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In the late 23rd century, humanity invented and began to utilize the [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] on their spacecraft, allowing human ships to travel through [[slipstream space]] to reach destinations light-years away.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 43'' (2011 edition)</ref> The UNSC Navy only conducted low-level operations, such as anti-[[piracy]] actions, until the [[Insurrection]], which forced the Navy to develop a modern space warfare doctrine. Following the [[Callisto Incident]] of [[2494]], the numerous small-scale space engagements occurred between the UNSC Navy and [[Insurrectionist]]s across human space.<ref name="evolutions cole">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"</ref> While [[Unified Ground Command]] (UNICOM) oversees planetary campaigns, orbital defenses and space-based combat is directed by [[UNSC Naval Command]] (NAVCOM). | In the late 23rd century, humanity invented and began to utilize the [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] on their spacecraft, allowing human ships to travel through [[slipstream space]] to reach destinations light-years away.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 43'' (2011 edition)</ref> The UNSC Navy only conducted low-level operations, such as anti-[[piracy]] actions, until the [[Insurrection]], which forced the Navy to develop a modern space warfare doctrine. Following the [[Callisto Incident]] of [[2494]], the numerous small-scale space engagements occurred between the UNSC Navy and [[Insurrectionist]]s across human space.<ref name="evolutions cole">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"</ref> While [[Unified Ground Command]] (UNICOM) oversees planetary campaigns, orbital defenses and space-based combat is directed by [[UNSC Naval Command]] (NAVCOM). | ||
The [[Covenant]] races, meanwhile, have been spacefaring for significantly longer than humanity. The [[Sangheili]] had been a spacefaring civilization for some time by [[938 BCE]], when they encountered the [[San'Shyuum]]. The [[San'Shyuum-Sangheili War|resulting conflict]] was fought on both planetary surfaces and in space engagements, where the San'Shyuum held the distinct advantage due to their use of the [[ | The [[Covenant]] races, meanwhile, have been spacefaring for significantly longer than humanity. The [[Sangheili]] had been a spacefaring civilization for some time by [[938 BCE]], when they encountered the [[San'Shyuum]]. The [[San'Shyuum-Sangheili War|resulting conflict]] was fought on both planetary surfaces and in space engagements, where the San'Shyuum held the distinct advantage due to their use of the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'', a [[Forerunner]] [[keyship]] fitted by the San'Shyuum with offensive armament. In [[1342]], the Covenant fought the many [[Kig-Yar]] pirate and militia groups around [[Eayn]], including naval engagements against space-based raiders in their homeworld's asteroid belt, where their smaller ships and intimate knowledge of their environment benefited the Kig-Yar until they agreed to be employed by the Covenant. Covenant warships also took part in the glassing of [[Balaho]] during the [[Unggoy Rebellion]], though likely faced little serious naval opposition. The [[Jiralhanae]] were a spacefaring species, before they were reduced by their [[First Immolation]] to a pre-atomic stage, and it is likely that this war included space combat.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''': ''[[Bestiarum]]''</ref> | ||
==Technology== | ==Technology== | ||
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Human starship weapons are, for the most part, projectile-based, consisting of guided missiles with variable conventional or nuclear warhead yields or magnetically accelerated unguided projectiles. In combat, UNSC warships employ [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]s as their primary armaments, powerful [[Wikipedia:Coilgun|coilguns]] built into the superstructure of the ship capable of accelerating a ferric tungsten shell to a significant fraction of the speed of light.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 129''</ref> These are supplemented by a range of missile types, from smaller-yield ship-to-ship [[Archer missile|Archer]], [[Rapier missile|Rapier]] and [[Howler missile|Howler]] missiles to more powerful nuclear [[M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system|Hyperion]], [[Rudra-class nuclear missile|Rudra]], [[FENRIS nuclear warhead|FENRIS]], [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK]] or [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|Shiva]] missiles.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/infinity '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Infinity'']</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 128''</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 133-134''</ref><ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level, ''[[Dawn]]''</ref> UNSC naval strategy emphasizes massed firepower to overwhelm the Covenant's powerful defenses - typically an initial missile salvo to penetrate Covenant point defense, followed up with a timed MAC strike against the vulnerable ship. Single MAC strikes by even smaller UNSC warships are capable of crippling or destroying an unshielded Covenant vessel. The velocity of a MAC round can be adjusted to deliver ordnance from orbit against planetary targets, though the still-powerful kinetic energy they impart on impact means their use is limited.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Tip of the Spear]]''</ref> UNSC [[prowler]]s are the only known UNSC warship class to use [[XEV9-Matos nonlinear pulse cannon|pulse laser turrets]], though as stealth ships their primary offensive role is their ability to lay [[HORNET mine|HORNET space mines]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 50''</ref><ref name="Halo pages 325-326">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 325-326''</ref> | Human starship weapons are, for the most part, projectile-based, consisting of guided missiles with variable conventional or nuclear warhead yields or magnetically accelerated unguided projectiles. In combat, UNSC warships employ [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]s as their primary armaments, powerful [[Wikipedia:Coilgun|coilguns]] built into the superstructure of the ship capable of accelerating a ferric tungsten shell to a significant fraction of the speed of light.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 129''</ref> These are supplemented by a range of missile types, from smaller-yield ship-to-ship [[Archer missile|Archer]], [[Rapier missile|Rapier]] and [[Howler missile|Howler]] missiles to more powerful nuclear [[M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system|Hyperion]], [[Rudra-class nuclear missile|Rudra]], [[FENRIS nuclear warhead|FENRIS]], [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK]] or [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|Shiva]] missiles.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/infinity '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Infinity'']</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 128''</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 133-134''</ref><ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level, ''[[Dawn]]''</ref> UNSC naval strategy emphasizes massed firepower to overwhelm the Covenant's powerful defenses - typically an initial missile salvo to penetrate Covenant point defense, followed up with a timed MAC strike against the vulnerable ship. Single MAC strikes by even smaller UNSC warships are capable of crippling or destroying an unshielded Covenant vessel. The velocity of a MAC round can be adjusted to deliver ordnance from orbit against planetary targets, though the still-powerful kinetic energy they impart on impact means their use is limited.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Tip of the Spear]]''</ref> UNSC [[prowler]]s are the only known UNSC warship class to use [[XEV9-Matos nonlinear pulse cannon|pulse laser turrets]], though as stealth ships their primary offensive role is their ability to lay [[HORNET mine|HORNET space mines]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 50''</ref><ref name="Halo pages 325-326">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 325-326''</ref> | ||
The Covenant, on the other hand, employ more arcane weaponry derived from even more advanced | The Covenant, on the other hand, employ more arcane weaponry derived from even more advanced Forerunnertechnology. The typical offensive armament for a Covenant warship consists of [[plasma torpedo]] turrets and [[energy projector]]s to engage enemy combatants. Plasma torpedoes are a form of superheated [[plasma]] contained and shaped by a magnetic field and guided to the target.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 132-133''</ref> While the magnetic field has been created by the ship, plasma torpedoes have been known to continue tracking their targets after the destruction of the warship that launched them.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 336''</ref> A single plasma torpedo is capable of burning through UNSC hull plating and even through several deck layers in a matter of seconds.<ref>'''The Fall of Reach''', ''page 170''</ref> Energy projectors are powerful particle accelerators, akin to a larger [[M'tara-pattern focus rifle|focus rifle]], typically used as long-range armaments.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 334-335''</ref> They have been known to cut through even UNSC carriers with little difficulty, but require more power to operate, especially on warships with more than one energy projector.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 359''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 194''</ref> Both of these weapons systems can be used by the Covenant to bombard planetary positions from orbit, in a process known as [[glassing]]. | ||
===Defenses=== | ===Defenses=== | ||
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===Forerunner era=== | ===Forerunner era=== | ||
Space engagements carried out by | Space engagements carried out by Forerunners and their technologically equivalent contemporaries - most prominently the [[Ancestors]] - were dazzlingly complex yet controlled affairs, involving seamless coordination across large distances as well as weapon systems and defenses extending through higher space-time branes.<ref name="s211">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 211-212''</ref> These battles unfolded at speeds impossible for baseline individuals to follow<ref name="c161">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 161-162''</ref> and often involved copious numbers of often automated attack craft, with each maneuver adjusted to fit the current tactical situation according to constantly shifting predictive higher-dimensional calculations;{{Ref/Reuse|s211}} biological commanders could effectively contribute to these engagements due to sophisticated neurocognitive enhancement and mind-machine integration, enabling them to simultaneously perceive numerous differing viewpoints.{{Ref/Reuse|c161}}<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 316''</ref> Individual [[Warrior-Servant|Warriors]] would typically command up to a million [[weapon-ship]]s during fleet engagements,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 174''</ref> while the numbers of attack ships such as [[harrier]]s could easily be in the hundreds of thousands.{{Ref/Reuse|s211}} In addition to physical weaponry, opposing ships also deployed [[AI suppressor|weaponized AI systems]] and [[confinement field]]s against one another with the intent of eliminating the enemy vessel's capacity for resistance.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 193-194''</ref> Higher-level [[combat skin]]s such as [[war sphinx]]es blurred the line between infantry, aerial attack craft and space fighters and were used to a great effect in battles waged over planets.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 66, 95, 163''</ref> | ||
The [[Didact]] devised a well-known strategic doctrine known as "[[star-hopping]]" which involved the selective targeting of strategically significant worlds while ignoring less important targets. This strategy allowed the Forerunners to gradually dismantle the prehistoric human empire piecemeal during the [[human-Forerunner wars]], eventually leaving only their capital [[Charum Hakkor]] as a significant military bastion.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 187-188''</ref> During fleet engagements, the Didact favored the [[fleet spiral]] formation which enabled a fleet to respond to threats from any direction.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 267''</ref> Late into their war with ancient humanity, the Forerunners took advantage of their superior understanding of [[slipstream space]] to catastrophically increase their human opponents' [[Reconciliation|space-time debt]], effectively cutting the [[Charum Hakkor system]] off from the rest of the ancient human empire. Over three years, the Didact fought the [[Forthencho|Lord of Admirals]]' forces across the Charum Hakkor system in a constant battle of attrition for superior orbital paths and optimal slipspace pathways.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 239-240''</ref> | The [[Ur-Didact]] devised a well-known strategic doctrine known as "[[star-hopping]]," which involved the selective targeting of strategically significant worlds while ignoring less important targets. This strategy allowed the Forerunners to gradually dismantle the prehistoric human empire piecemeal during the [[human-Forerunner wars]], eventually leaving only their capital [[Charum Hakkor]] as a significant military bastion.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 187-188''</ref> During fleet engagements, the Didact favored the [[fleet spiral]] formation which enabled a fleet to respond to threats from any direction.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 267''</ref> Late into their war with ancient humanity, the Forerunners took advantage of their superior understanding of [[slipstream space]] to catastrophically increase their human opponents' [[Reconciliation|space-time debt]], effectively cutting the [[Charum Hakkor system]] off from the rest of the ancient human empire. Over three years, the Didact fought the [[Forthencho|Lord of Admirals]]' forces across the Charum Hakkor system in a constant battle of attrition for superior orbital paths and optimal slipspace pathways.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 239-240''</ref> | ||
During the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Forerunner forces led by the [[Falchion]] at the [[Battle of the 78th Thema|78th Thema]] used their numerous attack harriers' cloaking capability to catch a [[Flood]] fleet by surprise, utilizing gravity slings to propel asteroids at the arriving Flood ships rather than attack with traceable energy weapons, allowing them to attain victory.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 212-214''</ref> However, the conventional rules of space combat ceased to apply once the Flood began to use reactivated [[Precursor]] structures to systematically cripple and devastate Forerunner fleets.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 188-189''</ref> Additionally, the computing power of Flood [[Key Mind]]s allowed the [[logic plague]]—the Flood's information equivalent—to eventually infest nearly any Forerunner ancilla, severely hampering their largely AI-driven fleet operations.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 214-215''</ref> Because of the Flood's rate of expansion, Forerunner fleets would often resort to triggering stellar collapses once an infestation had been detected in a system.<ref>'''Halo 3''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal 2]]''</ref> | During the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the Forerunner forces led by the [[Falchion]] at the [[Battle of the 78th Thema|78th Thema]] used their numerous attack harriers' cloaking capability to catch a [[Flood]] fleet by surprise, utilizing gravity slings to propel asteroids at the arriving Flood ships rather than attack with traceable energy weapons, allowing them to attain victory.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 212-214''</ref> However, the conventional rules of space combat ceased to apply once the Flood began to use reactivated [[Precursor]] structures to systematically cripple and devastate Forerunner fleets.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 188-189''</ref> Additionally, the computing power of Flood [[Key Mind]]s allowed the [[logic plague]]—the Flood's information equivalent—to eventually infest nearly any Forerunner ancilla, severely hampering their largely AI-driven fleet operations.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 214-215''</ref> Because of the Flood's rate of expansion, Forerunner fleets would often resort to triggering stellar collapses once an infestation had been detected in a system.<ref>'''Halo 3''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal 2]]''</ref> | ||
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File:H3 SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|''Halo 3'' concept art of the space battle over Installation 00. | File:H3 SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|''Halo 3'' concept art of the space battle over Installation 00. | ||
File:HReach-CapitalShipBattle.jpg|{{UNSCShip|Savannah}} engages the {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'' during the Fall of Reach. | File:HReach-CapitalShipBattle.jpg|{{UNSCShip|Savannah}} engages the {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'' during the Fall of Reach. | ||
File:H4SO Requiem SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting the space engagement over [[Requiem]] in ''[[Spartan Ops]]''. | |||
File:HW3 SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|Concept art for a pitch of ''[[Halo Wars 3 (rejected pitch)|Halo Wars 3]]'' featuring space battles. | File:HW3 SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|Concept art for a pitch of ''[[Halo Wars 3 (rejected pitch)|Halo Wars 3]]'' featuring space battles. | ||
File:HM_SigmaOctanus.jpg|A ''Halberd''-class destroyer and ''Paris''-class frigate prepare to engage a Covenant fleet. | File:HM_SigmaOctanus.jpg|A ''Halberd''-class destroyer and ''Paris''-class frigate prepare to engage a Covenant fleet. | ||