D77C-NMPD Pelican

D77C-NMPD Pelican
Production information
Class:	D77H-TCI Pelican
Role:	Aerial support and crowd control
Technical specifications
Length:	30.5 meters (100.3 feet)
Width:	23.5 meters (76.9 feet)
Height:	10.0 meters (35.9 feet)
Engine(s):	2 Main engines and numerous thrust vectoring nozzles
Hull:	Radiation shielding
Crew:	Three (pilot, co-pilot, and crew chief)
Chronological and affiliation
Era:	Human-Covenant War
Affiliation:	New Mombasa Police Department

The D77C-NMPD Pelican was an NMPD-specialized variant of the D77C Pelican, itself a variant of the military D77H-TCI Pelican dropship. It was used by the police department of New Mombasa, Kenya.^[1]^[2]

Background[edit]

Overall, the craft is almost identical to the military D77H-TCI variant used by the UNSC Marine Corps, except for its police livery and a number of additions, including a high-speed camera on the bow of the dropship to monitor traffic and a rescue cable at the rear of the troop bay. It was differentiated from its military counterpart by a black and white color scheme, with the word "POLICE" replacing the traditional "MARINES" on the external hull. The standard Pelican's missiles and guns have been completely removed, replaced for civilian use with optical and sensory surveillance systems for the tracking and seizing of fugitives as well as addressing large-scale emergencies.^[2] Under the craft's chin, where a machine gun turret or autocannon would normally be installed, were various interchangeable sensors used by the police for aerial surveillance and crowd control. Each of these dropships is typically armed with an AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun in the personnel troop bay, similarly to the standard D77H model.

History[edit]

Until the Battle for Earth, these Pelicans were used in traffic, surveillance, search and rescue, and prisoner transport roles.

Battle of Mombasa[edit]

Main article: Battle of Mombasa

During the Battle of Mombasa, the D77C-NMPD was used to transport personnel to coordinate evacuation efforts, to get the city's population out of the city, and to fight against the invading Covenant forces. Police Commissioner Kinsler, the highest ranking officer of the NMPD, used one such dropship to locate and kidnap Sadie Endesha. Like his car, Kinsler's dropship was off the grid and thus couldn't be detected by Vergil before it arrived. It was later destroyed by Vergil by ramming into it with the automated piloting system on an Olifant garbage truck.^[3]

When the Prophet of Regret's CAS-class assault carrier Solemn Penance entered slipspace above the city, most of the NMPD was held up fighting the Covenant on the ground. After the siege at the ONI Alpha Site, an NMPD Pelican evacuated Marines Cpl. Taylor Miles, PFC Michael Crespo, and a number of police officers, just before the building was destroyed by a controlled demolition.^[1] This Pelican later flew the Marines to the NMPD headquarters in order to extract GySgt Eddie Buck and LCpl Kojo Agu;^[4] While landing, two Banshees ambushed the Pelican and shot it down, where it crashed in a construction zone high above the city streets. A single NMPD officer, and a squad of Marine shock troopers defended the downed Pelican from Covenant reinforcements. After finishing off the reinforcements, the ODSTs abandoned the Pelican as it was damaged beyond repair, forcing them to find another way out of the city.^[4]