Draka T-6 Assault Rifle

First produced in 1937, the T-6 Rifle was the product of a decade long program led by Sven Holbars to improve the standard weapon for the Domination's citizen forces. Numerous prototypes were considered over ten years: these included a number of fairly modest modifications to existing weapons systems and a few rather ambitious ones built from the ground up using aluminum cased ammunition and belt feeds. In the end after trials an intermediate system was selected, more restrained than some of the more outlandish designs but still a new weapon from the ground up and revolutionary for it's time.

The weapon used a new 7.5x35mm round was inspired by test runs using imported Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka ammunition. This new cartridge allowed for a fully automatic rifle, feeding from a 32 round magazine. Also among it's innovative features was the introduction of a fire selector. This allowed it to be fired semi-automatically, fully automatically or with three round bursts based off experience with sub machine guns from pacification efforts in the newly annexed middle east. The weapon was somewhat bulky, weighing in at a bit more than four kilograms unloaded and was fairly complex and labor intensive to produce. However, it proved reliable and effective as the main service rifle for the citizen legions of the Domination during the Eurasian War, though as the war progressed a few modifications were made and a few variants were devised. After it was approved, fifteen factory compounds were turned over to mass production of this new weapon and it's ammunition. By 1939 all citizen infantry units had been retrained in the use of this weapon, though semi-automatic T-5 rifles were retained for use by sharpshooters at the Lochos level and as a reserve weapon. While the T-6 rifle could be outfitted with optical sights these were of limited use in close range combat and the T-5's heavier cartridge was better suited for long range combat. Occasionally Janissary infantry would be issued a T-6 in place of the usual T-5 rifle or S-4 sub machine gun as a reward for good service or exceptional loyalty.

At first military leaders outside the Domination's borders were skeptical of this new weapon design and baring a few inventors did not try to create analogical weapons. This was the case until they faced the Domination's legions on the battlefield, especially in urban and forest combat. The most notable exception to this rule was the Japanese, which the Domination supported with supplies of raw materials and fuel, as well as enough T-6 Rifles and ammunition to outfit a few divisions for trial purposes. Though the IJA turned down adopting the T-6 as their main service rifle in 1939 they adopted an automatic rifle chambered to the old 6.5mm arisaka cartridge.

(Based off the works of SM Stirling, with some adjustments)