West Tek

The West Tek Corporation, colloquially referred to as West-Tek, was a major United States defense contractor and research corporation, involved in strategic defense projects of the Department of Defense, such as power armor and FEV research.

Background
West Tek was founded in 2002, consisting of two divisions: Advanced Weapons and Biomedical Sciences Research. Its early projects included the X277 magnetic rail cannon. Although powerful, the cost of fielding such a weapon on a mass scale were considered too extreme and the project was shelved in 2044.

West Tek was the first to develop a power armor frame and the first practical series of power armor, the T-45 model D. The first mechanized infantry units equipped with T-45d power armor were deployed to the Alaskan front, and although lacking in mobility, they were effective in stemming the Chinese onslaught, thanks to their ability to carry heavy ordinance into battle with ease. By 2069, it was the single largest defense contractor for the United States government, with its biggest contract being the T-51 power armor.

In 2073, West Tek was contracted to develop a general immunization agent against the New Plague and biochemical weapons used by China. This generalized immunity virion was designated the Pan-Immunity Virion Project and formed on September 15. Early experiments with the virion resulted in an increase in muscle mass and induction of cell replication. This attracted the attention of West Tek's military liaison, Major Barnett, who immediately ordered further experiments in that direction in March, 2075. Subsequent successful experimentation on flatworms and small mammals confirmed the viability of PVP as an evolutionary mutagen, now designated the Forced Evolutionary Virus.

The last attempt to continue the PVP line of experimentation was the Greenhouse Initiative, which attempted to use the mutagenic potential of PVP to create edible plants and vegetation that could greatly increase food production and combat the shortages that led to the food riots rocking the country. The town of Huntersville was selected as the test site, resulting in an economic boom. Although the company would purchase test rights from local farmers as late as December 2075, the project was at an end.

On January 6, 2076, the military secured West Tek research sites in the name of national security. Among others, a military detachment under the command of Colonel Robert Spindel was deployed to the West Tek research facility, bringing it under military control. West Tek was effectively nationalized, and the development of FEV continued apace, with support from the military's own advisory teams. New genetic sequences were spliced into FEV, gradually turning it into a shifting-absorptive virus that had little in common with the original Pan-Immunity Virion. It did, however, result in increased intelligence, dexterity, muscle mass, and resiliency to pathogens and cancer.

The Greenhouse Initiative was scrapped and the researchers reassigned to other projects as West Tek decided to use its Appalachian branch to focus on experimenting with FEV to determine its practical limits, with Huntersville as proving grounds for low-level FEV exposure experiments and source of test subjects. The Advanced Weapons and Laser Development divisions completed their own projects by the end of the year, resulting in the T-51 power armor being put into production after testing and further iteration by the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Strong.

In January 2077, the FEV project was nearing completion. All Californian FEV research assets to the newly constructed Mariposa Military Base, including a significant portion of West Tek's research staff, ignoring recommendations against human testing from the personnel. In Appalachia, where human testing was already ongoing, advanced mutation experiments continued around the clock for the duration of 2077. The experiments created stable mutations that would become known as the snallygaster and the Grafton Monster, By the time of the Great War, most of West Tek's personnel in California were already dead, killed by Roger Maxson's forces in response to the research they discovered taking place there.

Pan-Immunity Virion
In 2055, the West Tek research facility started working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. The ZAX 1.2 computer was brought in to regulate conditions in West Tek, under the oversight of Leon Von Felden and Nick Davis. As China became increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project was officially formed on September 15, 2073 and plans were made to begin experiments at West Tek.

Power armor
Under the leadership of Charles Ringhold, the primary research goal of this division was the creation of the power armor. The first suits were created and deployed on the Anchorage frontline to reclaim it from the Chinese. Although lacking the mobility of future versions, the T-45d suits performed at the height of specifications. The pinnacle of research was the T-51b powered combat infantry armor, though it was later re-engineered into the Enclave advanced power armor. Excavator power armor was another venture in collaboration with the Garrahan Mining Company. A subsequent "Ore Sniffing" technology was also developed for exclusive use with the armor.

Rail cannon
X277 magnetic rail cannon: An abortive Gauss rifle project, canceled after cost overruns and the realization that fielding it would be prohibitively expensive. The public and museum authorities exhibiting the remaining prototypes.

Locations

 * West Tek research center
 * West Tek research facility

Appearances
West Tek's facilities appear in Fallout and Fallout 76, while the parent company is only mentioned in Fallout 3. The company is also mentioned in Fallout 4 by Sturges when he tells the Sole Survivor about components in power armor that were manufactured by West Tek.

Behind the scenes
The company is mentioned in the timeline of the Fallout Bible.