Editing M145D Rhino

The architecture of the M145D is similar to that of the M808B and M850 - even sharing technology with the Scorpion{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} - though it is longer and wider than the former vehicles. This larger chassis is designed to support the vehicle's six-bogey tread configuration, which in turn facilitates a lockdown mode - akin to that of the [[SP42 Cobra]] and [[M400 Kodiak]] - when the cannon is fired.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} The tank's middle tread bogeys extend farther outward than the forward bogeys. The rear bogeys lie between the middle ones and jut from the back of the tank's chassis; stabilizer mechanisms are mounted to the rear tracks.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} The Zeus cannon is mounted to a large turret, akin to that of the Grizzly; the weapon is capable of traversing upward at a roughly forty-five-degree angle. As with all plasma-based weapons, the ''Zeus'' is potent against [[energy shielding]].{{Ref/Level|Id=Dome|HW|Dome of Light}}{{Ref/Level|Id=Scarab|HW|Scarab (level)|Scarab}}

The M145D Rhino's most unique trait is its armament - a custom-built howitzer nicknamed the "''Zeus''" - or the [[XM4600 Zeus plasma munition howitzer|XM4600 plasma munition howitzer]]. The Zeus is a massive 320mm cannon capable of taking specially-modified shells, designed using alien materiel recovered during the Harvest campaign. While termed a plasma weapon and emitting a firing effect similar to those of a [[plasma mortar]],{{Ref/Note|The Rhino's plasma mortar effect in-game within ''Halo Wars'' is likely a gameplay-only aesthetic consideration.}} the Zeus cannon fires specially-modified 320mm artillery shells using recovered heavy [[fuel rod]]s as filler. As a result, the weapon is extremely effective when used - especially against energy shielding.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

During the [[Harvest campaign]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] procured large amounts of Covenant matériel in the hope of reverse-engineering it. These efforts yielded varied results, one of the most substantial being the [[XM4600 Zeus plasma munition howitzer]] - a unique weapon in the UNSC arsenal, and one of the first [[directed-energy weapon]]s to enter UNSC service.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} [[Chalybs Defense Solutions]], the creators of the [[M808 Scorpion]] and [[M850 Grizzly]] main battle tanks, were contracted to manufacture the M145D Rhino as a platform for the weapon.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}{{Ref/Note|The "D" in the Rhino's designation suggests that it is the fifth version of the M145. In the opening cutscene of the level ''Dome of Light'', [[Ellen Anders|Professor Anders]] refers to the vehicles as "plasma-based Rhinos". The most straightforward explanation is that is she noting the experimental tanks' armament, suggesting their use in eliminating the shield dome. However, it is also possible that she is differentiating the M145D from previous Rhino models, from which one may infer that the M145D is based on an existing design rather than built specifically for the ''Zeus'' cannon. This is supported in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia'', which notes the Zeus cannon specifically as a custom-built weapon.}}