CMC Powered Combat Suit

The Confederate Marine Corps Powered Combat Suit is a terran armored exoskeleton. Successive models continue to see widespread use by terran forces in the Koprulu Sector.

Following the Fall of the Confederacy, CMC armor retained the name.

Suiting Up
The size and bulk of some types of armor before and during the Great War required frequent training to don efficiently. Depending on a suit's material state and the user's experience it could take three to twenty minutes to suit up. Constant drills allowed early members of the Sons of Korhal to complete the task in just one minute.

Easier methods were available after the, at the latest. Some suits allowed the helmet and surrounding segments to be removed and replaced, allowing a user to simply climb in through the opening. A more involved method consisted of the suit being constructed from prefabricated parts around the user, seemingly sealing the user inside.

Known Models
''Note: Multiple aesthetics exist for the same versions of the CMC suit, which at times contradict each other. Information has been kept general where possible, though distinctions have had to be made when there are specific differences.''

Pressurized Power Suit
The pressurized power suit (a.k.a. "assault armor") was issued some time before the CMC-300 and -400 series became prevalent. These models were effectively replaced by CMC Powered Combat Suits, though some were still in use during the Great War.

CMC-200 Powered Combat Suit
The CMC-200 Powered Combat Suit was used in the 25th century. By 2478 it was being phased out by its successor, the CMC-300 and was considered obsolete by the Guild Wars, only being used for training. Still, Colonial Militias and law enforcement continued to use the CMC-200 during the Great War.

The CMC-200 is known to have the following features:


 * Air conditioner (a "backpack" which channels heat away from the body)


 * Visor System: Lights flicker on the interior of the visor's rim acting as a basic guide. Green, yellow and presumably red feature, keeping the user informed of the suit's integrity.


 * Shoulder housed ammunition reloads and sensor arrays.


 * Structural support (supports the user's body, eg. adjusts itself to fit a firing stance, improving the gunner's aim).


 * Salvage System: Should the suit's arm or leg be breached, the suit seals it off in a tourniquet.


 * Immunity to most small arms fire. A needle gun can penetrate the suit, however.


 * Seven day endurance on internal recycling alone.


 * Basic NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) shielding.


 * Limited life support.

In addition, the suit is compatible with stimpacks, which are able to be installed under the arms.

CMC-225
The CMC-225 was the standard powered armor used by the Terran Confederacy during the Guild Wars. Its backpack released exhaust.

Thunderstrike Armor
"They say that clothes make the man. My suits make the man into a fekkin' monster."

- Hiram Feek, designer of the Thunderstrike armor.

CMC-230 XE
The CMC-230 XE "Thunderstrike" armor was a prototype jetpacked equipped hardskin developed by Procyon Industries technician Hiram Feek and used by members of the "Heaven's Devils." It quickly fell out of use due to reliability issues, although a non-jump capable version of the latter was retained for Confederate military use.

CMC-230 XF
The CMC-230 XF was the firebat version of the XE. It shared the same history and fate.

CMC-300 Powered Combat Suit
The CMC-300 Powered Combat Suit is the much improved successor to the CMC-200. It was already in service by 2478 and was standard issue to marines during the Great War. The CMC-300 masses several hundred pounds and adds a foot to the wearer's height. Old Confederate-era CMC-300's continue to be issued to some Dominion garrisons after the.

The CMC-300 has the following features:


 * Advanced NBC shielding.


 * Aural Directional Enhancers: Help clarify the source of external and transmitted sounds.


 * Full life support.


 * Gravity Generator: The suit is compatible with gravity accelerators for use on space platforms. Grav-boots may provide an alternative though.


 * Enhanced protection, but can still be penetrated by a needle gun.


 * HUD: A Heads-Up Display (HUD) is built into the visor. Its features include infra-red vision, a "navigation mode" which superimposes a map of surrounding terrain and pinpoints prominent features, targeting systems, is capable of displaying life support as a percentage and the amount of ammunition in a soldier's equipped weapon, the ability to detect motion to some extent, and a data system which, with the appropriate link, can let the user 'jack in' to video and data feeds, the information scrolling across the visor. The visor itself may be lowered/raised and/or (un)polarized at the user's discretion, though will automatically (un)polarize based on the intensity of light hitting it. Colors that can result include black and gold.


 * Integrated communication system.


 * Lockdown System: Used to stabilize wounded soldiers and/or prevent a shorted-out suit from misfiring. The disadvantage is that it prevents the user from moving.


 * At least some versions of the suit pump narcotics into the wounded wearer's bloodstream when its user is wounded, which can cause the wearer to fall unconscious.


 * Mufflers which reduce the amount of noise the suit makes and the user's heat signature. Difference exists as to how much sound is masked however.


 * Shoulder and/or chest mounted illuminators. The spectrum is determined via voice activation.


 * Structural Support: The amount of support that the suit provides is greatly increased from the CMC-200 model, increasing his/her strength and speed, stamina no longer becoming an issue. The servos enable a wearer to dash up steep slopes and safely land from heights of twenty feet.


 * The C-14 rifle may be connected to and powered by the suit.


 * At least some suits have a 'backpack,' while others do not.

Overall, the suit is a marked improvement over its predecessor. However, its extensive servo-systems leave it vulnerable to immobilization should they be disrupted (eg. a hydralisk scythe plunging into the chest). The amount of power it consumes is also extensive; the helmet is generally left off outside of combat to conserve energy.

Command Suit
The Command Suit is a variant of the CMC-300 and features an enhanced portable comm system. They are worn by ship captains during combat operations.

CMC-400 Powered Combat Suit
The CMC-400 Powered Combat Suit is an upgraded version of the CMC-300. It features NBC shielding and life support an integrated stimpack system, immunity to most small arms fire and a communications array. Its mufflers, if it possesses them, mask even less sound than some of its CMC-300 predecessors. Its visor apparently allows shifting of the ammount of reflection, given that different colors have been observed.

The CMC-400 was in service by 2491 but was still considered new eight years later at the beginning of the Great War.

CMC-600 Heavy Combat Suit
The CMC-600 is a combat suit used by firebats. Some were still used during the Great War.

CMC-660 Heavy Combat Suit
The CMC-660 Heavy Combat Suit is the current standard issue suit of firebats. Heavier, more durable and far more heat resistant than than its counterpart models, the Heavy Combat Suit provides additional protection. Possessing the same features as the CMC-300 model (albeit with StimPack compatibility), it features special systems to protect its user from the plasma and flame wielded. Plasma tanks are located on the back, presenting a hazard to the user given the chance of their detonation. The tanks are reinforced with containment fields. Nonetheless, the volatile mix of gasses carried often seep into the operator compartment.

At least two generations of the CMC-660 exist:

First Generation
The first known generation of the CMC-660 was present during the Great War and at least some time after the Brood War. Its visor is apparently capable of polarizing, displaying colors such as gold and black It features wrist mounted Perdition flamethrowers.

After the Brood War, this was expanded to napalm rockets, capable of being guided by the user.

Second Generation
The current generation of CMC-660 armor possesses a few aesthetic differences to its predecessor. The visor is gone and its servo system is also more exposed.

A key improvement over the previous generation is the implementation of incinerator gauntlets, which channel the suit's fuel through multiple ports rather than the single port of the previous generation. This results in a much wider area of flame without any loss of intensity.

Marauders use remodelled and rearmed CMC-660 suits.

Development
In the StarCraft beta, terran marines (or "marauders" as they were then known) and firebats wore pressurized power suits, but this was dropped for the CMC-series before the final release. The pressurized power suit made a return in the novels.