40x100mm Maque

The 40x100mm Máquè (麻雀 - Sparrow) is a caseless, rocket propelled grenade produced and used by the Daqin Diguo and its Diguo Junshi. Though occasional, iterative changes are made to the design, it is one of a small handful of abnormalities in the imperial inventory that has stood the test of time. Rather than being cycled out and replaced by newer, more advanced designs, it has reliably and economically provided portable, convenient firepower and utility since 2261 CE. Besides typically offering various types of firepower, the same projectile type can also offer a myriad of utilities, ranging from grappling hooks, to launched drones and tracking devices.

Its selection of guided munitions share very high component commonality, and primarily consist of an up-scaled gyrojet design. The rocket nozzles propelling the grenade both serve to spin stabilize the projectile, as well as provide steering when a target is locked or a travel course is set. The guidance package at the nose of the projectile allows it to lock-on to the user's designated target, seek targets set within its user's engagement criteria, follow a predetermined flight-path before engaging its seeking properties, and air-burst to ensure a 'hit'. The practice of 'bouncing' the projectile is recommended against but practiced by some users regardless, with mixed results due to potential seeker head damage.

Despite taking design elements of an almost ancient 35mm design that predated The Combine, the predecessor to the current 40mm DPS60 design was introduced in 2260 CE and was accepted after trials a year later. Its payload consists of a shaped charge as well as a fragmentation sleeve. The standard shape charge typically consists of an inverted cone of copper, which on detonation, becomes a hyper-sonic semi-liquid armor-piercing jet. Despite this, far more effective liners such as tantalum are available to special forces and high-tier operations. Meanwhile, its fragmentation sleeve is composed of tungsten steel that is 3D fabricated with scoring to ensure even distribution on detonation. Unfortunately, the dispersed fragments have a tendency to favor the side and rear arcs due to the presence of the shaped charge assembly.

This round is ideal for disabling lightly armored vehicles with direct hits, and injuring light infantry with its fragments. The blast effects close to the point of detonation are typically considered subpar, capable of severely injuring but not necessarily killing a human being outright.

The DSD60 design was produced alongside several other munition types in 2260CE such as the aforementioned DPS60, and included many common fundamentals seen in other weapons of its class from previous decades. Due to space savings made with the omission of a conical shaped charge liner, additional high-explosive filler could be fit into the projectile for a much more substantial blast. Meanwhile, the tungsten steel fragmentation sleeve has full coverage of all arcs, and includes an increased number and mass to all the pre-scored fragments.

Though incapable of taking on lightly armored vehicles, it will severely injure and maim light infantry that lack full-body fragment protection. Meanwhile, its blast effects are 'acceptable', being capable of killing humans very close to the point of detonation when not taking into account the hail of fragments.