: Name of Technology:
: Starfleet Marine Corps - Battle Adaptive Dress, Armament & Suit System - Battle Dress Combat Suit
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: Category of Technology:
: Personal Armor/EVA Suit
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: Description of Technology:
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: Design History
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: The desire for a specialized combat suit for the Starfleet Marine Corps was a need born from the Earth-Romulan War of the late 2150s and early 2160s which in time would form the United Federation Of Planets. However, as always there was the argument from the peaceful elements within the Federation that such a specialized combat suit was too ‘warlike’ and costly. Because of this its development was held back.
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: It was not until the late 2280s-90s that some means of molding the two came closer. More pro-war elements provided the funding and approval for two separate ‘upgrades’ for the Marine Corps. These two projects were a land/ship based battle armor/uniform and a battle-ready EVA suit. The Starfleet Marine Corps - Battle Dress Suit or SMC - BDS was made of heavy Titanium plastic sheeting with flexible duro-rubber shell cases for ease of movement and replacement. This armor gave very limited refractive protection from phaser and disruptor fire, covered the torso, and other vital body parts. The Starfleet Marine Corps - Battle Ready Extravehicular Suit Mark I, however was nothing more than a normal Starfleet EVA suit with easier clippings for equipment for the time, complete with an expanded air supply tank. However, not long into the 24th century cost cutting measures due to the Treaty of Khitomer with the Klingon Empire yet again held back the merging of these two projects into a truly unique combat ready suit for the Marine Corps.
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: It was not until the darkest days of the Dominion War in the mid 2370s, that the Starfleet Marine Corps finally got its dues with merging combat armor with a combat ready EVA suit. A suit which would enable Starfleet Marines protection no matter if it was in land, sea, air, or space.
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: Description Of Technology
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: Going by the name of the Project-Battle Adaptive Dress, Armament and Suit Systems, this project was broken into two parts; one that created the Battle Dress Combat Suit and the other that created Marine specific versions of the Type 1-3 phasers with other hand or land based equipment.
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: The Battle Dress Combat Suit-Mark I as it eventually came to be officially classified, came into official Marine Corps use in 2375, a year before the end of the Dominion War. Results were deemed excellent improving the average Marine survival and combat readiness rate by almost 95%.
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: The suit has micro-sensor units on key locations. These sensors connect to an information display technology suite in the helmet. The standard helmet is designed to fit human physiology, but helmets are available for other species which may use them (e.g. Andorians, Saurians, and other species with cranial appendages or extended mouths). Micro-sensor units on the suit in key locations provide a full range of information suite activated by a small armored, isolinear data computer unit within the torso casing itself. This unit is voice or right / left hand keypad activated, giving the user access to communications, currently used weapon information, motion, heat, and visual enemy sensor information all via a heads up display within the helmet. The sensor units have an average range of around 2-3 kilometers depending on any local interferences.
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: The helmet and suit itself are made up of a dual layer of overlapping heavy duroplastics with micro servo motors to maximize movement and remain true to normal bodily reaction times of the Marine. Between both layers is a 1 centimeter thick flexible foam duranium filling which, coupled with the external layer fabrics, provides limited resistance to energy and ballistic weapons fire. Where the suit has a failing is in bladed weapon attacks; despite the best efforts to balance protections some realistic limitations had to be accepted. The suit when sealed with the helmet is protected from localized EMP, assorted radiations and external spacial, gas and poisonous effects. Isolation padding between each suit section helps minimize any suit ruptures. In total the suit has a contained air supply of almost 16 hours including emergency backups. It also has two micro RCS thruster packs and a micro gravity unit pack for use in EVA situations that can propel a Marine up to 500 meters within 60 seconds. Final additions to the suit were easy access to various equipment lines, pockets, and clips to secure Marine equipment of almost any kind, including, but not limited to, at least a day’s worth of foodstuffs, a WTR-600 tricorder, an emergency medical kit, an emergency engineering kit, a Marine Corps variant Type-3 phaser rifle, a Marine Corps variant Type-2 hand phaser, and a KA-Bar combat knife.
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: With the excellent performance results during the Dominion War of the 2370s, the Starfleet Marine Corps expects these suits to remain the standard front line combat Battle Dress Uniform for many years to come.
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: Creator of Technology: Robert Archer