Jakkari Combat Armor and Weapon Concept Art

Here's the armor and weapon concept art for the upcoming Jakkari story. This is another one courtesy of our friend SickJoe, and you can find more of his work here: https://www.deviantart.com/sickjoe

The combat armor (Jakkari: Atukkar) fielded by the Jakkari military takes the form of a suit of heavy-duty plate made using a molybdenum alloy similar to that used on vehicles such as tanks and troop transports. While heavy, this alloy provides decent protection from thermal weapons and shrapnel without straining the supply of more advanced composites too greatly. These plates are layered in places such as the thighs and shoulders to provide extra protection. The armor is pressurized, allowing the wearer to operate in harsh environments, including vacuum, and is rated against chemical threats.

There are several helmet types, including HAZMAT, EVA, scout, and armored variants, but the standard helmet has a wide field of view facilitated by a reinforced canopy. The material used in these canopies is a form of tough mineral glass laminated with polycarbonates to improve impact and shatter resistance. Lacking the technology to create miniaturized digital displays, the Jakkari use a cathode-ray tube to generate information and in-picture feeds that are then projected onto a partially reflective lining inside the glass. All helmets feature a universal socket system located on the temple that can connect via a hardlink to weapon optics, vehicle systems, and other data feeds.

While it might appear that the exoskeleton and pistons that power the suit would give it a high degree of strength and agility, the primary purpose of these systems is to carry the weight of the armor itself, and to support the body of the occupant, the Jakkari being unsuited to high gravity conditions. That said, the lifting capacity of the armor is significant, especially in low gravity, allowing the use of heavy weapons and backpack-mounted systems such as grenade launchers.

The armor is capable of autonomous operation using batteries and life support systems located in a large backpack, but the duration is hampered by technological limitations. This means that operators must top up their suit's batteries and oxygen supplies on a regular basis, sometimes after only a handful of hours, or risk becoming stranded. Jakkari facilities and even vehicles feature plug sockets allowing troops to resupply or to remain connected for extended durations. Jakkari troops can also connect to one another to top up a comrade who is running low on supplies. Backpacks can be configured to carry ammunition feed systems, mounted weapons, and supplemental gas propellant systems.

Jakkari small arms are based on a light gas gun system, wherein a plunger compresses hydrogen gas in an increasingly narrow chamber, accelerating a projectile to high speeds. While the use of volatile gases as a propellant is no doubt dangerous and requires pressurized storage, these weapons can reach the lower end of railgun performance and have proven to be very effective, if sometimes a risk to their wielders.

Commonly fielded weapons include automatic bullpup rifles, submachine guns often favored by vehicle crews, light machineguns used as squad support weapons, marksman rifles, top-loading PDWs, and high-powered handguns. While the designs of these weapons vary, they are each built on the same principles, using pressurized hydrogen gas to accelerate slugs fed from a detachable magazine. Most employ a gas blowback system to cycle the action, with the bolt accessible only for clearing jams, as there are no casings to eject. Depending on the weapon, the gas cannisters are either swappable like magazines, or can be refilled via external sources.

The glossy, orange color of the furniture on Jakkari weapons comes from the use of a synthetic resin similar to Bakelite, valued for its ease of production and its thermal properties. While most designs are very old and battle-tested, having earned a reputation for reliability, the highly pressurized nature of such systems usually results in any malfunctions being catastrophic in nature. Advanced optics are rarely issued, as they provide limited benefits while inside a suit, with most being reserved for specialists who connect to them via hardlink.

One oddity of Jakkari weapon design is the large, paddle-like triggers. Jakkari combat armor does not have favorable range of motion or especially good dexterity in the hands, meaning that many mechanisms are made intentionally large and bulky for ease of use.