Editing Headhunters

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Outdated|[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]}}
{{Center|"Headhunter" and "Headhunters" redirect here. For the [[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]] story, see [[Headhunters (short story)]]. For other uses, see [[Headhunter (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Military infobox
|unit_name=Headhunters
|image=[[File:Newspartan3s.jpg|300px|A lineup of several Headhunters; Jonah and Roland are in the middle.]]
|dates=
|country=
|affiliation= [[United Nations Space Command]]
|branch=*[[UNSC Navy]] {{C|formerly}}
**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]]
***[[SPARTAN-III program]]
*[[Spartan Operations|Spartan Operations]]
|type=Special operations infantry
|role=Sabotage, reconnaissance
|size=Up to six two-man teams
|garrison=[[Onyx]]
|equipment=[[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]]
}}
{{Article quote|But even among this collection of steadfast soldiers there were a select few with a bond deeper than the others could ever begin to imagine, as these unique IIIs were a secret even to their peers.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters", ''page 159''</ref>}} 

The '''Headhunters''' are a covert group of [[Spartan-III]] special operations squads, later reorganized to include [[Spartan-IV]] operatives as well.<ref name="canonfodder">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder: Have S'moa'']</ref> Two Headhunter teams participated in a failed mission on an [[Unidentified moon (Headhunters)|unidentified Covenant-occupied moon]], with notable members including [[Jonah-B283]] and [[Roland-B210]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''pages 205-206''</ref>

==Background==
Only Spartan-IIIs who had survived two or more specially assigned training missions would be evaluated for induction into the Headhunters. Once an overall list of potential candidates was compiled, each soldier's personal files and mission reports were analyzed against a set series of parameters calculated by the top [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] specialists within the [[Beta-5 Division]]. Once selected, candidates were separated from their fellow Spartans and shipped to a special training facility on the far side of [[Onyx]]. After three months, the soldiers were broken into four two-person teams. These teams were chosen through a series of detailed evaluations and an intense interview process meant to devise the best possible pairings between members of the group.

For the next two years, the Headhunters would go through seven months of supervised field exercises, followed by six months of real-world wartime insertions. These Spartan-IIIs would then perform missions far behind enemy lines and would likely die in combat. At the height of the program there was a maximum contingent of six squads — six teams with a total of seventeen soldiers rotating in to fill gaps when one or both members of a team were lost.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''pages 207-208''</ref>

The Headhunter program remains active following the [[Human-Covenant War]], although changes to its structure have been made. [[Spartan Operations]] and ONI maintain a selective list of Spartan-III and [[Spartan-IV]] supersoldiers who may be deployed on highly classified missions, whether in two-person teams ("BINARY") or as single operatives ("LONEWOLF").<ref name="canonfodder"/>

==Equipment==
During the [[Human-Covenant War]], at least two Headhunters wore a more advanced version of the standard-issue [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] used by most Spartan-IIIs. This armor included [[motion tracker]]s, [[energy shielding]], [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] technology, and a prototype [[active camouflage]] module. The active camouflage system could be sustained for only three-and-a-half to four minutes and diverted power from other systems while it recharged.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''page 212''</ref> Some of the first Headhunter teams also field tested the [[ZACHARIAS-class Mjolnir|Mk.IV/Z suits]].{{Ref/Game|Id=HI|HINF|Armor customization (Halo Infinite)|Armor Hall|Detail=Zacharias - Helmet Description|Quote=Mk. IV/Z suits were field tested by the first Headhunter deep strike teams, proving the deployment concept which would prove highly effective during the Covenant War.}}

Following the war, the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|Mjolnir [GEN2]]] [[WAR MASTER-class Mjolnir|WAR MASTER]] variant became the ''de facto'' standard among Spartan-IV Headhunters,<ref>''Halo 5: Guardians'' War Master armor description</ref> with the [[WRATH-class Mjolnir|WRATH]] variant developed to be specifically tailored to the needs of future Headhunter teams.<ref>''Halo 5: Guardians'' Wrath armor description</ref>

==Known Headhunters==
*[[Jonah-B283]]
*[[Jun-A266]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/jun-a266 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Jun-A266'']</ref>
*[[Kevin-A282]]
*[[Hazel-A302]]
*[[Naiya Ray]]<ref name="osfm">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', p. 113</ref>
*[[Roland-B210]]
*[[Unidentified Headhunter]]
*[[Unidentified Headhunter 2]]
*An unidentified Headhunter that was captured and tortured by [[Inka 'Saham]].{{Ref/Game|Id=Target01|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, Inka 'Saham}}

==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
===Silver Timeline===
{{Main|Silver Timeline}}
Prior to [[Operation: DEFIANT GLASS]], [[Vannak-134/Silver|Vannak-134]] was flagged for Headhunter assignment after the operation was complete.{{Ref/Site|Id=HTVDCHCW0|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|Detail=Week 0|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr._Catherine_Halsey's_Computer}} This ultimately never happened after [[STOLEN GAUNTLET]] was enacted due to [[John-117/Silver|John-117]].{{Ref/Site|Id=HTVDCHCW1|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|Detail=Week 1|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr._Catherine_Halsey's_Computer}}

==Trivia==
The concept of the Headhunters is similar to that of the [[SPARTAN-II program]]'s [[Black Team|Black]] and [[Gray Team]]s. All three groups are separated from their fellow Spartans and are sent far behind enemy lines for special covert operations. The Headhunters were a secret even to their peers, though the Spartan-IIs were aware of Black and Gray Teams' existence at one point or another.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Headhunters.png|Roland and Jonah during a mission on an unidentified moon in ''[[Headhunters (story)|Headhunters]]''.
File:Spivariant.jpg|Jonah and Roland stand back-to-back while fighting Covenant forces.
File:Evo Headhunters Post.jpg|Officially endorsed fan art of Jonah and Roland.
File:HSS-WarMaster1.png|A Headhunter in ''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{SPARTAN Teams}}
{{SpartanPrograms}}

[[Category:SPARTAN-III teams]]
[[Category:SPARTAN-IV teams]]