SAR-99

The SAR-99, officially designated the '''Standard Assault Rifle, Mk. 2, Model 1999''' is a selective-fire assault rifle developed in Urcea. It is the second assault rifle to enter full use in the Royal and Imperial Army.

The SAR-99 replaced the earlier SAR-40 in the late 1990s. The end of the Occidental Cold War meant that the Royal and Imperial Army's deployments in the third milennium would be unpredictable and requiring significant flexibility and modularity. In this respect, the SAR-99 can be said to describe a family of related firearms, designed around two different but featuring high commonality of parts and identical ergonomics. Provided parts are available, SAR-99 rifles are capable of being converted between its default assault rifle functionality and marksman rifle, squad automatic weapon, and personal defense weapon capabilities in the field. The system was designed to be converted by soldiers of average aptitude in under an hour in a camp setting.

The rifle was used extensively during The Deluge and the Final War of the Deluge as the primary small arm of Urcean forces. In those conflicts, the flexibility of the rifle proved its value, as Urcean forces took the alternating roles of frontline assault force, garrisoning army, and peacekeeper. After the end of the Final War of the Deluge, the Urcean military began to order larger amounts of parts to allow for individual squads and smaller units to have on hand for repurposing rifles in camp as part of its "garrisoned soldier" doctrine requiring men in far-flung Cronan garrisons to be able to fill a number of combat roles. In the 2030s, the SAR-99L, using the Levantine Union Defense Council standardized was introduced.

History
The SAR-40 had been the standard assault rifle of Urcea since the Second Great War, and its design was considered pioneering for the time. Though it remained popular among all branches of the armed services, most experts suggested the rifle was becoming increasingly antiquated and that the rifle should be replaced. With a 1984 design competition, it was widely assumed that Fino Family Arms - the designer of the SAR-40 - would emerge victorious with an updated version of their iconic rifle. The consensus behind this assumption was so strong that many competitors opted not to design a rifle. The other major arms company in Urcea - the Royal Hunting and Munitions Company - had designed the SRM-9 and other Great War era standard weapons, and it decided to offer a true competitor to Fino. The Royal and Imperial Army were not impressed with the PR2FD (Prototype Rifle 2, Fino Design), which felt bulky and jammed often. In contrast, the Royal Hunting and Munitions Company offered a lighter weight, smooth-firing alternative that not only performed well but, according to most involved in testing the weapons from the design competition, "felt truly futuristic" and felt like "the basis for a rifle that will last fifty years". The Royal Hunting and Munitions offering also had features that allowed for greater flexibility, including potential future modularity in terms of caliber and firing action. Several prototype variants of the newly adopted SAR-99 were tried as battle rifles but were not adopted until the adoption of the FCM-10 by Burgundie in the early 2000s. A considerable amount of design time was invested into modularity for the weapon in anticipation of Levantia and Odoneru Treaty Association munitions requirements which were never issued.

The Urcean public and many foreign analysts were stunned when the Fino offering was passed over for the Royal Hunting and Munitions Company offering, which became the SAR-99. Many soldiers in the Royal and Imperial Army were dissatisfied with the weapon given their affinity and comfort level with the Fino-designed SAR-40. The difference of opinion over the different rifles remained an issue until the mid-1990s, when attrition had removed many of the older soldiers from service and replaced them with soldiers who were trained using the SAR-99. Studies in the mid-2000s indicated that the SAR-99-trained soldiers were not only more accurate, but overall were more lethal with the new rifle, ending the public debate over which rifle company should have won the contest. Soldiers using the rifle in The Deluge indicate that it's comfortable and packs a considerable punch.

Design
The SAR-99 fires .223 or 7.62mm, fed from STANAG magazines. The SAR-99 has two receivers: The lower is constructed of polymer, and the upper receiver is one piece and constructed of aluminum. The SAR-99 features an integral, uninterrupted Picatinny rail on the top of the aluminium receiver, two removable side rails and a bottom one that can mount any compliant accessories. The lower receiver is designed with a highly compatible pistol grip, flared magazine well, and raised area around the magazine and bolt release buttons. The front sight flips down for unobstructed use of optics and accessories. The rifle uses a 'tappet' type of closed gas system. The design is highly modular and has been adapted to use other calibers and has, additionally, been developed into various prototype role variants ranging from battle rifle to sniper rifle.

Usage
The SAR-99 is among the most commonly manufactured military grade .223 rifles in the world, though it trails the the SAR-40 in both imitator models and overall use due to the length of manufacture of the SAR-99's predecessor.

Users

 * Anglei
 * Urcea
 * Burgundie (as FCM-10)
 * Quetzenkel
 * Unnuaq Mission State
 * Housatonic
 * Pachaug
 * Yonderre - used by DELTA

Conflicts
The SAR-99 has been used considerably since its debut in the 1980s. The weapon has been used extensively in The Deluge as the primary weapon for Urcea and its allies in Crona.

SAR-99
The base model SAR-99 which entered service in the 2000s fired a .223 and served in an assault rifle capacity like its SAR-40 predecessor.

FCM-10
In the early 2000s the SAR-99, up-chambered to 7.62mm, won the XXI Urban Battle Rifle Trials, in Burgundie and was licensed to that country as the FCM-10. Versions of the FCM-10 underwent field trials with the Royal and Imperial Army in 2015 but was ultimately rejected as users found the new caliber recoil "insufficiently balanced".

SAR-99L
The '''Standard Assault Rifle, Mk. 2, Model 1999, Levantine Caliber''', commonly shortened to SAR-99L, chambered in. This variant, developed in the aftermath of Levantine Union Defense Council logistical and caliber streamlining, is intended to supplant the base SAR-99 as the standard Urcean infantry rifle. The first SAR-99L's began being issued in 2030. The caliber change did not affect the non-base conversion modes of the weapon.