D77-TC Pelican: Difference between revisions

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Era|H1|H2|HW|RE|FOR|TF|FS|GOO|TCP|HE|HGN|LE}}{{ratings}}


<center>''Were you also looking for the [[D77H-TCI Pelican-class Dropship]], used in [[Halo 3]]?''</center>
{{Ship
|image=[[Image:Pelicandrop.jpg|310px]]
|name=Dropship 77-Troop Carrier
|manufacturer=Misriah Armories<ref>''[[Halo: Arms Race]]''</ref>
|line=Pelican
|model=Pelican<br/>
Dropship 77-Troop Carrier
*Variants:
**''Halo: CE'' & ''2'': D77-TC
**''Halo 3'': D77H-TCI<ref>Halo3.com</ref>
|class= Troop Carrier Dropship/Transport/Gunship
|length= 30.5 meters (100 ft) <br/> Troop Bay: 6.19 meters (20.3 ft)<ref>[[:Image:Pelican-Abrams_Comparison.jpg|Image Comparison]]</ref>
|width= Wingspan: 23.3 meters (76 ft) <br/> Troop Bay: 4.65 meters (15.3 ft)
|height=10 meters (33 ft)<br/>10.5 meters (34 ft) with landing gear<br/> Troop Bay: 3.23 meters (10.6 ft)
|max accel=
|max speed space=
|max speed air=
|engine=Two main engines housed in middle section of ship, ten maneuvering thrusters housed in four vector pylons.
|slipspace drive=
|slipspace speed=
|poweroutput=
|power=
|shield gen=Heat and radiation shielding to protect occupants.
|hull=
|sensors=
|target=
|navigation=
*Motion trackers<ref>"[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]"</ref>
|avionics=
|countermeasures=
|armament=*One chin-mounted auto-cannon in either 40 or 70mm caliber<ref>''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', page 39</ref>
*Two [[ANVIL-II ASM]] Pods (eight missiles each) (optional)
*1 AIE-486H HMG or M247 GPMG (optional)
|complement=*One [[Scorpion Tank]] ''or''
*One [[Warthog]] ''or''
*Four-Six [[Resupply Canister Type-C Capsule]]s
*One [[Troop Deployment Pod (Pelican)|Troop Deployment Pod]]
|crew=*One [[Pilot]]
*One Co-pilot
*One crew chief
|skeleton=One pilot with a "Smart" A.I.
|passengers=Ten seats in internal bay amidships fifteen people standing and sitting (these numbers are doubled in case the ship carries a [[Troop Deployment Pod (Pelican)|troop deployment pod]]).
|capacity=70 tons on hoist(anything over 35 tons slows speed considerably).
|consumables=
|othersystems=
|firstuse=Before [[2501]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' - ''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'', page 450</ref>
|role=Dropship/Gunship
|era= 26th century
|affiliation=[[UNSC]]
}}


The '''Dropship 77-Troop Carrier''' (abbreviated '''D77-TC'''), more commonly known as the '''Pelican''', is an extremely versatile craft used by the [[United Nations Space Command]], mainly for the pickup and transportation of personnel, vehicles and equipment, although it can also be used as a powerful support gunship.
==Background==
[[Image:1219679502 Pelican dropship front.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Pelican as it appears in ''Halo: CE''.]]
The D77-TC Pelican is mainly responsible for the rapid infiltration and extraction of troops. They also deliver vehicles and equipment to the battlefield, when required. The D77-TC has been in service for over fifty years, and is the primary tactical support aircraft of the UNSC. The Pelican serves a multi-role purpose, it is fully capable of atmospheric flight and can land almost anywhere without difficulty, the Pelican is also capable of limited spaceflight, which the [[UNSC]] uses as a primary way of delivering troops to the surface from orbit. Standard armament consists of one Class III externally powered projectile weapon at the fore of the vehicle, and one Class I gas-operated projectile weapon mounted at the rear, in the extended crew area. More heavily armed variants exist, with multiple and more powerful weaponry.<ref>[http://halo3.com halo3.com]</ref>
===Payload Capacity===
The Pelican is capable of carrying passengers and cargo using a combination of internal and external methods. Specifically, the main compartment of the Pelican is sometimes called the "Blood Tray"<ref>''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', page 203</ref>. The "Blood Tray" has enough compartment space for ten people (sitting down), but can hold five additional standing people. Other variants have displayed the ability to hold considerably more as demonstrated by specific scenarios throughout the Halo books. For example, the SPARTAN-II's were assigned a specialized Pelican, which was able to hold an entire team of twenty five, as well as fitting cutting gear to board a Covenant warship. Three Pelicans used for the SPARTAN-III Program carried 300 children though this may have been the effort of numerous trips back and forth from the surface.
The large aft overhang gives an attachment point for additional, cargo and ordnance. Possible payloads include a [[Troop Deployment Pod (Pelican)|troop deployment pod]], a [[Scorpion tank]], a [[Warthog]], or eight [[Resupply Canister Type-B Capsule]]s. The maximum payload of a Pelican is seventy tons.
===Armament===
Standard armament consists of a chin-mounted 40mm rotary-cannon which was common prior to 2525, but was later superseded by a 70mm weapon. These chain-guns are usually controlled by the [[pilot]]'s helmet so that it would aim in the direction of the pilots view, similar to the modern TADS/PNVS found on Apache Gunships or the [[HUD]] system in a [[SPARTAN]]'s armor. Some dropships boasted twin chain guns firing depleted uranium slugs.<ref>''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', page 40</ref>.
Missile pods, each holding eight [[ANVIL-II ASM]]s, can be mounted under each wing to engage more maneuverable or better protected targets. Fire control is typically delegated to the copilot, who was assisted by a helmet-mounted display. A [[M247 GPMG]], or a 25mm grenade launcher can also be mounted facing out of the rear cargo hatch and the latter two can be folded flat against the roof of the internal bay when not in use by the crew chief or passenger.
===Propulsion===
The main engines are mounted in pairs in four nacelles, one on each wing and two at the rear. The nacelles can articulate independently, thus altering (i.e, Vectoring) the direction of thrust and improving the dropship's low altitude maneuverability. Six ventral thrusters, two on each wing nacelle and one on each aft nacelle, allow the Pelican to land and take off vertically. These engines are capable of both space and atmospheric operation. The D77, although fully capable of orbital insertion, is too small to be equipped with a [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]], and thus is incapable of slipspace travel.
The wings mounted on a Pelican seem extremely small, too small to support the weight of dropship and payload alone. It is speculated that it incorporates at least some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifting_body lifting body] principles, its own hull providing most of the lift necessary.
==Variants==
===D77H-TCI===
{{Main|D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship}}
''[[Halo 3]]'' introduces the new variant of the Pelican, the '''D77H-TCI Pelican''' (The "H" stands for "Heavy", the "I" probably stands for "Infantry"). Externally, it appears nearly identical to the Pelicans used in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', except for being more angular. Internally, though, the craft has been renovated and it can store equipment in overhead netting. It also mounts an [[AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun]] at the opening of the troop-bay for suppression fire during insertion/extraction missions. The cockpit has been altered, and instead of the side-by-side positioning of the pilot and copilot, the pilot now sits at the fore of the dropship, with the co-pilot behind him/her, and at a higher position, in tandem.
===Law Enforcement===
{{Main|D77C-NMPD Pelican Dropship}}
''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' introduces a civilian-variant of the Pelican, operated by the [[New Mombasa Police Department]] and differentiated from its military counterpart by a black and white color scheme, "POLICE" replacing the traditional "MARINES" on the external hull, and a noted lack of armament. Under the craft's chin, where a machine gun turret or autocannon would normally be installed, are various interchangeable sensors used by the police for aerial surveillance and crowd control.
==Identified Pelicans==
Pelicans receive serial numbers to be identified by during radio transmissions, particularly in combat situations. Each serial number consists of a letter from the [[Phonetic Alphabet]] followed by a number. Though a few Pelicans have this number inscribed on their cargo bays, most have no distinguishing mark on their exteriors. It is unclear how the numbers are chosen, but with their spread across the alphabet and numerals, it can be inferred that a very large number of Pelicans are in service, perhaps as many as 26,000.
{{Pelican}}
==Trivia==
*Pelicans in ''[[Halo Wars]]'' show a [[Legendary]] symbol under the cockpit with "Death To Covenant" written under it.
*All Pelican dropships in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' bear either the numbers E419 (Echo 419) or V933 (Victor 933). The Pelican in "[[The Silent Cartographer (level)|The Silent Cartographer]]" is incorrectly labeled as V933. All others are labeled E419. It is likely that because of the extreme time constants of the development cycle of ''Halo: CE'' Bungie was unable to properly label each pelican correctly.
*Pelicans in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'' are never seen carrying more than six Marine troops at a time, despite being capable of carrying up to fifteen. However, it is likely that this is merely because [[UNSC]] troops usually work in small teams during engagements, comprising of five to six men, known as [[Fire Teams]].
*The ''UD4L Cheyenne'' dropship from the movie ''[[Wikipedia:Aliens|Aliens]]'' served as conceptual inspiration of the Pelican for ''Halo''. It is also possible that modern day aircraft could have influenced the design and physics behind the Pelican. The Pelican also seems to have a similar role to the modern-day [[wikipedia:AH-64 Apache|Apache]] (as a gunship) and the [[wikipedia:CH-47 Chinook|Chinook]] helicopter (as a transport).
*In ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' on the level "[[343 Guilty Spark (Level)|343 Guilty Spark]]", you can stay on the Pelican by throwing a [[grenade]] before it takes off again. You will not die but the Pelican will crash on the top of the map on the hills where you can find the [[Unarmed Marine|unarmed Marine]].
*The Pelican's troop bay has been stated by Bungie employee Robert McLees as large enough to fit a modern M1A1 Abrams main battle tank.
*The Pelican in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' has a darker cockpit that the one in ''Halo 2'' and the [[D77H-TCI]] in ''[[Halo 3]]''; both of the Pelicans in the later two games appear to have a more transparent cockpit.<ref>''[[The Art of Halo 3]]'', page 38</ref> This was because there was no pilot, and what can be seen under the glass is actually a bitmap of what appears to be internal wiring and the Pelican's systems.
*The Pelican is known to be drivable in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' (especially in Custom Edition) and ''Halo 2'' by means of modding. The player can also fly the Pelican in ''Halo 3'' in the level [[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]], by modding the game. A video of this mod can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8COHfQd9KY here].
*There is a glitch in the ''Halo 2'' level ''Metropolis'' where the player can operate the Pelican. It will take the player out of the map, flip, and eject the player. If the player attempts to right the flipped Pelican, the script will read "Hold X to flip Banshee", because Bungie never intended for the Pelican to be operable by the player, and therefore did not make a unique message. The Pelican's in-game physics will make it impossible to correctly and permanently flip the Pelican, as it will always reposition itself in an upside-down position.
==Gallery==
<gallery>  
<gallery>  
Image:PelicanII-Sil.gif|D77-TC schematics
Image:PelicanII-Sil.gif|D77-TC schematics

Revision as of 22:32, May 30, 2010


Sources


Related Pages

Template:UNSC Ships Template:UNSCDF Aircraft