Re: Life - Business & Technology

Chapter 119 - Rifles And Ammunition

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Marco escorted General Douglas to a more secure location in the FS Barracks after the infantry variant demonstrations.

The Future Arms factory and offices were located within a heavily guarded area deep into Future Tech's military complex.

Mark DeYoung, a Caucasian-American man in his early 40s, welcomed Marco and General Douglas as they entered the main lobby.

Marco amicably stated, "This is Mark, the previous CEO of Alliant Techsystems, and now the Executive Director of Future Arms after their acquisition."

Mark led them to a firing range testing facility as he said, "As you know, we've been producing the M1156 Precision and the AGM-88 Anti-Radiation missiles based on our pre-existing contract with the Department of Defense. In addition, with the generous funding from the corporate office, we've steadily developed small arms ammunition and battle rifles that may interest you."

Future Arms issued FS operators with licensed designs from Heckler & Koch manufactured using a unique process and material composition but decided to produce ammunition locally for logistics purposes.

So True Velocity, a small Texas-based ammunition company, was purchased by Future Arms in its earliest expansion for their expertise and experience.

Vince wasn't aware that the small local company would eventually replace the long-standing US military 5.56mm round with their patented polymer 6.8mm round in 2019.

General Douglas was too concerned with the armor program and sternly replied, "We can discuss the new rifle and ammunition options later. I'd like to see the Medium Power Armor first."

Mark complied with his request and escorted General Douglas and Marco into a more protected area, accommodating the most sensitive Future Tech military projects.

The group observed five maintenance units similar to ones used by Hammers, but smaller, hosting medium variants known as the Commando.

Though not much bigger than the size of a large human, the Commando featured plenty of the functions seen in the Hammer. Pilots controlled the armor using the deep-sleep interface and supported nutrition fluid for long-duration missions.

SpaceX ordered the first three Commando suits for the astronauts, but Heidi modified them for their specific objectives in Outer Space.

Only the best FS operators could pilot Commandos and Hammers, so Mark instructed a British Special Air Service veteran to initiate the deep-sleep connection and begin the demonstrations.

The Commando was much more imposing than the regular Infantry variant because of the added layers of armor, which counted to its appeal.

The operator entered a bulletproof room and was fired upon by multiple large-caliber machine guns from different directions. The graphene weave and platelayers adjusted energy output throughout the armor as it absorbed the kinetic forces from each bullet.

Ensuring field officers' safety and lives were General Douglas' number one priority for the US Army, and he thought the Commandos would be perfect for that role.

The Commando pilot picked up a new 6.8mm Future Arms light machinegun, featuring an intelligent optic wirelessly connected to the pilot's Hypervisor interface for improved accuracy.

The armor was small enough to allow operators to use typical weapon systems like M4A1 carbines and M24 Sniper Rifles, an essential factor if purchased by the US military.

The light machinegun sprayed all its ammunition without overheating and jamming, which impressed the General's officers, based on their experience.

General Douglas curiously asked, "How much would we have to pay for 1,000 sets of Commando Armor?"

Mark did the quick math before replying, "Each at $10 million, so $10 billion for 1,000 sets before maintenance costs."

General Douglas vomited in his mouth for a second as he said, "Alright, let's go ahead and with the rifle and ammo demonstration."

Mark thanked the SAS veteran for his participation before leading the group to a firing range with different types of ammunition and small arms laid out for inspection.

Mark confidently explained, "Future Arms has developed less-harmful types of 5.56mm and 9mm for hostage rescue situations, but our new 6.8mm polymer cartridge was designed to defeat modern body armor used by Russia and other advancing foreign militaries."

He turned on a video presentation showcasing the ballistic trial results comparing older ammo cartridges like the large-caliber 7.62x51mm and presented 20% better performance across multiple metrics such as Minute of Angle and thermal efficiency.

Mark added, "Our talented local Texan gun machinists have collaborated to create a battle rifle, light machinegun, and sniper rifle specifically designed for utilizing the new 6.8mm ammunition. The first line of small arms made in-house, and not licensed from Colt or H&K."

The rifle meant to replace the M4 was called the FA-68 and sported the newly developed recoil-gas action mechanism in an ambidextrous bullpup form factor.

The FA-68 included a short suppressor and all the necessary modifications such as a laser sight, flashlight, and micro dot optic.

General Douglas observed the FS operator shooting the rifle at various distances from 100 meters to 800 meters reliably, without much recoil or kick between shots.

The Commando operator had already demonstrated the FA-249 light machinegun, so the demonstrator procured the bolt action sniper rifle instead.

The FA-338 boasted an effective range of 2,500 meters using a specially designed version of the Future Arms 6.8mm round with an outstanding ballistic coefficient meant for precision shooting.

The operator aimed at a small target 500 meters away, as any farther would be a test of the shooter's skill rather than the sniper rifle itself, and hit true to the mark with all twenty rounds in its magazine.

General Douglas had his qualms with the configuration, like moving away from the traditional form factor, instead opting for a bullpup design used by the Israelis and Austrians, but said, "Purcashing products like weapons and ammo will take time to be processed by congress and the senate. We'll see how the Future Arms weapons systems fare against General Dynamics, Sig Sauer, and Textron bids. I'm ready for the next demonstration."

Mark bade his farewells to the General and Marco before they boarded a FAV-1 and flew towards the FS Barracks Private Airport.

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A British man in his early 40s was instructing his staff to prepare an FT-05 Super Galaxy for inspection until his secretary interrupted, "Director, our guests from the Department of Defense have arrived."

Kevin Lawson had raced cars in many different categories until he reached his team principal position in Formula 1.

He remembered an executive meeting vividly when Vince Dalton called him out for not reaching for something more significant and achieving success outside of the motor racing industry.

Now he found himself in a very different situation selling aircraft designed by the Future Tech F1 team in collaboration with Future Robotics to the US military.

A different Department of Defense general visited the Airstrip first; as a Caucasian-American man in his early 50s, US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan introduced himself to Kevin.

General Douglas visited Vince earlier than their expected trial week, but General Bogdan only arrived in Austin before noon.

The Air Force General amicably said, "I appreciate the warm welcome, Kevin. I'd like to inspect the transport aircraft when my colleagues join us, but we can start discussing my current military headache, the F-35 program."

The Department of Defense royally screwed up the production of their newest fifth-generation fighter jets by attempting to dedicate only one program to equip the Air Force, the Marines, and the Army.

Naturally, the program would eventually cost approximately $1.7 trillion in 2021 due to management mistakes, software issues, and more taxpayer dollars threatening its failure, and all these problems fell on General Bogdan's lap.

Kevin was well informed about the issue and replied, "Of course, General. I've read the trial results, and I feel for you. Whoever signed off on the program a decade ago was high on drugs or something. Contracting Future Tech to refine the fusion software controls and manufacture the expensive components would be the most straightforward solution. I can introduce you to Patel or Heidi for further and more detailed negotiations."

General Bogdan felt a sigh of relief and happily replied, "That would be much appreciated, Kevin. I can't have the citizens paying for a dumpster fire like the F-35 jets."

Their discussion was interrupted as Marco and General Douglas arrived at the airport to inspect the Super Galaxy, replacing the old Boeing C-17 Globemasters and the C-5 Galaxies.

The demonstrations showcased the higher cargo load and more accessible landing systems, which have been extensively field-tested, performing plenty of missions for Future Tech worldwide, but mainly in Afghanistan.

Both Generals were already intending to purchase multiple FT-05s for the Air Force and the Army after hearing praises from their forces in the Middle East.

General Douglas took the lead and said, "My men will continue the trials throughout the week, but while we're here at the Tech Campus, I'd like to visit the Austin Biosphere."

Marco acted as their guide and accompanied the military officers to one of the most beautiful places in the area, providing delicious fresh fruits and vegetables to the local population.