Weapons platform

The weapons platform was the midsection of the Dalek casing, located below the grating section and above the base unit, 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)

Characteristics
Following the early Mark I Travel Machines which were externally powered by static electricity transmitted through the metal floors of the Dalek City, (TV: "The Escape") later Daleks initially overcame this weakness by adding dishes to their casing, at the back of the weapons platform, to receive power, (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth) although even these were ultimately replaced by vertical rectangular slats around the midsection which absorbed other sources of power. (TV: The Chase) From then on, the weapons platforms of most Daleks, with the exception of those of the New Dalek Paradigm, were studded by slats. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Chase)

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
Silver Daleks seen on Exxilon had black weapons platforms with silver slats and "arms". (TV: Death to the Daleks)

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)

Silver Dalek War Machines seen on the reconstructed Skaro had light blue weapons platforms with silver frames. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar)

As a target
Though the common weakpoint of the Dalek casing was understood to be the eyepiece, (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks, Dalek) numerous Daleks were destroyed upon sustaining hits, typically from energy weapons including Dalek gunsticks, directed at their weapons platforms.

On Necros, Daleks loyal to the Supreme Dalek destroyed Davros' Daleks by hitting their weapons platforms, resulting in their casings being blown apart. (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks)

Wielding a modified defabricator, Jack Harkness killed two Daleks during the 21st century Dalek invasion of Earth, first a Dalek that shot the Tenth Doctor in London, and then the Supreme Dalek aboard the Crucible. In both instances, he struck the weapons platform, resulting in the top half of their casings being blown off. (TV: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End)

The Daleks of the New Dalek Paradigm, when disintergrating their predecessors, targeted their weapons platforms. (TV: Victory of the Daleks)

Individual cases
Both the gunstick and the manipulator arm were among the technology which was removed from a Dalek by a human guerrilla faction on Earth in the 2010s. (AUDIO: The Dalek Transaction)

Behind the scenes

 * The Daleks seen in the theatrical film Dr. Who and the Daleks (held to be an invalid source by this Wiki) all had weapons platforms with golden frames. The Blue Daleks had silver weapons platforms, while the Red and the Black Dalek had weapons platforms matching their wider casing.
 * In Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., all weapons platforms matching their wider casing, with silver slats.
 * In the video game The Last Dalek, based on the events of Dalek, the Metaltron gains the ability to rotate its weapons platform only after acquiring the gearing system.
 * In Dalek Hack, the player has the option to change the colour of a Dalek's casing which is divided into three sections, including the weapons platform.