Covenant thruster pack

This article is about the thruster packs used by the Covenant. For other uses of the term, see Thruster pack (disambiguation).

A Sangheili Ranger activating his thruster pack while fighting SPARTAN-B312 in the New Alexandria Hospital, during the Siege of New Alexandria.

Thruster packs are a piece of equipment utilised by the ground forces of the Covenant and its remnants. They are an equivalent to the various forms of jetpack utilised by the United Nations Space Command, serving as small, back-mounted equipment that enable the operator to rapidly traverse a given environment.^[1]

A broadly similar class of maneuvering equipment also used by the Covenant is the jump pack - a more specialised form of equipment utilised by the Jiralhanae. Likewise, the Prelates of the San'Shyuum make use of anti-gravity belts in their fighting skins for similar purposes.

Overview[edit]

The Covenant's range of thruster packs are all broadly used in a similar capacity. They consist of a backpack fitted onto a given operator (usually a Sangheili, Kig-Yar and Unggoy usage is also known) designed to allow for limited flight and tactical movement across terrain. They can utilise a variety of operating mechanisms including anti-gravity technology for limited flight or cruder jump-jets that are more suited for rapid battlefield movement.^[1]

Thruster pack usage is usually the domain of the Covenant's rangers,^[2] alongside other forms of shock troops and specialised extra-vehicular activity (EVA) strike squads.^[1] They are predominantly employed during boarding actions on enemy spacecraft and space stations, alongside navigating densely-packed cities with unparalleled vertical traversal ability. During the Human-Covenant War, this usage was particularly dominant, due to the comparatively primitive and dense nature of these environments when compared to their Covenant counterparts.^[1]

If used by a well-trained warrior, thruster packs may allow them to tip the scales in their favour and defeat enemy forces several times their number.^[1]

Variants[edit]

Multiple distinct designs of thruster pack have been observed in Covenant service.

Ebgione-pattern harness variant[edit]

This design of thruster pack is fitted to the upper back of the Ebgione-pattern exo harness, and saw particular use with the ranger forces of the Fleet of Sacred Consecration, with another specially used by Sesa 'Refumee during his short-lived rebellion against the Covenant.^[3]

A thruster pack viewed from behind.
Turnaround views of Sesa 'Refumee, and the thruster pack fitted to his armour.
A Sangheili Ranger with the Halo 2-era pack.
Side view of a Covenant antigravity pack.
A Sangheili Ranger with the Halo 2: Anniversary depiction of the pack.

Tlaipoz-pattern harness variant[edit]

This design of thruster pack is most commonly seen fitted to the back of rangers making use of the Tlaipoz-pattern exo harness,^[3] though this use is not exclusive - and it is compatible with a wide variety of alternate harness designs.^[4]

An active (left) and inactive (right) thruster pack.
A thruster pack in Halo: Reach.
Thruster pack patterns in Halo Reach.
A Ranger activating his thruster pack during the Battle of Asźod.

Kdeo-pattern harness variant[edit]

This design of thruster pack is most commonly seen fitted to the back of Kdeo-pattern exo harness-clad rangers serving in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, among other factions.^[3]^[5]