Weapons platform

The weapons platform was the midsection of the Dalek casing which typically featured two sockets; the left was occupied by the gunstick, while the right was occupied by the manipulator arm. (PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks) The weapons platforms of most Daleks, with the exception of early Mark I Travel Machines and those of the New Dalek Paradigm, were studded by slats. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Chase)

Characteristics

Daleks of the Last Great Time War and beyond were able to rotate their weapons platforms independent of the rest of their casings, enabling them to fight more effeciently. This ability was demonstrated by the "Metaltron" at GeoComTex in 2012, who was responsible for the deaths of 200 humans. (TV: Dalek)

Should a Dalek chose to open their casing, the weapons platform as well as the upper grating section would extend and split between their two arms, exposing the Kaled mutant inside. (TV: Dalek)

Variants

The Special Weapons Dalek was distinguished in that its weapons platform had no slats. Most importantly, however, was that it possessed a single, extremely powerful cannon in place of the two arms of a typical Dalek. These cannon was capable of utterly destroying a pair of Dalek drones with a single shot. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

While otherwise identical to the contemporary bronze Dalek drones, the Temporal Weapon Dalek of the Last Great Time War sported a weapons platform with a single cannon similar in appearance to the Special Weapons Dalek. However, these cannons utilised temporal radiation mined from the Tantalus Eye. It would flow into their targets' bodies through available orifices before erasing them from history. The results of these targets' actions would remain, and memories of them would not be wholly erased. The War Doctor noted their similarities to the Time Lord De-mat Gun and Rassilon's gauntlet which function on the same principle. (PROSE: Engines of War)

Red Supreme Daleks had unique golden frames which connected the grating section to the weapons platform. (TV: The Stolen Earth)