Leader
Real World
Story: The Leader was designed by
Charles George, and is a close copy of the AR-18.
It was meant to be an assault rifle that was easier and cheaper to
manufacture. The biggest
differences between the Leader and the AR-18 are the bolt (3 lugs instead of 8),
the charging handle (above and to the left of the handguard), and the carrying
handle on top. The Leader appears
radically different from the AR-18 because of the carrying handle and the
plastic furniture, but is really not that different.
There is one
other big difference; the Leader is a rather pathetic assault rifle that is
close to completely unreliable. The
general opinion is that it was simplified too much.
Quality control was terrible; the flash suppressor was ineffective, the
chamber was undersized, and a magazine could be pushed all the way into the bolt
area when the bolt was locked to the rear, which of course led to an instant jam
upon firing the first shot. The
Leader would also suffer stoppages for seemingly no reason whatsoever.
Though the
Leader has been reintroduced of late in a semiautomatic civilian version, its
reputation is so poor that almost no one is buying them.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Leader |
5.56mm NATO |
3.49 kg |
20, 30, 40 |
$586 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Leader |
5 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4/6 |
2 |
6 |
40 |
Thales F-88 AUSteyr
Notes:
Manufactured under license from Steyr-Mannlicher of Austria, the F-88 is (as the
name suggests) if the Steyr AUG given some extra touches to make it Australian
(and it appears, soon to be New Zealander as well), as well as to suit local
manufacturing methods. The F-88 is manufactured at Thales’ Lithgow Small Arms
Facility and is currently Australia’s standard individual weapon.
Originally, the Australians used what they called the F-88, which is
simply an AUG A1 manufactured in Australia.
The “plain vanilla” F-88 is primarily now used by rear-area troops and
Australian Cadet Corps (for training).
It should be noted that units such as the Australian SAS are using a
combination of the M-16, M-4, and F-88A1/A2/GLA; the F-88 has showed some
increased sensitivity to water and melted snow in Afghanistan, and some of the
SAS troopers feel that the F-88 series’ bullpup layout is too awkward and lacks
natural pointing qualities.
The Australians
primarily use a variation of the AUG A1 version; the F-88A1 is topped by a
MIL-STD-1913 rail which, while it can use the carrying handle/optical sight tube
of the AUG, normally is topped with an integral optical sight of Australian make
that is useful both during day conditions and at night using an illuminated
reticule. It is also fairly long; a
consistent complaint among Australian troops is that the end of the rail is very
near the rearward throw of the charging handle, which can lead to
knuckle-busting and skinned fingers. It does, however, allow for a large number
of accessories to be mounted above the receiver, however. An IR sight is also
common during night operations (though not included in the cost below). (The
F-88A1 is also called the F-88S.) Unlike the AUG, the bayonet of the F-88A1 is
mounted below the barrel. The
F-88A2 is a version that can use NATO MIL-SPEC magazines as well as the
Steyr-designed translucent polymer magazines, but otherwise conforms to the
F-88A1. The F-88GLA is an F-88A1 or
F-88A2 with the addition of an interbar assembly allowing it to mount an M-203PI
40mm grenade launcher (also manufactured in Australia under license from the
US), and the foregrip assembly removed. The F-88GLA also has a quadrant sight
attached to the carrying handle of MIL-STD-1913 rail, and a Firepoint red-dot
sight is also attached for quick shots. (For game purposes, it is otherwise
identical to the F-88A1 or F-88A2.
Other variants
include the F-88C, a carbine version with a 16-inch barrel instead of a 20-inch
barrel. This makes for a very
compact weapon. It is primarily
issued to vehicle crews in reconnaissance regiments and other reconnaissance
units. The F-88T is a 22 Long
Rifle-firing version of the F-88 designed for low-cost marksmanship training,
and is designed to mimic the weight, size, and balance of the standard F-88.
The F-88S-A1C is the carbine equivalent of the F-88A2, with the addition
of a MIL-STD-1913 rail above the receiver and the ability to use NATO Mil-Spec
magazines. A new version, the
F-88A4, is being tested; this version has multiple MIL-STD-1913 rails around
extended handguards, including a bottom rail stressed for the attachment of an
M-203 with a RIS (Rail Interface System, referring to a MIL-STD-1913 rail).
This will also allow rapid mounting and dismounting of the grenade
launcher as needed. It is possible that the Australians will switch to a version
of the US M-320 Grenade Launcher in the same time period.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
F-88 |
5.56mm NATO |
3.7 kg |
30, 42 |
$735 |
F-88A1 |
5.56mm NATO |
3.9 kg |
30, 42 |
$743 |
F-88A2/A4 |
5.56mm NATO |
3.9 kg |
10, 20, 30, 42 |
$743 |
F-88C |
5.56mm NATO |
3.53 kg |
30, 42 |
$694 |
F-88S-A1C |
5.56mm NATO |
3.73 kg |
10, 20, 30, 42 |
$701 |
F-88T |
.22 Long Rifle |
3.6 kg |
10, 20, 30 |
|
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
F-88/F-88A1/F-88A2 |
5 |
3 |
1-Nil |
5 |
2 |
6 |
50 |
F-88C/F-88S-A1C |
5 |
3 |
1-Nil |
4 |
2 |
6 |
36 |
F-88T |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
37 |