The Eisenarme Kobalt Ship Defense Weapon was developed in 2314 as a completely self-contained weapon system that could be mounted to the exterior of starships easily. It was originally not developed with any particular starship in mind, as GDW clients tend to prefer modular systems that could be integrated onto 'new' designs rather than developing new weapon systems along with new starships. Self contained weapon systems are already fairly mature systems, so the latest Ship Defense Weapon focused on reducing cost of construction and reduction of weight through usage of cutting edge materials.

This follows from a long tradition of similar weapon systems developed inside of the GDW that can be easily mounted to the exterior of a ship with minimal modification.

The system has a lightly armored turret, with slightly thicker armor inserts attached to the forward facing section. The turret itself houses a rail gun on the right side, and a target tracking radar on the left. The rear of the turret houses the auto-loader and ammo racks while the underside of the turret houses connections for power and coolant.