USS Hiryu-A

Squad Support Phaser Weapon
Starfleet, realizing the need, resolved to manufacture a lighter, more rapid firing version of the common phaser rifle developed the Squad Support Phaser Weapon (SSPW). The primary difference between it and its distant cousin, the type-IIIa phaser rifle, is that the SSPW is designed for rapid pulse phaser fire. In order to accommodate its additional mechanisms, the weapon’s height had to be expanded (although its width was unchanged). The SSPW uses high strength polymers in its construction, in an attempt to cut down on weight yet still retain durability. On the top of every unit there is a hard point for any sight deemed tactically necessary. Similar to the type-IIIa rifle, the SSPW has one grip forward of the butt, but also has a collapsible bipod near the muzzle (whereas the type-IIIa has a folding hand grip). Typically, one person is assigned the SSPW, while another carries the large powerpacks required to operate the support weapon.


Phaser Carbine
After lessons learned during the Dominion War where close quarters combat was commonplace and often resulted in unacceptable losses, Starfleet issued a design order to manufacture a lighter, more effective CQB (close quarters battle) version of the standard phaser rifle. The result of this was the phaser Carbine. To reduce the overall length of the Carbine, massive internal modifications were made. The targeting assistance of this weapon is extremely limited. The real improvement for close range engagement, however, is the capability to fire in longer pulse mode. This allows faster target engagements, and quicker follow up shots. The downside to this is that the Carbine lacks the variable settings of its rifle counter part.