Heavy Gauss Rifle

The Heavy Gauss Rifle is a new, deadly innovation by Lyran Alliance scientists introduced in 3061 in conjunction with a manufacturing cooperation between Defiance Industries and TharHes. Applying their "bigger is better" philosophy to Gauss technology, the Heavy Gauss Rifle is one of the heaviest battlefield weapons in existence, and has a correspondingly high damage potential. Indeed, the recoil from the weapon is so great that the rifle cannot be mounted in a vehicle's turret or 'Mech's arms, as firing the rifle would essentially rip it off. A 'Mech firing the rifle may even be knocked down by the recoil. At close range, the rifle can inflict damage exceeding that of even an Autocannon/20, and so it has earned the handle of "Thor's Hammer" among LAAF troops.

While the Heavy Gauss Rifle is extremely powerful, it also suffers from a number of drawbacks. The heavy projectile fired by the rifle experiences a significant loss of velocity, so it is weaker at greater distances. At medium range, the damage output is slightly reduced. Once at long range, the velocity loss becomes far more dramatic, with this reduced damage being halved. The same projectile weight that causes such a slowdown also makes it necessary to allocate extra space to ammunition. This, combined with the bulk of the rifle itself, can lead to problems. The massive capacitors necessary for the coils that power the rifle are also not particularly inert, and will undergo a catastrophic explosion if exposed to weapons fire. (This can be contained with CASE, however.)

In an attempt to rectify the Heavy Gauss Rifle's shortcomings, work began shortly after its introduction on the (still experimental) Improved Heavy Gauss Rifle.

Models
The Heavy Gauss Rifle is manufactured on the following planets:

Blackwell Arms "Thunderfist"
The first non-Lyran manufactured Heavy Gauss Rifle, the specs for the weapon were acquired due to industrial espionage on the part of WolfNet in response to Loki's theft of Blackwell prototype Light Fusion Engine in 3058. A Star League mediated court settlement ensured both the Lyran Alliance and Wolf's Dragoons could keep the technology they had apparently stolen from the other, with the Dragoons authorising Blackwell to sell 'Mechs using both technologies to the Lyrans' age-old enemies the Free Worlds League and Draconis Combine as a slap in the face.

StarCorps
Editor's Note: A variation on the SturmFeur Heavy Tank mounting a Heavy Gauss Rifle has been encountered by mercenaries in the Lyran Alliance. Details on the manufacturing (or remanufacturing) of this vehicle are scarce. The SturmFeur was originally manufactured on Sudeten by Trellshire. This plant fell to Clan Jade Falcon in 3052 and has remained in that clans possession ever since. The Heavy Gauss Rifle however did not enter production until 3061. As such the particular source and type of the Heavy Gauss Rifles used in the SturmFeur Heavy Gauss Variant are unclear.