The Winchester Model E, U.S. Military designation M18 was an early laser rifle from the mid-21st century. Developed by the brand new "Energy Weapons" branch of the Winchester Arms Company in the early 2000s, the first M18s were bought by the United States Department of Defence in 2053 amidst the start of the Resource Wars. It was only deployed in limited numbers, and in its initial form was plagued with reliability issues, but its potential would pave the way for the adoption of the AER9 laser rifle toward the end of the Wars.