Editing M312 Elephant

{{Status|Canon}}
{{disambig header|vehicle introduced in Halo Wars|the vehicle in Halo 3|M313 Elephant}}
{{Vehicle infobox
|name=M312 Elephant
|image=[[File:HW_M312Elephant.png|300px]]
|manufacturer=[[JOTUN Heavy Industries]]{{Ref/Book|Id=visual|EVG|Page=55}}
|line=[[Elephant]]
|model=
|cost=
|length=
|width=
|height=
|mass=
|max speed=
|engine=
|hull=
*Ceramic armour {{C|optional upgrade}}{{Ref/Game|Id=HW|HW|Elephant in-game unit}}
|armament=
*3 [[AIE-486H machine gun]]s{{Ref/Game|Id=Card|HW|Personnel profile|Detail=James Cutter}}
*1 top-mounted [[M247 machine gun|M247 general purpose machine gun]] turret {{C|optional}}{{Ref/Reuse|Card}}
|crew=
|complement=
|consumables=
|othersystems=Crane
|firstuse=
|service=[[Human-Covenant War]]<br>[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
|role=
|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]
}}
The '''M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle''' is a Mobile Assault, Support, and Recovery (MASR) platform in the [[Elephant]] line of vehicles developed by [[JOTUN Heavy Industries]].{{Ref/Reuse|visual}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=145}}

==Overview==
===Design details===
[[File:HW_Elephant_Turret.png|thumb|left|250px|The M247 GPMT upgrade.]]
Designed and manufactured by [[JOTUN Heavy Industries]], the Elephants were initially used in the utility and farming industries during the early colonial expansion periods. After several decades serving in the civilian market, JOTUN was contracted by the UNSC to develop the Elephants and build them as [[wikipedia:armoured recovery vehicle|armored repair and recovery vehicles]]. In the years since, the Elephant has been modified into several variants and upgrades, though the Elephant's basic design philosophy and versatility remain unchanged.{{Ref/Reuse|visual}}

The M312 is an earlier model in the Elephant series, predating the [[M313 Elephant|M313]] and [[M318 Elephant|M318]] variants. Unlike the M313, the M312 features an enclosed, armoured canopy that allows the vehicle to absorb most small-arms fire without endangering the occupants.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} In the field, the Elephant is capable of deploying a number of stabilising supports, allowing it to "lock down" in the field to serve as a mobile forward-operations base for infantry units in the field.{{Ref/Reuse|HW}} Rather than the M313's single gunner-operated [[M41 Vulcan]] chaingun, the M312 instead boasts three (presumably) remote-operated [[AIE-486H machine gun]]s mounted around the vehicle to provide fire at all angles of approach.{{Ref/Reuse|Card}} A single [[M247 machine gun|M247 general purpose machine gun turret]] can be mounted on the top of the Elephant for additional firepower,{{Ref/Reuse|Card}} alongside the installation of additional engines and ceramic armour plates to boost the vehicle's speed and defensive capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|HW}}

In its role as a heavy recovery vehicle, the Elephant is capable of being used to retrieve damaged vehicles from the front lines to return back to base for repair.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} This can also be used to tow other critical equipment to a necessary spot, such as a [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]].{{Ref/Level|Id=HWReactor|HW|Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor}}

==Known Elephants==
*'''[[Recon Team India]]''' - Accompanied Lima onto the surface of [[Trove]], before being captured by the Flood and rescued by Forge and Red Team.{{Ref/Reuse|as}}
*'''[[Recon Team Echo]]''' - Accompanied Lima onto the surface of the Etran Harborage, before being captured by the Flood and rescued by Forge and Red Team.{{Ref/Reuse|as}}

==Operational history==
===Human-Covenant War===
In [[2531]], when the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} arrived at [[Trove]] in pursuit of the Covenant [[Arbiter]] [[Ripa 'Moramee]], who had captured Professor [[Ellen Anders]], the UNSC forces onboard utilized three of the M312 HRVs to perform reconnaissance on the shield world's surface. Two of these were captured by the Flood, but were rescued under the leadership of [[Sergeant]] [[John Forge]] and [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan-II]] [[Red Team]].{{Ref/Level|Id=as|HW|Anders' Signal}} These three M312s provided support in the [[Battle of the Trove|battles]] on the [[shield world]]'s surface.{{Ref/Level|HW|The Flood (level)|The Flood}} When the UNSC forces were recalled to the ''Spirit of Fire'', [[Bravo Platoon]] was accompanied by an Elephant.{{Ref/Level|HW|Shield World}} After Pelican [[Victor 397]] was shot down by Covenant forces while pulling the ''Spirit of Fire''{{'}}s [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|FTL]] reactor to the [[Apex Site]], Captain [[James Gregory Cutter]] decided it was too dangerous to use an airlift to transport the reactor any further. Instead, Forge decided to use an Elephant, the only ground vehicle with the mass to pull the reactor. The Elephant pulled the reactor up a series of ramps guarded by [[Covenant citadel]]s before backing the reactor onto a [[slipspace translocation]] [[translocation grid|pad]]. The pad teleported the reactor to the Apex, leaving behind the Elephant which was outside of the pad's range.{{Ref/Reuse|HWReactor}}

M312 Elephants were used during the [[Battle for Earth]] in [[2552]]. One was used during the [[Battle of Mombasa]] to secure the [[Conduit]], before ultimately being destroyed.{{Ref/Level|HSS|Mission 3: Conduit}}{{Ref/Level|HSS|Mission 4: Reversal of Fortune}}

===Post-war===
In [[2554]], several Elephants took part in the [[Battle of Draetheus V]] when [[Draetheus V|the planet]] came under attack by [[Merg Vol]]'s [[Merg Vol's Covenant|Covenant faction]].{{Ref/Level|HSA|Mission 17: Liberation of Faraday}}{{Ref/Level|HSA|Mission 19: Escape from Faraday}} In particular, [[Spartan-IV|Spartan]] [[Sarah Palmer]] used them in the form of a convoy to transport hundreds of escaping colonists to a Covenant airfield she had taken over in order to use [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Spirit dropships]] to evacuate everyone since most of the UNSC's aircraft had been destroyed. The convoy came under attack from Covenant forces, [[Suicide Unggoy]] in particular, but Palmer and [[UNSC Marine]]s were able to successfully defend the Elephants on the journey which used rocket turrets to provide covering fire of their own. At the airfield, desperate Covenant forces attempted to prevent the colonists from escaping with the Spirits, the Covenant's only way off of the planet, attacking as they transferred from the Elephants to the dropships. However, Palmer and the Marines succeeded in covering the evacuation and hundreds of colonists were able to escape Draetheus V in stolen Covenant dropships.{{Ref/Level|HSA|Mission 20: Defense of the Enemies' Airbase}}

==In-game information==
[[File:HW Elephant Deployment Screenshot.jpg|thumb|250px|An Elephant deploying fireteams of [[Hellbringers]] and [[UNSC Marine|Marines]].]]
===''Halo Wars''===
The Elephant appears in ''[[Halo Wars]]'' as an armored personnel carrier and mobile infantry barracks, capable of creating troops in the field and/or deploying them while defending itself. To operate as a barracks, the vehicle must first deploy. This unit can only be used when the player chooses [[James Cutter|Captain Cutter]] as their [[leader]] character in online play or [[skirmish]].

*'''Cost:''' {{HWResources|400}}, {{HWPop|2}}
*Capable of training [[Spartan (Halo Wars)|Spartans]], [[Hellbringers]], and [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] squads.

The Elephant can be upgraded with the following upgrades:
*'''Twin Engine:''' Increases the Elephant's speed by around 30%. Costs {{HWResources|250}} resources and requires a {{HWTech|tech}} level of {{HWTech|1}}.
*'''Defense Turret:''' Adds an M247 GPMGT defending the Elephant in deployed mode. Costs {{HWResources|500}} resources and requires a {{HWTech|tech}} level of {{HWTech|2}}.
*'''Ceramic Armor:''' The Elephant can now take 25% more damage. Costs {{HWResources|800}} resources and a {{HWTech|tech}} level of {{HWTech|3}}.

==Production notes==
In the [[personnel profile]]s included in the [[Halo Wars Limited Edition|limited edition]] of ''[[Halo Wars]]'', the M312 Elephant's large top-mounted cannon upgrade is erroneously and contradictingly referred to as the "M247 GPMGT Autocannon". In the updated leader cards included as [[Steam reward/Halo Wars: Definitive Edition|Steam rewards]] in the [[2017]] release of the ''[[Halo Wars: Definitive Edition]]'', the text was amended to state the vehicle as equipped with an "M247 GPMG Turret". Both editions of the personnel profile also describe the vehicle as equipped with three [[AIE-486H machine gun]] turrets, with the in-game model instead using the model for the [[M41 Vulcan]] LAAG.
<gallery>
File:HWLE_Cutter_Profile_Back.jpg|A scan of the original limited edition card.
File:HWDE Cutter LeaderProfile.jpg|The updated Steam reward card.
</gallery>

==Trivia==
The [[Wikipedia:Elephant|Elephant]]'s name is in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming most ground-based vehicles after terrestrial animals.

==Gallery==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}
<gallery>
File:Screenshot 6 preview.jpg|Concept art of an Elephant deploying troops for ''[[Halo Wars]]''.
File:Concept-HW-Elephant.jpg|Concept art of various features of the Elephant.
File:HW Elephant Render 1.jpg|Hi-poly render of the M312.
File:HW Elephant Render 2.jpg|
File:HW Elephant Wireframe.jpg|Wireframe view of the M312.
File:HWunit Elephant.png|The M312, as viewed from above.
File:HW Elephant Screenshot.jpg|The M312 in-game.
File:HW-RefineryBattle-M312ElephantHRV.jpg|An Elephant's turrets firing. 
File:Halo Wars Flood.jpg|Recon Team Echo's Elephant covered by Flood biomass.
File:HSA-ElephantEscort.jpg|Sarah Palmer defends an M312 in ''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]''
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''

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

{{Human vehicles}}