Designation: A-460 Light Repeating Blaster

Manufacturer: Blastech Corporation

Physical Description: Rapid fire long barrel repeating blaster, two handed use, high power scope, multiple power and firing rate settings, Approx 50 shots per power pack with standard A400 series power packs, approx 250 with specialist power packs

History: The A-460 is directly developed from the A-440 used by Lynx Commando. Seeing a gap in capabilties between the standard blaster rifle carried by infantrymen and heavier support weapons like the E-WEB, Blastech developed the A-460 Light Repeating Blaster. Designed to provide a high volume of fire for extended periods, or a very high rate for short spells, the A-460 shares more than 60% common parts with the A-440 and A-450 blaster rifles. This approach allowed a very fast development and cheap production, as the rear of the weapon is practically identical to the existing 400 series weapons, and the long barrel and bipod from the A-450 are reused, albeit slightly modified.

Use:   The A-460 is designed to provide fire support in situations where the larger support weapons like the E-WEB are inappropriate. Most importantly, the weapon is designed to be portable and usable by a single team-member, unlike the 2-3 required to carry and use the E-WEB effectively.

As with all blaster weapons, heat generated while firing can be a problem, and is, along with the problem of ammunition, a limiting factor in the rate of fire of the weapon. Specialised weapons like Solo's Rapid Fire Blaster rely on a small ammunition supply and extensive cooling to be usable, while the E-WEB's external cryo/power pack provides both ammunition and cooling required for extended rapid-firing. Both of these methods greatly increase the size and weight of the weapon, so the BlasTech engineers came up with a simpler solution - get rid of the heat by getting rid of the barrel. As the weapon is rapid-fired, the barrel tends to heat up, as expected. The limited cooling system, identical to that which allows the A-440 and A-450 to be fired semi-automatically without significant trouble, handles the heat for a short while before the entire unit begins to heat up, degrading power and accuracy. At this point, the operator removes the barrel module and replaces it with a new one, leaving the old one to cool down. The operator can continue to rapid fire as long as he or she has barrels to replace the hot ones, and as long as the ammunition supply holds out. This second problem is largely tackled with the new power pack, containing power for around 250 shots, although their specialised nature makes them scarce. Standard practice is to recover expended packs for recharge, and use standard A-440/A-450/Carbine power packs if necessary.

With slight modifications from the A-450, the longer barrel houses an improved Galven Circuitry array for greater accuracy and range, while the added light bipod allows the shooter greater stability when firing.