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Plasma Rifle
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The Plasma Rifle is a Covenant firearm in the fictional Halo universe. It fires bolts of damaging cyan superheated plasma in a direct trajectory, and can be fired semiautomatically or automatically. However, on automatic fire, the weapon tends to overheat rapidly, and the weapon must begin a several-second cooldown cycle to prevent catastrophic failure of the unit. Flaps extend, exposing the interior systems of the plasma rifle to the air, and it is temporarily unable to fire, often exposing the user to enemy fire and unable to return fire at inopportune moments.
The plasma rifle is believed to have a core, unrechargable, and unreplacable power cell that provides the energy for the rifle. This means that after the rifle's power core is depleted, it is unusable, although it can still be used in melee attacks. The power output is between 100 to 150 kV, or between 2 to 3 distribution amperes. The rate of fire is between 420 to 600 rounds per minute. The plasma rifle has an ammunition capacity of 100 charge units, with each charge unit approximately equivalent to two plasma bolts. Overheating of the rifle occurs customarily after sustained automatic fire for ten units. It can be held in a single hand, which means it can be "dual wielded", which is where a user holds two plasma rifles: one in each hand. Sometimes, in dual wielding, the two plasma rifles will be fired in a staggered fashion, so that a user is always able to return fire while one of the rifles is in its cooling cycles. More commonly, they will both be fired automatically in short bursts, with short breaks between sustained bursts so that the rifles can cool.
They are standard field weapons for Covenant Elites, who either dual-wield them or single-wield them. Junior and Senior Elites, ones clad in cobalt and scarlet armor, respectively, typically single-wield them, while Zero-g Elites and Honor Guards two-wield them. They are less frequently brandished by Grunts and Jackals, who often prefer Plasma Pistols or Needlers.
The standard Plasma Rifle also has a lesser used derivative, the Brute Plasma Rifle. It is exclusively used by Brutes, and are one of their commonly wielded weapons. It has similar properties, and is identical to its precedessor, except that it is colored a vivid red, has a fire output twice as fast as the standard plasma rifle, and overheats after two or three charge units. It can be dual-wielded.
Plasma Pistol
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The Plasma Pistol is a Covenant firearm in the fictional Halo universe. It is a small handheld ranged weapon that fires bolts of viridian plasma in a direct trajectory. It can be fired in two modes: semiautomatic or overcharged. However, after sustained semiautomatic fire or after an overcharged bolt, the weapon tends to overheat rapidly, and the weapon must begin a several-second cooldown cycle to prevent catastrophic failure of the unit. Flaps extend, exposing the interior systems of the plasma pistol to the air, and it is temporarily unable to fire, often exposing the user to enemy fire and unable to return fire at inopportune moments.
It is powered by a power cell that provides the energy to heat and align the plasma bolts. It has an ammunition capacity of 100 charge units. Every semiautomatic bolt requires one charge unit, while every overcharged bolt requires approximately fifteen charge units, meaning that it depletes the battery much faster. After the cell is depleted, it can not be recharged or replaced, making it useful only as a brutish cudgel to hit enemies with at melee range. A new plasma pistol will need to be acquired to continue firing. The plasma pistol, like its relatives, the plasma rifle and the Brute plasma rifle, is small enough to be held in one hand. This means that two plasma pistols can be wielded at the same time: one in each hand.
In the semiautomatic mode, the plasma pistol is a relatively weak weapon compared to Covenant or U.N.S.C. weapons of comparible size. It slowly fires weak plasma bolts that inflict negligible damage on targets. During semiautomatic fire, the core power output is between 100 to 150 kV. Because of the ineffectiveness of the plasma pistol's semiautomatic mode, often the second mode of fire is used: overcharging.
Overcharging takes several seconds after the trigger has been pulled to create a sizzling, culimnating ball of superhot green plasma at the tip of the weapon. After charged, this unfired ball can be sustained indefinately until the trigger is pulled. When fired, this overcharged ball of plasma travels with slow speed to its target, but with moderate homing properties. It is unknown how these homing properties are created. However, upon impact, the overcharged blast instantly destroys the deflector shielding of the target, whether it be the systems of a U.N.S.C. Spartan, a Covenant Elite or Jackal, or a deflector shielding emplacement. However, when the overcharged ball is being sustained before the trigger is pulled, it creates a loud and instantly recognizable sound, alerting nearby enemies to the presence of an enemy. The core power output to produce an overcharged blast is between 100 to 150 mV, which is a thousand times greater than the voltage needed to fire a semiautomatic blast. However, after a single overcharged blast, the pistol begins cycling through its cooldown cycle.
BR55 Battle Rifle
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The BR55 Battle Rifle is a U.N.S.C. projectile weapon in the fictional Halo universe. It has a capacity of 108 rounds, with four magazines of 36 rounds each. It fires rounds in three-round bursts, giving each magazine a capacity of twelve bursts. It fires these projectiles in a direct trajectory. It is a standard issue weapon with medium-long range that is commonly issued to Marines and even Spartans. The Battle Rifle, sometimes abbreviated as the "BR", has a 2X electronic scope that allows a user to fire at longer ranges more accurately. Four headshots, or four tri-round bursts directly in the head can drop an Elite or a Spartan in their tracks. The Battle Rifle is also utilized to accurately target from safe ranges the "notches" in the shield of a Covenant Jackal.
The Battle Rifle was introduced in the video game Halo 2, and is commonly believed to be the replacement for Halo: Combat Evolved's Assault Rifle.
It is found on almost all Halo 2 multiplayer maps, including Lockout, Ascension, Turf, Warlock, Foundations, Terminal, and Midship.
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Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
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The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (or MAC Gun) is a large coilgun in the Halo universe. These weapon systems are mounted on all U.N.S.C. capital ships - frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and frigates. Larger and substantially more powerful weapons, commonly known as Super MAC Cannons, are found on some orbital defense stations.
The theory behind the operation of a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is the same of that of a coilgun. The cannon fires heavy metal projectiles using a system of magnetic fields down a long shaft, increasing the projectiles' velocity until they carry an incredible amount of energy. The ship-based models use ferric, ferrous, or depleted uranium cores, while station-based versions use ferric tungsten rounds.
All Magnetic Accelerator Cannons are built into the structure of a ship or weapons platform. Thus, to aim the cannon, the ship or the platform must maneouver to be facing the target. Both shipboard and platform versions generally require an AI to aim the cannon, as the slugs fired are unguided. Even taking into account the high speed of the shots and the supreme accuracy with which an AI can aim them, they are highly innaccurate as battles usually take place across an entire system, allowing Covenant vessels to dodge them.
They are the only non-nuclear weapons that the UNSC possesses that can destroy Covenant shields.
Standard Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
editThe standard ship-mounted MAC system fires 600-ton depleted uranium rounds. A U.N.S.C. frigate sports one MAC cannon, while a destroyer possesses two MAC cannons. U.N.S.C. cruisers and carriers carry an unknown number of these powerful projectile weapons.
A pair of depleted uranium projectiles can destroy a Covenant frigate or destroyer.
Shipborne MAC Cannons draw power from the ship's reactor and require a charge of the weapon's magnetic coils in order to be fired. The time it takes to bring the MAC's systems to full charge on a UNSC vessel is the deciding force in a conflict. Thus, while a vessel may not run out of ammunition for a long time (depending on the size/weight of the shots and the capacity of the ship), a captain or commander has to carefully analyze the situation of a battle and use his shots strategically.
Modified MAC Cannon
editWhen the U.N.S.C. Pillar of Autumn is reserviced for the struggling war against the Covenant it receives the latest version of ship based MAC weaponry. Magnetic field recyclers coupled with booster capacitors allowed the cannon to be fired three times per full charge, unlike traditional shipborne MAC systems, which could only fire once per charge. The commander of the ship Captain Jacob Keyes tells us that this will bring great strategic use to him as the first or second shot will down the Covenant ship's shields and the third shot will deliver the final blow. The Pillar of Autumn also carried new lighter MAC rounds that had a ferrous core but a harder outer layer of tungsten carbide. This technology is only possesed by the Pillar of Autumn and is never seen in gameplay.
Super Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
editThere are at least two versions of the orbital MAC platforms. The twenty Super MACs at Reach were designated Mark Vs and could launch 3,000-ton rounds at four-tenths (40%) the speed of light—that is, 120,000 km/s—giving a kinetic energy of 2.2 x 1022 joules or 1.6 x 1022 foot-pounds force. The Mk. V Super MAC systems could also reload in five seconds. They were directly powered by a fusion generator planetside, which meant that if the generators were sabotaged or destroyed, the Mk. V would be inoperable.
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Twenty orbital Super-MAC Cannons were used to defend the planet Reach from Covenant invasion, but they soon fell as the Covenant destroyed the underground generators that powered them. The planet Earth had 16, but production was stepped up quickly after Halo: The Fall of Reach, bringing the total up to 300. Some of the more famed Super MAC Orbital Stations above Earth are: Cairo Station, Malta Station, Athens Station and Nassau Station.
In Halo 2, Cairo Station is the station where the Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson receive awards, along with Miranda Keyes, daughter of the famed Captain Keyes. When the Covenant come out of Slipspace, they attack Cairo Station, Malta Station, and Athens Station . At one time in the middle of the battle, Malta Station seems to have won the fight, as they report: "I don't believe it. They're retreating! We've won!" However, the Covenant soon demonstrates their new technique for dealing with the orbital MAC Cannons; using boarding parties to place a large bomb within the station. The Athens Station explodes shortly thereafter, as does the Malta and those aboard the Cairo come to horrifying conclusion that there must also be a bomb on Cairo Station. The Master Chief runs to find it and defuses it with Cortana's help. The Master Chief manually places the bomb in a nearby Covenant capital ship and detonates it. The explosion propels the Master Chief through space to land on the In Amber Clad, Commander Miranda Keyes' ship.
Plasma Torpedo
editThe Plasma Torpedo is a fictional Covenant starship-mounted energy weapon in the fictional Halo universe. These torpedo tubes are often mounted on the lateral areas of a Covenant, and are used on most Covenant starships - frigates, destroyers, carriers, and certain classes of cruisers.
Plasma is heated in a pinched magnetic field by energy supplied from the ships reactors. The atoms that are on an appropriate trajectory between the Covenant starship and its target are then herded towards the mouth of the torpedo tube by magnetic pulses. Then, the plasma torpedo is fired, and is subsequently herded towards it target by a long-reaching magnetic field projected by the tube. They can track moving targets effectively even at long ranges. They are extraordinarily accurate. Upon impact, the torpedo penetrates the titanium armor of the target starship, burning through internal decks and structures and causing heavy damage on the target.
Some plasma torpedoes can miss their target and not reacquire them if the target is moving towards the launcher at an oblique angle. Even though they are considered very accurate, they can frequently be evaded by smaller starships, such as Pelican-class dropships.
Volleys of plasma torpedoes are frequently the first attacks launched by Covenant fleets when engaging enemy U.N.S.C. forces at long range. They often decimate enemy ranks upon impact. They emit visible radiation, giving them an amber color, but massive volleys can be visually akin to solar flares due to the massive number of torpedoes. A single volley can destroy a Super MAC platform.