Editing M312 Elephant

{{Era|HCW|Post}}

{{Vehicle Infobox

|image=[[File:HWunit Elephant.png|250px]]

|manufacturer=[[JOTUN Heavy Industries]]<ref name="visual">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 55''</ref>

|line=Elephant

|model=M312

|armament=[[M41 Vulcan]] (3)<ref name="wars">'''Halo Wars'''</ref><br>[[M247 GPMGT Autocannon]] (1) (once upgraded) ''or''<br/>

|othersystems=Crane system

|firstuse-title=In service

|firstuse=[[Human-Covenant War]]

 

The '''M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle''', commonly referred to as the '''Elephant''', is a UNSC Mobile Assault, Support, and Recovery Platform.<ref name="visual"/> The vehicle is used primarily as an armored mobile recovery vehicle and has seen action most notably in the [[Human-Covenant War]].

The M312 Elephant is designed to safely transport troops, equipment and light vehicles to and from the battlefield. On one occasion, a single unit was able to pull an entire [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] by itself.<ref name="react">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Reactor]]''</ref> The M312 also features a protected rear bay, providing more protection to its onboard personnel and equipment than the [[M313 Elephant|M313]]. The vehicle is fitted with three [[M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]]s as its primary defense/offense weapons system and can be equipped with an overhead [[M247 GPMGT Autocannon|M247 light autocannon]].

In [[2531]], when the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} arrived at the [[Etran Harborage]] 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 name=as>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Anders' Signal]]''</ref> These three M312s provided support in the [[Battle of the Etran Harborage|battles]] on the [[shield world]]'s surface.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[The Flood (level)|The Flood]]''</ref> When the UNSC forces were recalled to the ''Spirit of Fire'', [[Bravo Platoon]] was accompanied by an Elephant.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Shield World]]''</ref> 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>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level, ''[[Reactor]]''</ref>

M312 Elephants were used during the [[Battle for Earth]] in [[2552]].<ref name="SS">'''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]'''</ref>

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]]. 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 [[Type-25 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 name="SA">'''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]'''</ref>

==Known Elephants==

*'''Recon Team Lima''' - Commanded by Sergeant Forge in 2531, took part in the [[Battle of the Etran Harborage]].{{citation needed}}

*'''[[Recon Team India]]''' - Accompanied Lima onto the surface of the [[Etran Harborage]], before being captured by the Flood and rescued by Forge and Red Team.<ref name="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 name="as"/>

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]].

Upgrades:

*"'''Twin Engine''": Increases the Elephant's speed by about 30%. Costs 250 resources and a tech level of 1.

*"''Defense Turret''": Adds an M247 GPMGT Autocannon defending the Elephant in deployed mode. Costs 500 resources and requires a tech level of 2.

*"''Ceramic Armor''": The Elephant can now take 25% more damage. Costs 800 resources and a tech level of 3.

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

<references/>

{{UNSC Vehicles}}