- "Under-barrel mounted firebomb launcher; fires gas propelled, Napalm B-based accelerants creating chemical fires that reach temperatures of 1200 degrees Celsius"
- ―Armat U4 Firebomb Launcher description (from Aliens: Colonial Marines)
The Armat Battlefield Systems U4 Grenade Launcher (also known simply as the Firebomb Launcher) is an American-made underbarrel grenade launcher attachment, used primarily by the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
Overview[]
The U4 Firebomb Launcher is a variant of the original U1 Grenade Launcher mostly designed to fire U4 Firebomb, visually identical to the U1 it can fire other variety of ammunitions.[1]
Ammunition[]
The U4 is capable of launching a range of ammunition types:
U4 Firebomb: The most commonly used grenade round for the U4. Mainly used for decontamination protocols, it will deliver on impact a lasting chemical fires that can reach temperatures of 1200 degrees Celsius. The U4 can also be employed as a timed-fuse hand grenade.[2][1]
M40 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP): The M40 round is marked by a red plastic cap. With a muzzle velocity of 87 meters per second, the M40 is accurate up to 180 meters and effective up to 400 meters, and has a casualty radius of five meters.[3] The M40 can also be employed as a timed-fuse hand grenade.[3][2][1]
M230 Baton: Reserved for civil disturbances and rarely issued to front-line troops, the M230 is a low-velocity plastic projectile used for non-lethally incapacitating or disabling unarmored humans.[3][1]
M108 Buckshot: Identifiable by a flat, black nose. The M108 is essentially an oversized shotgun round meant to provide the user with devastating close-quarters firepower. It has a range of 30 meters.[3][1]
M72A1 Starshell: Marked with an embossed letter 'S' on the cap. The M72A1 is primarily used to provide illumination, generating 50,000 candelas for approximately 45 seconds. It is designed to be fired vertically into the air, where at 200 meters elevation it will deploy a parachute and ignite.[3][1]
T3 Tear Gas: Reserved for civil disturbances and rarely issued to front-line troops, the T3 is a small tear gas filled canister used for non-lethally incapacitating or disabling unprotected humans.[4]
Usage[]
Loading and Firing[]
- Handload the grenades into the four-round internal magazine.
- Use the pump action handle to prime the mechanism.
- Brace the weapon at the hip and squeeze the launcher's trigger forward of the main magazine.
Variants[]
U4A2[]
- Main article: U4A2 Repeating Grenade Launcher
The U4A2 Repeating Grenade Launcher is a fast-firing variant of U4 made for CBRN teams.[5]
U4C[]
- Main article: U4C Projectile Launcher
The U4C Projectile Launcher is a civilian variant of the U4, firing essentially M230 Baton Rounds and T3 Tear Gas Canister Rounds.[4]
Trivia[]
- The U4 Firebomb Launcher in Aliens: Colonial Marines is visually identical to the U1 Grenade Launcher unit fitted to Pulse Rifles as standard. Given that the Colonial Marines Technical Manual states the U1 is capable of using a variety of ammunition types, it seems possible the name "U4 Firebomb Launcher" is simply a gameplay designation, and that the weapon is in fact a U1 loaded with a different ammo type. The fact that the U4 is named after ammunition it fires rather than having a specific designation (unlike the U1) further supports this theory.
- The U4 Firebomb Launcher is unlocked at Marine Level 13 for the M41A Pulse Rifle MK2 in Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Appearances[]
- Aliens: Colonial Marines/Stasis Interrupted
- Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Colonial Marines Operations Manual
- Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Heart of Darkness
Gallery[]
[]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Andrew E. C. Gaska. Alien: The Roleplaying Game Colonial Marines Operations Manual, p. 73 (2021), Free League Publishing. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "RPGCM73" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aliens: Colonial Marines, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 version, Gearbox Software, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual, p. 15 (2012), Titan Books.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Andrew E. C. Gaska. Alien: The Roleplaying Game Heart of Darkness, p. 74 (2022), Free League Publishing.
- ↑ Andrew E. C. Gaska. Alien: The Roleplaying Game Colonial Marines Operations Manual, p. 71 (2021), Free League Publishing.