ILX-301

The ILX-301 is a third-generation ionising-laser rifle. It is an energy weapon, developed by the OCC for military use. Although featuring vast improvements in weight, range, accuracy, and battery life, the operating principle remains the same as the original prototype.

Operating principle

Ionising laser rifles owe their great success to the fact that they can both stun and kill targets. The weapons achieve this by employing an ionising multispectral laser that is tuned to overload the nerve cells of the target (if the target is biological) or generate a capacital leak that causes electronical circuits to shut down. The ILX-301 has a number of features that support its user. These include:

• A tactical scope for automatic target acquisition. The scope is mounted at the front of the weapon and highlights targets when the user looks down the sights. The scope uses thermal information for highlighting, but unlike night vision scopes, it works under all weather conditions.
• Sights for precision aiming.
• A display under the sights to inform the user how much power is left in the battery.
• A grip to steady the aim.
• Compensating focal lenses that correct for small movements by the user and the distance to the target.
• A display on the side of the weapon, where the user can manage weapons settings:
  • Power settings (see below).
  • Feedback types. Because energy weapons feature no real feedback, the ILX-301 can be programmed to provide feedback to the user to indicate when the weapon is fired. The following feedback types are supported:
    • Audatory feedback (a sound is played while the trigger is pulled);
    • Vibrational feedback (the weapon vibrates while the trigger is pulled);
    • Visual feedback (the display under the sights flashes while the trigger is pulled).
    • In addition, the user can choose to play a sound when the battery is low, to inform the user that he needs to reload the weapon.
  • Fire modes (see below).
  • Linking to the HUD of the user’s helmet.
• Biometric identity confirmation on the trigger. By default, the weapon can only be fired by personel that is equiped with the battle armor. In addition, it is possible to configure the weapon so that a fingerprint ID is used to determine whether the user may operate the weapon.
• A power cell that is easy to change.

Modes of operation

The ILX-301 has four power settings:

• Light stun. This setting can be used to numb a limb of the target or incapacitate it for at most one hour.
• Heavy stun. This setting can be used to incapacitate the target for 1-8 hours.
• Kill.
• Vaporise. This setting causes severe burns on the target and can penetrate armor. When this setting is selected, the only fire mode that is available is ‘single’ (see below).

In addition to the power settings, the weapon can be fired in several fire modes, to accommodate the user’s preferences and the combat situation. The ILX-301 supports the following fire modes:

• Full automatic (this is the default setting). The weapon fires a continuous pulsed laser.
• Automatic burst. The weapon fires one burst of 5 pulses when the trigger is pulled with a 2 second delay between bursts for as long as the trigger is pulled.
• Manual burst. The weapon fires one burst of 5 pulses when the trigger is pulled. A new burst is only fired when the user releases the trigger and pulls it again.
• Single. The weapon fires a single pulse. Firing of the next pulse happens when the trigger is released and pulled again.

Additional notes

• This weapon allows the user to render a target unconscious without critically injuring it.