Editing M808 Scorpion

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}
{{disambig header|the original M808|other uses|Scorpion (disambiguation)}}
[[File:H4-M808ScorpionMBT.png|thumb|300px|The [[M808C Scorpion|M808C]], the most common iteration of the M808 MBT.]]
The '''M808 Main Battle Tank''',<ref name="visual">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 164''</ref><ref name="ENC">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 238''; ''page 248'' (2011)</ref><ref name="bnet">[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=ordnance&cid=25446 '''Bungie.net''': ''M808 MBT profile'']</ref> commonly known as the '''Scorpion''', is the [[United Nations Space Command]]'s mainline armored mobile weapons platform. The tank was originally manufactured by [[Chalybs Defense Solutions]],<ref name="visual"/> until [[Acheron Security]] took claim following the [[Human-Covenant War]]<ref name="H4 visual">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 110''</ref> and the destruction of numerous CDS facilities on [[Meridian]].<ref name="interactive">[http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-US/halo4guide '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo 4 Interactive Guide'' (defunct)]</ref>

The Scorpion has remained in service for centuries due to its combination of affordability, simplicity, and versatility and its rugged, adaptable design, features that cannot be matched by any "superior" main battle tank design. Additionally, the Scorpion's functional uses are numerous and widely varied—although the UNSC predominantly uses the tank for direct engagements, local defense, and anti-armor operations. A result of the tank's effectiveness and practicality, the M808 Scorpion has become the UNSC's template for all modern main battle tank designs.<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/scorpion '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Scorpion''] (Content updated, backup link on [https://web.archive.org/web/20151103161554/https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/VEHICLES/SCORPION Archive.org])</ref>

The M808 has proven itself to be the workhorse of UNSC armored attack vehicles. The tank's [[M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|90mm cannon]] can deliver a devastating blow to all targets—infantry or armor. The M808's thick ceramic-[[titanium]] armor can withstand a direct hit from a [[Covenant]] [[fuel rod cannon]] and survive with enough armor to keep fighting. The Scorpion's two-man crew severely limits [[human]] casualties; along with its main offensive capabilities, one other man can man the tank's turret as a gunner, and four infantrymen can sit on the tread pods of the tank, providing supporting fire while using the tank as a transport.<ref name="ENC"/>

==Specifications==
===Design details===
The M808 Scorpion is the [[UNSC]]'s lead armored vehicle, having served for over three centuries. Its four-track nacelles design, with each track mounted on an independent computer-controlled suspension system, allows the M808 Scorpion to traverse, climb over, or maneuver around large debris or other battlefield obstacles, and prevents the vehicle from being easily disabled.<ref name="bnet"/> The Scorpion is not the most powerful or quickest UNSC main battle tank, but it is often considered to be the best marriage between those two qualities.<ref>[[:File:Scorpion Library.jpg|The text appears to describe the M808]]</ref>

===Armaments===
The M808 Scorpion is equipped with a two-tier weapon system. The tank's primary armament is the [[M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon]], a gun capable of firing 90mm [[tungsten]] shells and [[S1 canister shell|canister rounds]] with a three-to-four-second interval between each firing session.<ref name="visual"/> The [[M850 Grizzly]] is the only human tank capable of outgunning a Scorpion.<ref name="grizzly">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/grizzly '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Grizzly'']</ref>

The machine gun is either co-axial or pintle-mounted.<ref name="ENC"/> The variants of the M808 Scorpion have varying armaments, in both cannon and machine gun type.<ref name="universe"/>

==Variants==
The M808 Scorpion has more than a half-dozen variants over its many years of service, each with minor adjustments depending on its role. The physiological aspect and versatility of the main battle tank remains unchanged with each variant.<ref name="ENC"/>
*[[M808B Scorpion]] – An older variant with a coaxial [[M231 machine gun]].<ref name="universe"/>
*[[M808C Scorpion]] - The "mainline" iteration of the M808 during the Human-Covenant War, features an M512 90mm smoothbore cannon for anti-tank and anti-fortification use, and a pintle-mounted [[M247T machine gun|M247T]] 7.62mm medium machine gun.<ref name="universe"/>
*[[M808S Scorpion]] - A variant used by the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} during the [[Second Ark Conflict]].<ref name="PL">'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''' [[Phoenix Log]]: Scorpion</ref>

==Operational history==
The M808 Scorpion was first manufactured in [[2218]]<ref name="universe"/>, rumbling across the sands of [[Mars]] and over the rubble of urban battlezones on [[Earth]].<ref name="LC15">'''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]''', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #15]]''</ref> Modern examples of the Scorpion tanks only bear a passing resemblance to the earliest models.<ref name="LC15"/> During the [[Insurrection]], [[Insurrectionists|rebels]] would utilize stolen Scorpions against the UNSC.<ref name="grizzly"/>

==Sources==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{UNSC Vehicles}}