MA40 assault rifle

The MA40 Individual Combat Weapon System (ICWS), or MA40 assault rifle, is a weapon in service with the United Nations Space Command. Built on Misriah's proven ICWS platform, the MA40 incorporates a number of updates made to the MA5 production lines during the Human-Covenant War. As of 2560, it is considered the standard-issue heavy rifle of the Marine Corps and Army.

Design details
Produced by Misriah Armory, the MA40 is a part of the same lineage as the MA37. Improvements over the MA37 are subtle, but significantly increase mechanical reliability and durability in extreme conditions, including vacuum.

The rifle feeds from 36-round detachable box magazines. Present above the trigger guard on both sides of the weapon's body are fire selectors, with three dots for positions. One is black, and the others are red, indicating safe and two firing modes, one of which is fully-automatic. The MA40's charging handle is positioned on the left side of its body, and its ejection port is situated on the right. Beneath the end of its barrel is located a multifunction receiver into which devices that grant supplemental functionality, such as infrared laser designators, can be mounted. The MA40 is also capable of being fitted with a sound-suppressor on the fly, to reduce its firing signature. Although it lacks a built-in ammunition indicator like the later models in the MA series, the MA40 is typically equipped with the EVOS-J attachment instead.

The MA40's appearance heavily resembles the MA37, featuring a dark grey and black finish, with a bright yellow stripe running across the cowling. The weapon is stamped with various decals including a QR code that, when translated, lists the weapon's name. The sides of the upper receiver contain a proof mark indicating the weapon's year of manufacture and a certification that the weapon is safe to fire with nitrocellulose-based gunpowder. In the case of the MA40s supplied to forces in 2560, the weapons have the proof code FI, which translates to a manufacture year of 2558.

Usage
"Misriah Armory stock increase."

- A Superintendent-class artificial intelligence after a Spartan-IV got a kill with a MA40 in a War Games simulation.

Although the MA40 assault rifle was in service as early as the Battle for Earth in late 2552, the MA40 has been not seen widespread service until at least during the Created conflict. Although the MA40 has recently eclipsed the MA5 series in service, the latter still dominates most armories in sheer volume. The MA40 was used extensively by Blue Team during the mission to Reach in 2559, and saw widespread usage among Marine personnel stranded on Installation 07 during the Battle for Zeta Halo later that year. An MA40 was kept in the cockpit of Fernando Esparza’s Pelican dropship in 2560, and the rifle was later used by John-117 on Installation 07.

Variants

 * MA40 Longshot: A modified variant of the MA40 with a reduced magazine size from 36 to 25, though has increased precision capabilities, raising its performance at long-range.

In-game information
The MA40 holds 36 rounds ready, with 216 rounds in reserve. The base version of the MA40 assault rifle has lowered damage per round and its bloom gradually increases as the trigger is held. The reticle is very similar to the MA5D's reticle in Halo 5: Guardians. The MA40 is highly effective in close-quarters combat. The weapon, when compared to other recent incarnations of the assault rifle, fires at a significantly faster rate, akin to the MA5B assault rifle.

Production notes
The MA40 was first seen during the Discover Hope trailer for Halo Infinite, which was shown at E3 2019. Its name was first revealed when the NERF toy based on the weapon was announced on February 18, 2020. Purchases of the NERF MA40 come with a code that unlocks a skin for the weapon in Halo Infinite.

The MA40 received a visual upgrade to its textures first seen in the January 2021 edition of Inside Infinite. The color scheme appears much darker with a yellow strip along the barrel, paying homage to the MA37. The ammo counter visual is brighter and the munition counter itself is highlighted by a bright blue box.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Halo: Divine Wind
 * Become
 * Carry On
 * Forever We Fight
 * Halo Infinite
 * Winter Contention