WESTINGHOUSE MODEL M-30 PLASMA CARBINE

M-30 Plasma Carbine with simple red-dot illuminated sight and 30 round box magazine.
Mounting point for Flexy Sight, tactical sling, tactical light and target designator optional.

-Frakes and Wisher, THE TERMINATOR

HISTORY:        The M30A1 series fully portable plasma weapon system was designed by Westinghouse as a light duty plasma weapon to be integrated into some United States Marine Force Recon units as well as Army Special Forces and Navy UDT / SEAL teams.  SKYNET later copied the design as an internal high energy weapon integral to some of its smaller Machine designs where the heavier series weapons such as the M25 and the M95 were simply not required for design mission profiles.  Following the same bullpup design of the M25 and M95 series weapons, the M30 was smaller, lighter, and less powerful than either of the other two series of weapons but surprisingly seemed to have a larger production base than the M25 did before Judgment Day.  Even though the designation M30 fell after the M25 and before the M95 series weapons, the effective ranking of the weapons are as follows; M30, M25 and M95 in that order.

The M30 was installed as the primary offensive weapon on many light model anti-personnel oriented Machines and as a defensive weapon on several of the larger models of HK Machines.  The M30 was also configured in a bullpup design as a stand alone fully portable energy weapon for use by lighter Hunter Killer / Terminator units.  Given the same amount of materials, SKYNET's production facilities could turn out approximately three M30 units for every two M25 units or every one M95 unit and the effectiveness of the M30 series weapon in its intended anti-personnel role was just as effective as either the M25 or the M95 series of weapons.  As such, it was inevitable that members of the Resistance would capture examples of the stand-alone configured M30 either in the field as battlefield salvage (the spoils of war) or by raiding SKYNET staging areas and that large numbers of the M30 series weapons would fall into Resistance use against SKYNET forces.  Effective against light to medium armored Machines, the M30 lacked one-shot / one-kill knockdown power against later models of better armored HK and Terminator series anti-personnel Machines and was even less effective against the larger models of HK Machines.

Ammunition for this weapon was also more plentiful as SKYNET produced huge quantities of the 6mm x 50mm M105PT4 PPC plasma pulse cartridge, large amounts of which were often available to raiders at any SKYNET staging area that had standing quantities of the M30 in storage.

Common field modifications to the stand alone series of M30A1 weapon included a simple flip-up red dot "pipper" sight for quick target acquisition but without any low light or magnification capacity.  The carrying handle for the weapon was actually part of the construction / storage process and served, after production and with only slight modification, as the base mount for a variety of low-light, telescopic, and target acquisition devices included the standard Flexy-Sight.  Tactical lights, laser target designators (visible and infra-red in pulsed and beam format) as well as adjustable carrying slings and magazine clips (for doubling the carrying capacity of the weapon) were common.

The weight distribution of the M30, divided into three major components of feed/action, accelerator system and discharge array, was almost evenly balanced gaining the M30 some favoritism among Resistance members and its human users.  The M30 also had a reputation for being doggedly reliable and of having a willingness to take severe abuse and still function.  However, the M30 had one reputation that wasn't so well received ...

The much deserved "Hand Burner" reputation ...

The stand alone M30 suffered from a less effective anti-flashback stepped field generator and while this wasn't a problem when the M30 was wielded by SKYNET forces, it did present a minor challenge to Resistance members due to the increased thermal blossom aspect of any discharge leading to some minor plasma burns to the whatever hand held the front grips.  Rapid fire of the weapon only increased the chance of superficial thermal trauma to the user's off-hand while prolonged use often led to second and even third degree burns.  M30 users often wore thick gloves offering protection from the thermal blossom aspect of the weapon's discharge.

M30A2 series weapon with modified tactical fore-grip extension.  This tactical fore-grip offered improved protection from the
"Hand Burner" reputation of the M30 series by moving the off-hand further down and away.

M30A3 series weapon with improved anti-flashback stepped field generator (requiring the extended fore-grip housing).  The A3 series was a purely Resistance modded design and this model upgrade in particular  went far in dispelling the "hand burner" reputation associated with this weapon design.  SKYNET never fielded an A3 model of the M30 and though it is highly probable that SKYNET captured and examined many A3 models It never saw the need to fit the M30 with a better, more effective anti-flashback stepped field generator than the original design required.

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Shown here is a Resistance soldier in Suppression Fatigues and  leading in the point role for his squad.  
He is equipped with light duty tactical comm-gear with secure laser send / receive, smart goggles
and a M30A1 phased plasma carbine equipped with a Flexy Sight but no sling.

A Resistance soldier provides over-watch to an advancing squad using his M30A2 series weapon.  The increased
thermal blossom aspect of the plasma discharge can easily be seen here giving rise to the much
deserved reputation among its users as the "Hand Burner." 
This soldier's M30A2 is equipped with a modified, later model Flexy Sight.

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