Moncton-class orbital weapon platform: Difference between revisions

{{Era|HCW|Post}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Moncton''-class orbital weapon platform}}

{{Ship class infobox

|name=''Moncton''-class orbital weapon platform

|image=[[File:H2A CairoStation Loadscreen.png|300px]]

|manufacturer=[[Vosper Engineering]]

|class=[[Orbital defense platform]]

|role=Planetary defense

|length={{Convert|536|m|ft|sigfig=3}}<ref name="Warfleet">''[[Halo Warfleet]]'', ''p. 30-31''</ref>

|width={{Convert|2580|ft|m|sp=us|sigfig=3|disp=flip}}<ref name="Model">'''[[Halo 2]]''' 3D model file</ref>

|height={{Convert|1336|m|ft|sigfig=3}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|mass=2.9 million metric tons{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|power=*Reactor{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|engine=Station-keeping thrusters{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|slipspace drive=

|navigation=

|hull=[[Durasteel]] armor{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|armament=*1 [[MAC#"Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|14D4A1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*7 [[M606 Goalkeeper point defense gun]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|complement=*136 [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

*[[SKT-9 Bumblebee]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

**10 [[D77-TC Pelican]]s or [[F-41 Broadsword#F-41D|F-41D Broadswords]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|crew=152 [[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]] and [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] personnel.<ref name="OSFM">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', p. 136</ref>

|passengers=*136 [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

|othersystems=

|era=*[[Human-Covenant War]]

*[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]

|introduced=[[2517]] or earlier

|affiliation=[[UNSC]]

The '''''Moncton''-class orbital weapon platform''' ([[hull classification symbol]]: '''OWP''') is a line of [[orbital defense platform]]s utilized by the [[UNSC]] during the [[Insurrection]], the [[Human-Covenant War]], and [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|in the years beyond]].

== Specifications ==

The ''Moncton''-class, unlike other models of defense platforms, was built with an on-board power source. As well as a [[fusion reactor]], the lower stalk of the station was composed of stacked liquid-metal capacitors, which allowed for the rapid firing of its MAC so long as there is charge in their cells. If the reactor is damaged, the docking umbilicals could parasitically leach charge off a docked UNSC warship to power its weapon.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

=== Armament ===

''Moncton''-class platforms are equipped with a 14D4A1 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]], a power-hungry 802.2 meter (2,632 ft) long coilgun that fires a ferric-[[tungsten]] round traveling at several kilometers per second, which carries enough energy to punch clean through a Covenant [[capital ship]]. The shell is accelerated by hundreds of asynchronous linear induction motors, which all line the barrel of the weapon. They were also equipped with seven [[M606 Goalkeeper point defense gun]]s to protect them from enemy fighters, bombers and boarding craft.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

=== Crew and Complement ===

152 [[UNSC Air Force|UNSC Air Force]] and [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] personnel man ''Moncton''-class platforms, all living within the cramped crew quarters on the station's ring section. This crew can include a number of senior officers who reside in an exposed command center, which can be modified with the equipment and facilities needed to coordinate entire defensive efforts around the planet at which they are stationed. For security, 136 [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]] are stationed within security wings. These could be overwhelmed by Covenant boarding teams, provided enough of them are able to reach the station. For emergency evacuation, at least sixteen [[SKT-9 Bumblebee]]s are stowed away in launch bays around the docking section.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}

== History ==

Introduced by at least [[2517]], several ''Moncton''-class orbital weapon platforms along with [[Unidentified human orbital weapon platform|another class]], were utilized at [[Reach]],<ref>''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp]]''</ref> where they were later [[Fall of Reach|destroyed]] along with its [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet|defending fleet]] in summer [[2552]] by combined Covenant naval forces under command of [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee[[Fleet of Particular Justice|'s Fleet of ''Particular Justice'']].<ref>''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]''</ref>

 

Numerous ''Moncton''-class orbital weapon platforms among the three hundreds orbital defense platform formed part of [[Earth]]'s orbital defense grid under the authority of [[Unified Ground Command]] by the [[UNSC Air Force]] and the [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]].{{Ref/Level|Id=H2TA|Game=Halo 2|Level=The Armory}} It was a key part of Earth's orbital defense grid, an ambitious plan that combined ground-based aerospace fighters, low-orbit satellites, and warship squadrons into a multi-layered integrated system. During the [[Battle for Earth]], when the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|Fleet of ''Sacred Consecration'']] stumbled into Earth's defenses, ''Moncton''-class platforms engaged the Covenant fleet at range, with [[Cairo Station (station)|''Cairo'']] serving as [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood's]] command center to coordinate the defense of Earth, devastating the unusually small force despite the Covenant being able to board and destroy the [[Athens Station|''Athens'']] and [[Malta Station|''Malta'']] stations and slipping [[Solemn Penance|a single]] {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} through the defense grid to [[Battle of Mombasa|deploy]] forces throughout [[Mombasa]] after exiting [[slipstream space|slipspace]] over the city.{{Ref/Level|Id=H2CS|Game=Halo 2|Level=Cairo Station}}{{Ref/Level|Id=H2Out|Game=Halo 2|Level=Outskirts}}{{Ref/Game|Id=sscirc1arc2|ODST|Detail=Sadie's Story, Circle 1, Arc 2}}

The ''Moncton'' platforms would continue to defend Earth even as more additional [[Covenant fleet]]s began to be dispatched to the [[Sol system]] and later when [[Prophet of Truth]][[Truth's fleet|-commanded final overwhelming armada]] finally arrived in November.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=TGJ}} Despite particularly strong defenses, the final Covenant invading fleet overrun much of the orbital defense grid and the Home Fleet, thus presumably disabled or destroyed the mass of remaining orbital defense platforms as it was weakened by the previous Covenant fleets.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3CN|Game=Halo 3|Level=Crow's Nest}} However, it is likely that the orbital defense platforms destroyed the majority of the Covenant invading fleet in return.{{Ref/Level|Id=TGJ|Game=Halo 2|Level=[[The Great Journey (level)|The Great Journey]]}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H2TA}} The ''Cairo'' remained intact, but left damaged after the final space battle.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=TGJ}} When the [[Forerunner]] [[keyship]] ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' jumped to Earth on November 17, [[Nassau Station|''Nassau'' Station]] tracked the [[Tykos 30]] in [[Ruwan Ackerson]]'s bloodstream to identify ''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'' as a priority target and destroy it, killing the [[Minister of Inquisition]].<ref>''[[Halo: Uprising]]'', ''[[Halo: Uprising Issue 4|Issue #4]]'' </ref>

An unknown number of platforms survived the end of the war, and continued to serve in Earth's defense grid until their powers were knocked out by [[Cortana]] during her [[subjugation of Earth]].<ref>''[[Halo: Escalation]]'', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 7|Issue #7]]''</ref><ref name="guardians">''Halo 5: Guardians'', campaign level, "[[Guardians]]"</ref>

*''[[Athens Station]]''

*''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''