If I tried to cover all of the weapons available in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3,I'd barely be able to list the names in the space I have here. This game offers a truly dizzying selection of ways to whack out terrorist scum. So, instead, I'm going to cherry pick¾because I can¾and spotlight the type of firearms I find the coolest and most useful in my own day-to-day antiterrorist activities: the submachine gun.
The submachine gun is a hybrid beast that poses no threat to supplant the assault rifle as the weapon of choice for the frontline soldier in the field. However, the submachine gun does have attributes that appeal to members of the special operations community, including SWAT and dedicated antiterrorist teams. Submachine guns are light, versatile, and easier to maneuver within enclosed spaces and around corners. They're typically chambered for pistol ammunition.
The MP5A4 The MP5 used in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 is a 9mm, but there are versions of the MP5 available that are chambered for other cartridge types. This weapon is typically available with two modes of fire: single shot and fully automatic. In the latter mode, the weapon will continue to fire at its full rate of up to 875 rounds per minute for as long as the trigger is held back. The MP5 is also available with an additional mode that allows three shot bursts, but this adds significantly to the complexity of the firing mechanism and makes the weapon more prone to mechanical failure. (It’s widely considered unnecessary, since an experienced marksman should have no trouble firing two to three round bursts with the weapon in full auto mode.) The MP5A4 is typically equipped with a 30-round magazine, which is slightly curved to provide more reliable operation.
The MP5A4 featured in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 has a fixed butt stock for improved stability (though it should be noted that the collapsible stock featured in other configurations of the MP5 is considered one of the best such designs around). The MP5A4 has a maximum effective range of 100 meters.
The MP5SD The MP5SD is a special version of the MP5 that’s specifically designed for clandestine operations. Unlike many silenced weapons, the MP5SD does not require the use of underpowered subsonic ammunition. The weapon is designed with ports that allow gasses to vent during the firing sequence, reducing the energy imparted to the round and dropping it below the speed of sound. This drastically reduces both the noise and muzzle flash of the weapon, but also decreases the penetration of the round. (The MP5SD is unlikely to penetrate body armor.) This weapon is typically equipped with a 30-round magazine, slightly curved to provide more reliable operation.
The P90 The P90 can be considered aesthetically pleasing or remarkably odd-looking, depending on who you ask.. This weapon, with its compact design, , was originally intended as a personal defense weapon for personnel whose activities do not normally include small-arms combat, such as tank crews. A pistol or typical submachine gun (chambered for pistol ammunition) was largely ineffective against enemy soldiers equipped with body armor, leaving these personnel essentially defenseless if they were overrun or forced into small-arms combat. The P90 was the answer to this problem.
The P90’s new round, the SS 190, boasts a superior muzzle velocity and armor-defeating capabilities. The weapon features a 50-round magazine, superior to the 30-round magazines employed by most submachine guns. To accomplish this, the P90 places its translucent box magazine atop the weapon, in line with its barrel, with the rounds oriented perpendicular to the line of fire—in other words, sideways. In a brilliant bit of engineering, the P90's loading mechanism accepts the round from the magazine and rotates it 90 degrees to line it up with the barrel before dropping it into the chamber.
The P90's mechanisms are completely ambidextrous, located along the centerline or duplicated on both sides of the weapon. It uses the specially developed SS190 round, with a rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute and a maximum effective range of 200 meters.
