Laser Weapon System

Laser Weapon System (LWS) is a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) based on Chemical Laser Technology (CLT). It is a versatile weapon that can deal with most battlefield situations. It's used by infantry, ground vehicles, and spacecraft alike.

Origins
LWS was made possible thanks to scientific advancements in Chemical Laser Technology in 2297, where a specific chemical reaction with Dihydrogen Trioxide was discovered to achieve great laser-generating properties. Further developments with this discovery led to the creation of Laser Weapon System MK I 10 years later, in 2307.

LWS MK I
LWS MK I was a crude and expensive laser weapon platform for laser weaponry. It was mostly unpopular due to its high cost and only marginally better combat effectiveness than conventional firearms. Mark, I suffered from overheating to the point where it was prone to misfiring cartridges before they were loaded into the barrel, resulting in the sudden disassembly of the weapon and serious injury or death of the operator.

LWS MK I-C
In 2310 LWS MK I-C solved most of the problems its predecessors have encountered. It was more difficult to overheat and easier to maintain. It also introduced a safety mechanism against overheating that locked the gun in place unable to be fired again until it was safe to fire again.

LWS MK I-F
LWS MK I-F was created in 2329. It was a specialization upgrade of MK-I-C. It increased the fire rate of the weapon system while at the same time decreasing heat generated per shot by decreasing the density of the chemical mix within the cartridge and by expanding cooling within the barrel. The drawback to this system was the decreased damage output per shot, meaning it would need to fire more shots than its predecessors to destroy the same target.

LWS MK II
LWS MK II was created in 2346. It was a next-gen Laser Weapon System with many superior elements in all regards. Its damage, range, rate of fire, heat dissipation were developed to be better than the previous mark and its variants. It didn't suffer from safety issues that bothered the previous versions. It owes it to the new technological components implemented within the weapon, such as nano-ceramics that drastically increased the heat dissipation rate and allowed for better standardization.

Usage
LWS is primarily used on spacecraft as a versatile weapon system against the ground, air, and space targets. LWS is also seeing use within the ground forces with armored attack vehicles, infantry troops, and officers. Most notably almost all pilots across all factions are given standard issue Laser Pistols, due to their lightweight, ease of maintenance, ease of use, and widely available universal LAS .22lr ammunition that can be obtained even on the primitive worlds that haven't achieved FTL travel.