The Alien Precision Plasma is a long range precision weapon used by the Alien Forces. It does not benefit from the short range accuracy bonus.
This weapon deals relatively low damage, but has virtually unlimited armor mitigation meaning it will do the same amount of damage to a soldier wearing Predator armor as to one wearing Basic armor. It is generally seen in the hands of Harridans and Caesan Offiers.
Infopedia[]
The Alien Precision Plasma is a extraterrestrial weapon nearly fifty inches in length. It is fitted with a complex holographic sighting array and produces a focused bolt of plasma that travels extremely quickly and can maintain stability over a great range, suggesting it is the alien equivalent of a sniper rifle.
The weapon has remarkable internal similarities to the Heavy Plasma, processing the same lengthened generation chamber that significantly amplifies the energy content of the resulting bolt. The main difference lies with the helical spiral of electromagnets housed in the barrel of the weapon: long and thin, rather than short and compact. This results in a narrow and stretched bolt of plasma that can carve through the air with less resistance (and destabilisation) than normal, and then focus a great deal of energy into a narrower impact point to give more penetrative power.
This fearsome penetrative power is actually somewhat of a mixed blessing. The plasma bolt will punch through almost any conceivable type of armour, but will also punch right through the soldier underneath. While I doubt having a tunnel half an inch wide burned straight through your body is a particularly pleasant experience, it is unlikely to be fatal unless it strikes the brain or another vital organ. This weapon therefore presents an interesting conundrum: it is very accurate even at long range and will bypass any protective equipment the target may be wearing, but it also fires slowly and is unlikely to kill a soldier outright.
Research Information[]
The Alien Precision Plasma is a extraterrestrial weapon nearly fifty inches long that produces a focused bolt of plasma that travels extremely quickly and can maintain stability over great range. The weapon is lightweight in construction and is fitted with a complex holographic sighting array, seemingly designed primarily for the Harridan and Caesan species - hardly surprising given their clear preference for long-range combat.
The Precision Plasma appears to have been developed chiefly with armour penetration in mind. It actually has remarkable internal similarities to the Heavy Plasma Rifle, possessing the same lengthened plasma generation chamber that adds significant energy to the resulting bolt. The main difference lies in the helical spiral of electromagnets housed in the barrel of the weapon; short and compact in the Heavy Plasma Rifle and long and thin in the Precision Plasma. As the configuration of the spiral appears to mirror the type of projectile it produces, the Sniper Plasma produces a similarly narrow and stretched bolt of plasma. This has two main effects: firstly, the projectile's full energy is thus focused onto a smaller area of impact, granting it improved penetrative power. Secondly, the narrower bolt encounters less resistance (and less destabilisation) as it travels through the air towards its target, giving it greater accuracy and range.
Fortunately, the design of the weapon also gives rise to major limitations. The narrow point of impact of the plasma bolt means that it has to be aimed carefully, making each individual shot more time consuming than from the more conventional alien plasma weapons. The weapon also does not appear to possess a burst fire mode, presumably for the same reason - why would you need a second shot if the first one will punch through almost anything? In fact, the fearsome penetration of the weapon is also its biggest flaw - while capable of punching straight through a soldier's armour, it will generally also simply punch a hole straight through their body and anything directly behind them as well. While having a inch-wide tunnel burned straight through your body is hardly conducive to good health, it is also unlikely to be fatal unless it strikes one of the vital organs. This weapon is therefore an interesting conundrum for you, Commander. A bolt from this weapon is unlikely to kill one of your soldiers outright, but equally it will make a mockery of almost any armour we equip them with. It is extremely effective at long range - though it is unlikely to fire more than a single shot per turn, it is a very accurate weapon. It is also a reliable anti-vehicle weapon, capable of destroying any of our vehicles in a few shots, so treat it with caution.
Finally, studying the design of the weapon has been an education in the manipulation of plasma. The data gained from experimentation with the extended electromagnetic helix has been of great use to our ongoing efforts to replicate extraterrestrial plasma technology. If we can capture and research enough different variants of their battlefield plasma weapons, I am virtually certain we will be able to develop our own plasma weapons in our labs.
Weapon Details[]
| Base Damage | Mitigation | Range | Magsize | Weight | Reaction Modifier | Reload AP Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 99 | 30 | 4 | 8.0 | 1.0x | 60 |
| Fire modes | ||||||
| Fire Mode | AP Cost (% of TU) | Base Accuracy | Shots Fired | Suppression (Radius) | ||
| Snap | 49 | 100 | 1 | 60 (1) | ||
| Aimed | 75 | 125 | 1 | 60 (1) | ||
| Precision | 100 | 150 | 1 | 60 (1) | ||
| UFO recovery artefact | ||||||
| Sale Value | $5000 | Auto-Sale | yes | |||