HoverPad Gauss (HPG) Weapon System

HoverPad Gauss (HPG) weapons are the most advanced projectile weapons (slugthrowers) in the known universe.

Design
The HPG system is one of undeniable elegance and efficiency. While older weapons relied on explosive power for thrust, HPG weapons rely on a combination of hoverpad technology and electromagnetics. Thus, HPG weapons are recoilless, silent, do not jam, are less wasteful of resources and have a higher ammunition capacity. The bullet is injected into the 'firing' chamber, where it is surrounded by a SET field (see Blazer Technology for more information) and immediately shot into the barrel, where it is held in a state of free-fall by miniaturized hoverpads and accelerated to a maximum speed of 3000 m/s by electromagnetic coils, which also serve to maintain and compress the SET field. The SET field can last as long as three seconds after the bullet exits the barrel, ample time in any circumstance.

The only drawbacks to the HPG system are the fact that when the power cell of the weapon is depleted, it cannot fire, and the fact that flash suppression is well-nigh impossible (due to the SET field generation).

Implementation
Projectile weapons which utilize HPG technology make up roughly 80% of all the projectile weapons manufactured in the galaxy. Most major Human armed forces are equipped with HPG weapons. Lower-income groups, such as mercenaries and smugglers, still utilize powder weapons; as weaponized energy cells can be expensive and difficult to obtain in certain areas of the galaxy.