Editing M313 Elephant

{{Era|HCW|Post}}
<center>'''''Elephant''' redirects here. For the vehicle introduced in [[Halo Wars]], see [[M312 Elephant]]. For the civilian version, see [[Olifant]].''</center>
{{Vehicle Infobox
|image=[[File:Halo3-M313HRV-Elephant1.png|300px]]
|manufacturer=[[JOTUN Heavy Industries]]<ref name="visual">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 55''</ref>
|line=Elephant
|model=M313<ref name="H3Art">'''[[The Art of Halo 3]]''', ''page 41''</ref><ref name="ENC">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''': ''page 236''</ref><ref name="visual"/>
|cost=
|length={{Convert|25.7|m|ft}}<ref name="ENC"/>
|width={{Convert|13.6|m|ft}}<ref name="visual"/>
|height=
|mass={{Convert|205|ton|lb}}<ref name="ENC"/>
|max speed=
|engine=
|hull=
|armament=
*[[M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]] (1)
*[[AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun]] (2) (optional)<ref>'''[[Halo 3: The Official Guide]]''', ''page 192''</ref>
|crew=
*Driver (1)
*Gunner (2)
|complement=*Personnel (12-16)
*[[Warthog]] (1); or
*[[Mongoose]] (6)
|consumables=
|othersystems=Crane system
|firstuse-title=In service
|firstuse=[[Human-Covenant War]] <br> [[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
|role=
*Mobile command base
*Mobile recovery platform
*Troop deployment platform
|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]
}}
The '''M313 Heavy Recovery Vehicle''',<ref name="H3Art"/><ref name="ENC"/><ref name="visual"/> commonly known as the '''Elephant''', is a heavy [[UNSC Marine Corps]] Mobile Assault, Support, and Recovery Platform.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''': In-game operation display underneath the driver's section</ref> Sometimes referred to as the '''Behemoth-class Troop Transport''',<ref name="ENC"/> the vehicle is one of the largest ground vehicles employed by the UNSC for ground-based operations, though since the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]] in 2552 it has been surpassed in size by the [[M510 Mammoth]].

==Overview==
===Background===
Designed and manufactured by [[JOTUN Heavy Industries]], the Elephants were initially used in the utility and farming industries during the early colonial expansion periods.<ref name="visual"/> 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]].<ref name="visual"/> As time has progressed, the Elephant has been modified into several variants and upgrades, though the Elephant's versatility remains unchanged.

===Design details===
[[File:ElephantSizeComparison.jpg|thumb|left|The size of the Elephant in comparison to other vehicles and a real Elephant.]]
The Elephant is a three-level vehicle--almost a mobile base--with the bottom level acting as a respawn area in multiplayer that opens out into the rear cargo tray. 
The second level is a walkway/gantry accessed by a ramp that goes around the inside edges of the cargo bay and leads to the driver's cabin. This level is also where one can find the optional [[AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun]]s. 
The third level is small and elevated, situated beside the cockpit. This is where the main armament is found (in the form of an [[M41 Vulcan]]).

Like the [[M312 HRV|M312 Elephant]], the M313 Elephant is designed to safely transport troops, equipment and light vehicles to and from the frontlines. However unlike its previous model, the M313 Elephant features only one [[M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]] as its armament, though this can be improved with two additional [[AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun]]s. It also features a crane, numerous firing ports and elevated positions for defending it. Its chassis is also as wide as it is high, providing stability. The Elephant houses a [[Mongoose]] in its lower bay, and can be made to hold up to an additional of three Mongooses in the front, as well as two in the back with two [[Warthogs]]. The vehicle's rear bay lacks the protective armor that is available on the M312 Elephant, thus increasing the vulnerability of its carriage.

==Variants==
===Olifant===
{{Main|Olifant}}
The Olifant is a civilian version of the vehicle designed for the purposes of waste management. [[New Mombasa Waste Management]] owned and operated these vehicles, using them as garbage trucks.<ref name="odst">'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref><ref name="coastal">'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref>

==Gameplay==
This model of Elephant appears exclusively in Halo 3's multiplayer map [[Sandtrap]], located at each end of the map. It is completely invincible, and open-topped, unlike [[M312 HRV|its counterpart]] in ''[[Halo Wars]]''. The open roof is probably due to the fact that it is a service and repair station, not a troop carrier.

Inside the Elephant is a large screen which contains information on a Mongoose and the Sandtrap's atmosphere, although it is incredibly hard to read. While the vehicle itself cannot be destroyed, its slow speed and lack of armor for gunners render them quite vulnerable. Killing the driver must be attempted from behind, ideally in a vehicle like a [[Banshee]]. In objective-based games, the elephant also serves as a mobile bomb plant/spawn site and flag stand.

In ''Halo: Spartan Strike'', the Elephant is armed with twin cannon and twin missile pods. In [[Mission 4: Reversal of Fortune|Mission A-4]], a Zealot Elite hijacks an Elephant, destroying the vehicle from inside out to retrieve the [[Conduit]].

==Known Elephants==
*'''E-2073 46833-S'''<ref>'''EGM Magazine''', ''September 2007 issue''</ref> - UNSC Elephant stationed on Sandtrap (it is interesting to note that both Elephants on the level Sandtrap are almost completely identical, including having the same identification numbers). They both have nicknames: one is called the "Behemoth", while the other is called the "Leviathan", and they both have different insignias painted on their sides. Another means of identification is that below the M41 turret at the front is the number 3 for the Behemoth and a number 5 for the Leviathan, also on the Leviathan is another number 5 on one of the panels at the top of the outer left hand side of the cargo tray.

==Trivia==
===General===
*An [[Wikipedia:Elephant|elephant]] is a large, grey mammal native to Africa and southern Asia, in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming ground-based vehicles after real animals, with the exceptions of the [[Cyclops]] and [[Gremlin]], which are named after mythical creatures. 
*If the player goes to the bottom level of the Elephant, there is a screen which gives details about the vehicle's specifications, as well as information on a Mongoose and the Sandtrap's atmosphere, although it is incredibly hard to read. There are phrases visible such as '''Mobile Assault Support and Recovery Platform Statistics and Environmental Analysts'''. It is interesting to note that it says there are two mobile turrets (that can be ripped off) while there is actually only one. Perhaps one was removed for balance issues as there is a vacant spot opposite the one that is present.
*The M313 Heavy Recovering Vehicle's name is a [[Seven|7]] reference, as 3+1+3=7.
*The Elephant is the only drivable vehicle that can have turrets placed on it without them moving/falling when the vehicle drives off. If a player (in [[Forge]]) places a crate or two in the cargo bay of the Elephant, places a turret on top of them and then deletes the crates, then players can drive the Elephant with the turret keeping place over the Elephant.
*''[[w:c:Gearsofwar:Gears of War 2|Gears of War 2]]'''s [[w:c:gearsofwar:Derrick|Derrick]] bears a striking resembalance to the Elephant, most likely due to the fact that both are heavy recovery vehicles. Both in turn bear a slight resemblance to the [[w:c:starwars:Sandcrawler|Jawa Sandcrawler]] from ''Star Wars''.
*The windshield in front of the driver is capable of protecting him from any kind of attack (except [[Spartan Laser]]s) without damage; this is probably a balancing action, because the Elephant is a very slow vehicle. In addition, the driver can only be attacked from the back; all other sides are completely protected.
*The Elephant was removed from [[Sandtrap#Variant: Sand Tarp|Sand Tarp]], a variant of "Sandtrap", by Bungie.
*On the left-hand side of the Red Team's Elephant there is spray-painted graffiti with text that reads "BEHEMOTH" and a red cartoon picture of a woolly mammoth. On the Blue Team's Elephant it says "LEVIATHAN" and has a picture of a blue, whale-like sea creature sporting a mean grimace and wearing a comically tiny golden crown. The Behemoth and Leviathan are two scriptural creatures that are enormous in stature and girth.

===Easter Eggs===
[[File:WaitWhat-ElephantFlip.jpg|200px|thumb|A player flips an Elephant, initiating the Easter Egg.]]
If by some chance the player does manage to flip over an Elephant, the usual "''Hold RB to flip [vehicle name]''" script dialog is replaced with "''Hold RB to flip...wait, what? How did you do that?''", referencing the fact that it is the biggest vehicle in the game and that it is seemingly impossible for it to be flipped. For more information, see [[Elephant Flipping]].

===Glitches===
*There are many methods of achieving the flight of an Elephant on the mutiplayer map [[Sandtrap]] in ''Halo 3''. The first is the well-known technique of filling the hull with explosives--set to instant respawn--and setting them off. This is a trial and error method, and achieves minimal Elephant flight, in which the player lacks control of the flight and trajectory of the vehicle. For more, see [[Flying Elephant]].
*If you place a Covenant hover vehicle like a [[Ghost]] or [[Brute Prowler|Prowler]] on top of the cockpit, and then drive to the center of the Elephant, the vehicle will stay floating as if there were an invisible floor on top of the Elephant. This same glitch (or a similar one) is present in ''Halo 2'', although with the Scarab instead of the Elephant.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJIdIX4hIMQ '''YouTube:''' ''Halo 3 - Invisible Floor On "Sandtrap" Glitch'']</ref>
*[[Lag]] from [[Cheating#Standbying|standbying]] can allow a player to directly manipulate an Elephant in [[Forge]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DCIb1y6cNk '''YouTube:''' ''Halo 3 Picking Up Elephant Forge Tutorial'']</ref> In some cases, lag on map variants [[modding|with a lot of Elephants]] can have the same effect.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Leviathan.jpg|Leviathan insignia on the Blue Team's Elephant.
File:Beh.jpg|Behemoth insignia on the Red Team's Elephant.
File:Elephant 1up.jpg|An unoccupied Elephant in Halo 3.
File:H3 Elephant Sharpened2.jpg|An Elephant being engaged on "[[Sandtrap]]".
File:Halo3-M313HRV-Elephant2.png|Another angle of the Elephant.
File:H3-M313HRV-Profile.png|A profile view of the Elephant from ''Halo 3''.
File:ElephantFlipPrepared.jpg|The rear of the Elephant, showing the cargo ramp leading to the driver's cabin.
File:Escape from Faraday.png|An Elephant in one of ''Halo: Spartan Assault's'' mission briefings.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''

==Sources==
<references/>

{{UNSC Vehicles}}