Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present/Fuel rod gun

Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
Official designation:	Type-33 LAAW
Length o/a:	130.2 cm	(51.26 in.)
Length (barrel):	73.66 cm	(29 in.)
Weight (empty):	20.8 kg	(46 lbs)
Weight (loaded):	23.1 kg	(51 lbs)
Cartridge:	unknown1
Max. effective range:	165 meters	(541 ft)
Muzzle velocity:	72 m/s	(236 f/s)
Magazine capacity:	5 rounds
Rate of fire:	semi-automatic only
Unit Replacement cost:	N/A
Description: This weapon is a man-portable support weapon. It appears to be recoil-operated. It fires 3.8cm explosive ballistic projectiles. It is commonly employed in both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle roles.
Observations: This weapon has changed very little since it was first encountered in 2531. The most obvious change has been the elimination of the “dead man’s switch” 2 which occurred late in 2552. Because of the weapon’s visibility it is just as effective as a psychological weapon. It is often the case that soldiers will ignore closer, more obvious targets in order to eliminate a Type-33 and its operator.
Remarks: “Those things are scary as hell. Ya hear that weird “whump” sound and even if ya see it comin’ yer transfixed—these big green blobs flying at you throwin’ off sparks!” “It’s so weird. I don’t know who first called it a fuel rod gun, but it’s kind’a funny. I suppose the projectile is reminiscent of how you might expect to see a nuclear fuel rod depicted in a gee eh cartoon—all glowing green and throwing off sparks.” “They’re pretty tricky to handle—first off you gotta get over the fact that there is this glowing, green explosive whatever right next to your head; and it’s not like you can req any more ammo for the damn thing—but you can lay down a whole lot’a hurt in a very short amount of time I’ll tell you what.” “[The Type-33s] have more in common with the ballistic weapon on the Banshee than it does with the weapon that the Hunters carry around—well, not carry around, but you know what I mean.” “I catch a glimpse of green out of the corner of my eye and then there’s this huge “whoomf” and the ‘hog goes end over end burning with Gaz still at the wheel. I was riding shotty with the em forty-one so I just unlatched and pushed off when we started going up into the air—and there went the ‘hog and Gaz and all our gear cart-wheeling into the ravine.” “No sooner had I put the Grunt down than Fisk has got a hold of that bad boy and dumps the whole clip into the column—stickies and everything just cooking off—secondaries like mad! Fisk was a crazy bastard he was—wish he was still with us.”
1Pending treaty negotiations with the Sangheili. 2Although the existence of the “dead man’s switch”—a mechanism that sabotages the weapon if it is dropped without first engaging a safety—has only been theorized, it would be difficult to believe that every single Unggoy and Sangheili that was killed while using one fired the weapon right at their feet the moment they died.
Citation: {{Ref/Site|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo3/content.aspx?link=h3fuelrod|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon|D=31|M=01|Y=2021|LocalArchive=Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present/Fuel rod gun}}