SMALL ARMS
XCom ACR
A hybridization of the US ACR project and the Heckler & Koch G11. The standard ACR held a magazine of 50 4mm APFSDS rounds. Originally designed to punch through alien armour, it was later superceded by the Laser rifle, but remained in service with XCom base security, Bureau XIII teams and vehicle crews.
XCom 11mm Automatic
The standard XCom sidearm. The recoil from this heavy calibre pistol was greatly reduced by extensive damping & magnaporting.
XCom Laser Rifle
The first development of Dr Louisa Klein's Directed Energy Weapons team. The original laser rifle issued had a tendency to break down, but the weapon was made more rugged until by the end of the campaign it was the standard XCom rifle.
XCom "Macrogun" support weapon
A large calibre, fully automatic weapon, firing HE or AP rounds. The "Macrogun" earned its nickname from being a larger calibre variation of the so-called "minigun" design. Because of its considerable bulk and recoil, it required a special breed of heavy weapons gunner to handle this beast.
XCom Assault Combat Shotgun
A "special", ordered by Lt Dinova to make up for a complete inability with firearms on the part of Professor Tregear. The ACS was simple a double-barrelled, sawn-off, pistol grip 8-gauge shotgun, with an extending forearm stock for bracing. Its custom built shells came in standard shot, solid slug and APFSDS variations.
M72 LAW
The standard US Light Anti-Tank Weapon, the LAW was a one-shot disposable rocket launcher designed for taking out armoured vehicles, but XCom used it extensively both against Golden Androids and light saucers.
Pancor Jackhammer GSG9 Special
Not strictly an XCom weapon, but several of these hybrid weapons came to Swiss Base with von Strasse's combat team. The Jackhammer was a 12 guage combat shotgun which was extensively modified by GSG-9 armourers to fire an overloaded APFSDS round, capable of piercing alien armour.
Kalass Particle Weapon
A Russian weapon, assigned to Russian Special Forces troops on anti-alien missions. XCom never had a working copy of this, but the Kalass was a heavy backpack weapon resembling a high tech flamethrower. Its particle beam was considerably more powerful than the standard XCom laser, but the weapon was unreliable and prone to breakdown.
ARMOUR
Standard issue plate
When it was discovered that standard Kevlar Ceramic armour was virtually ineffective against alien plasma weapons (and in some cases made matters worse), the hunt was on for a form of XCom body armour. It was developed from the standard alien alloys and is based on the skinsuits worn by Slug soldiers. XCom was unable to produce a fabric quite as strong, so the XCom armour was supplemented by alloy plates covering various weak spots. It remained the standard XCom armour throughout the campaign.
Mk1 Power Armour
Big and clunky, XCom's first attempt at power armour was a considerable success. Carrying 5cm of solid alloy armour, and a 76mm laser cannon of awesome destructive power, the Power Armour was more than a match for any Grey weapons, and would allow XCom troopers to go toe-to-toe with Golden Androids. Later, extensive modifications were made to the suit, allowing to carry a mix of weapons.
AIRCRAFT
XCom "Interceptor"
The standard XCom fighter aircraft. This revolutionary aircraft used 3d vectored thrust giving it unparalleled manouverability. Capable of dogfighting at speeds of Mach 1-2, it had a top speed of Mach 3.8 and with mid-air refuelling and V/STOL capability could operate just about anywhere in the world. Standard armaments were 1 cannon (later replaced by laser cannon) and 6 Avalanche missiles.
XCom "Skyranger" VTOL troop transport
The standard XCom troop transport. Heavily armoured but unarmed, this craft could carry up to 12 XCom troops at just under Mach 1.
McDonnel Douglas AV8A2 Harrier
The standard VTOL attack aircraft. Originally developed by British Aerospace, the subsonic Harrier was used by XCom in a close support role. Its pilots used tactics originally developed for use with attack helicopters like the Apache i.e. come in very low and fast using ground cover. Pop-up fast to take a shot and don't let the enemy get a shot at you. Despite such dangerous duty, the XCom Harrier pilots were phenomenally successful in taking out enemy Motherships on the ground. Standard armaments for XCom Harriers were unguided rocket pods, plus the aircraft's internal cannon.
XR-71 "Blackbird"
Using an old Lockheed SR-71 airframe donated by the Americans, XCom put together a testbed aircraft for the new gravitic drives. The SR-71 supplemented its exisisting engines with a small grav drive. With its original engines it was capable of speeds up to Mach 3, flying on grav drives alone it could fly at Mach 1 in complete silence. When both forms of propulsion were used, the XR-71 became an incredibly manouverable powerhouse (despite its huge size) capable of speeds theoretically up to Mach 8!!! (Although of course, speeds like that were impossible in atmosphere, but the grave drives gave the Blackbird trans-orbital capability)
XCom "Tempest" (Interceptor II)
The Tempest was the winning entry in the race for the next generation of XCom interceptors. The first, a continuation of the development of the Blackbird airframe, was ruled too costly due to the need to reverse engineer the 'bird. The second option, to build a copy of the alien 'scout class' fighters was ruled out as they were too fragile. The winning concept was to rework the existing Interceptor design to make the most advantage of the new grav drives. The Tempest is faster, capable of flight at almost any angle of attack, and as manouverable as the UFOs. Typical weapons fit is either 1 Laser Cannon and 6 Avalanche missiles, or two laser cannons linked. The Tempest is trans-orbital and was the spearhead of XCom's drive into space.
"Elektron" spaceplane
An offshoot of the ill-fated Buran "Space Shuttlesky" project, the Elektron was a sleek delta shaped craft designed by Russia to be launched at the top of a rocket booster in order to intercept satellites in high Earth orbit. They were donated to XCom when Tregear expressed interest in any old Buran airframes that might be going cheap for testbed purposes. XCom refit the Elektrons with grav drives, and preferring the Tempest for combat duties, left them unarmed. Their armaments bays were stripped out and replaced with troop compartments. Each Elektron could carry four Powered Armour troopers, or up to eight regular troopers anywhere in Earth orbit. Ironically, while several squads of Powered Armour troopers were formed and trained in EVA combat, earning them the nickname "The Space Rangers", the only operation where Elektrons actually deployed troops was on Earth, in the Great Lakes region, and the troops deployed were regular Rangers. In that instance, the two spaceplanes gained the element of surprise by traveling underwater to their destination.
Other Aircraft
XCom operates a small fleet of support aircraft, UH-1 Hueys being common for non-combat transport, and a Skycrane heavy lifting helicopter was often used to transport captured UFOs back to base. For 2nd Echelon combat teams, arriving at secured LZs, XCom had two Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft.
Under the provisions of the Helsinki Protocols XCom was also able to call on non-combatant support from any country in the United Nations. The most common use of this clause was to secure mid air refuelling to extend XCom's radius of operations. All XCom aircraft are fitted with a Universal Docking Adaptor, making it possible to take on fuel from just about any nation's tankers.
COMING SOON
Descriptions of the alien forces, their equipment and vehicles...