FTL travel time calculation.
Possibly the most common frontier warship, the average Merchant Cruisers of the Rim are usually built simply by modifying a civilian freighter and arming it with some manner of artillery, sometimes an older model of core built railgun. Appearing in nearly every imaginable shape and configuration, Merchant Cruisers are found in the service of makeshift navies defending independent colonies, as mercenaries, and one of the most common forms of pirate warship.

The one thing that most of these vessels have in common is their ability to operate somewhat within a planetary atmosphere, being built from rugged craft designed to land on worlds where spaceports are primitive and transportation haphazard.

Ironsides Class Escort

[8]
Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 3
Cost: 48 IP, 16 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
+1 Reactive Hull Plating
+1 Anti-Missile Chaff Guns
-1 AA
-1 Rim Design
+0 Dual-stage Ion Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 64 Wealth
Availability: Open
The appearance of the Mako Interface Striker in the hands of pirates sent shockwaves through the Rim and the Expanse. Nations and captains alike scrambled to find an answer to the low-profile vessel's extreme speed and firepower. Recognizing that it would be difficult at best to design a vessel with comparable performance, many developed worlds began constructing sturdier escort vessels that would be able to weather the Mako's punishing missile barrages and keep on shooting. With most small gun mounts occupied by point-defence turrets, the Ironsides class has little in the way of anti-aerospace armaments. Given its purpose, however, that was a sacrifice many were willing to make. It has allowed the Ironsides to remain an extremely economical vessel that is able to answer the Mako's technological superiority with sheer numbers and spiteful durability.

Mako Interface Striker

Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 4
Cost: 96 IP, 16 Condensates, 16 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 12 He3
+1 Swarm Missiles
+1 Stealth
+1 Cargo
+1 Aerospace
+0 Intertial-Control Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 160 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive
One of the most dangerous ships in the Rim, the lethal aerodynamic arrow of a Mako interface striker inspires fear in any sensible captain. Armed with banks of swarm missiles, clad in radar-deflecting composites and equipped with a high-powered inertial drive, these ships would not be out of place in the fleets of the Core Worlds. What gives their true purposes away is the fitting of a capacious cargo bay inside their streamlined hulls.

Possibly the most popular big-ticket item on the galactic black market, so far it is unknown who is producing Makos or exactly how many have been built to-date. What is known is that almost of these ships are used by ‘rogue elements’ for rapid planetary ingress and egress.

Rampart System Defence Cruiser

[9]
Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 3
Cost: 160 IP, 20 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
DP: 2
+1 Naval Railgun Battery
+1 Composite Hull Plating
-1 Rim Design
+0 E-Type Repulsor Drive
+0 Civilian Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 180 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Treated as Civilian ships for FTL travel time calculation.
Too distant from the industrial worlds of the core to easily aquire new purpose-built warships, many of the wealthier independent worlds in the Expanse and Rim were struggling to defend themselves from growing local threats with fleets of aging MacArthur system control ships and converted civilian vessels. The growing market eventually saw several worlds attempt to turn a profit through developing and marketing locally built warships to those who could afford their relatively staggaring price tag. Owing to the limited number of worlds that were able to incorporate newer technologies into their designs, only a few of the myriad of ship variants have survived over the decades. The Rampart class was the most popular of these, an icon of practicality and reliability that was eventually copied and mass produced all over the Rim and the Expanse, where they continue to serve with pride.

Galileo Starship

[10]
Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 200 IP, 50 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 30 He3
DP: 2
+1 Aerospace Capable
+1 Armor
+0 Arc-Plasma Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 200 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Galileos.
While they are one of the largest common warships found amongst the ramshackle flotillas of the Rim, the aged Galileo Class Starships were not originally built for the long career of battle and sometimes infamy that most of the remaining ships of the class have served though. Built as part of the United Nation’s exploration program over a century ago, the Galileos were to be a platform for peaceful exploration and reuniting the scattered and forgotten frontier worlds of humanity with the homeworld.

Built for long voyages into the unknown, they were large and incredibly durable ships for their day, designed to survive any possible danger encountered on their voyages into the frontier. In addition to this, they were the first ships of their size to have such expanded ability for atmospheric flight to better facilitate exploration of unknown worlds. The Galileos served the United Nations well, and very few were ever lost during their use by the UN Forces. Gradually replaced by newer and increasingly more specialized designs, the Galileos began to fall into the hands of often less than reputable buyers from the Rim.

The large size and sturdy hull of the Galileo made it perfect for modification into a primitive gunship by groups unable to afford or without the political clout to acquire purpose-built modern warships. Though by any stretch of the imagination even the most heavily upgraded Galileos are very much behind the times in technology and armaments, their relatively low cost makes certain that the remaining ships will likely not be fading into obscurity anytime soon.

Pirate Base Ship

Type: Light Carrier
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 40 IP, 20 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
DP: 60
+1 Expanded Hanger
-1 Armor
-1 Electronics
-1 Rim Design
+0 Thermonuclear Pulse Drive
+0 Civilian Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 48 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Pirate Base Ships. Treated as Civilian ships for FTL travel time calculation.
Purpose-built carrier ships are rare on the rim, with fighter craft usually being carried upon some manner of hastily converted large freighter or old helium tanker. While their vast former cargo bays may be able to carry a large number of fighters, these ships tend to be extremely frail when exposed to enemy fire. While many serve in what are as far as the Rim goes, respectable navies, they are nearly universally referred to as Pirate Ships because it was raiders who originally pioneered the concept and have certainly made the most use of it.

MacArthur Class Battleship

[11]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 200 IP, 100 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 5
+1 Armor
-1 Slow
-2 Old Pac-Am Design
+0 Arc-Plasma Rocket Drive
+0 Delta Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 240 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified MacArthurs. Some of the largest warships of its era, the MacArthur Class Battleships were the pride of the Pac-Am Battle Fleet during their day. Unfortunately for the handful of frontier warlords and admirals with delusions of grandeur who have gained access to the sold for scrap survivors of the class, their day was in fact a very very long time ago. Extremely slow and under armed by modern standards, these ponderous aged giants are outmatched when placed against any modern ship of the line or heavy cruiser.

Despite their obsolete nature, it is unlikely that any of those killed by the heavy railguns of MacArthur Class ships in the frontier conflicts they have seen action in would agree that their dated nature makes them any less lethal. Especially when one considers that they are mostly used against civilian targets and the other equally ancient craft of the Rim. It is estimated that more than two hundred of MacArthurs or foreign equivalents from almost two dozen different sources still prowl the Rim.

Mikasa class Battleship

[12]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 200 IP, 100 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 20
+1 Armor
+1 Hangars
-1 Slow
-1 Slow Tracking (limited turret arc)
-2 Old Pac-Am Design
+0 Arc-Plasma Rocket Drive
+0 Delta Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 240 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Mikasas.
As the frontier was pushed back, it was found that the hangar capacity of standard MacArthur ships was simply too small to effectively support the large warships months from any reinforcements. Never designed with high-frequency use in mind, even during peaceful operations their hangars could be easily overwhelmed with arrivals and departures.

During the Eris Feral Outbreak several Japanese battleships were damaged by feral drone attacks. Faced with the option of sending them to a fully-outfitted star yard for repairs - a three-month transit - the Japanese expeditionary force instead took the novel approach of stripping the damaged railgun turrets and placing small craft bays in the resulting space. While hardly ideal on paper, this proved to be an effective modification in practice.

After the successful containment of the outbreak, both the Japanese and the Americans were quick to see the use of additional hangar bays, modifying a number of battleships still in the shipyards, dubbing them the Mikasa class. With the ability to operate an entire squadron of fightercraft, the Mikasas proved popular among outer rim admirals. Unfortunately, while the repositioned turrets did not reduce their firepower, arcs of fire were noticeably reduced and these ships gained a reputation as poor gunboats.

Gangut class Battleship

[13]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 200 IP, 100 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 5
+1 Armor
+1 Scattering Field Emitters
-1 Slow
-1 AA
-2 Old Sino-Russian Design
+0 Arc-Plasma Rocket Drive
+0 Delta Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 240 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: Rim states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Ganguts.
During the 2130s and 2140s, the combined Russian and Chinese exploration and colonization forces were running into particularly persistent feral drones. While only two ships were lost outright, continued non-critical damage taxed long supply lines. A program was thus instituted to increase the survivability of the fleets.

It was originally intended to simply update and increase the armor on the existing Gangut battleships, but a more technically audacious solution was instituted. A powerful sperical scattering field was fitted that could effectively deflect both physical impactors and directed energy weapons, the precursor to the heavy combat shielding found on almost all modern combat vessels. This proved so effective in service that all existing battleships were refitted with a similar shield array. Unfortunately, sidescatter emissions from the shield emitters interfered with high-frequency AA tracking sensors and the Ganguts were notoriously incapable of effectively engaging aircraft, choosing instead to hunker behind their bubble-shields.

In Chinese service, they were known as the Dingyuan class.

Colossus Battlewagon

[14]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 2
Cost: 500 IP, 50 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 40
Docking Rings: 5
+1 Particle Projection Cannons
+1 Extended Range Targeting
+1 Armor
+1 Collars
+0 Hangarize!
-1 Large Profile
+0 Arc-Plasma Rocket Drive
+0 Civilian Delta Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 440 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive
Special: Treated as Civilian ships for FTL travel time calculation.
Overshadowed by the so-called 'First Space War' and nearly unknown to the Core worlds, the 2nd Galapagos War raged across the deep rimward marches between 2169 and 2175. Fought between the Republic of Liliam and the Laughter Dynasty it was a match in slow-motion with fleets deployed months away from any reinforcements or home port. The strategic stalemate was held at a continued expenditure of lives and ships until the Dynasty finally completed the first three Colossus battlewagons. These immense warships were formed up into a single offensive division and sent to break Liliam lines - which they did to great success. An additional two hulls were completed by the end of the war and these powerful ships remain the core of the Dynasty's fleet.

It is unknown where the Laughter Dynasty acquired the technology to build the sophisticated long-range, high-output particle cannons fitted to the Colossus, but for over a decade they dominated the Rim. It was only in the aftermath of the First Space War that industrial espionage was successful in reverse-engineering the technology. Since then, several strikingly similar ships have made appearances across the Rim.

In addition to their long range engagement capabilities, equal to even the most modern Core-built battleships, the Colossi also had a respectable air wing and the ability to transport multiple HLVs or STL frigates. This made them uniquely versatile and set the pattern for future Dynasty designs.

Jane's Weapons of the CPTO (Cooperative Pacific Treaty Organization)

Jane's Weapons of the EU

Jane's Weapons of the Sino-Russian Arm

Jane's Weapons of ZOCU

Jane's Weapons of the Expanse

Jane's Weapons of the Rim

Jane's Civilian Equipment