Rampart point defense gun
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The Rampart point-defense network is a line of point-defense guns heavily utilised by the warships of the CMA Navy and UNSC Navy. They are one of the most commonly-utilised point-defence weapons in naval service, with multiple models in service.[1]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
Ramparts are 50mm coilguns used for the purposes of point-defence. Due to the sheer speed that space warfare takes place at, targeting inbound missiles and space fighters is impossible for a human operator.[2] As such, Ramparts are generally fully-automated and controlled by a ship's artificial intelligence - though control can be surrendered to manual operation if deemed necessary.[3]
A single Rampart turret consists of twin-[4] or quad-mounted 50mm[1] rapid-fire coilguns and a targeting scanner.[5] Some models may be additionally fitted with a boxy armoured housing surrounding the gun mechanisms, while other models lack the housing entirely.
Point defense guns such as these are used for the engagement of incoming threats, including the warding off of strikecraft and the disruption of plasma torpedoes;[2] each emplacement actively switches between sub-caliber armor-piercing sabots or proximity detonation fragmentation shells based on a threat-analysis of its current target in order to maximise effectiveness.[5]
Models[edit]
M800 Rampart[edit]
The M800 Rampart point defense gun is a kinetic point-defense gun utilized by the UNSC Navy. The refitted Phoenix-class support ship UNSC Spirit of Fire is armed with forty of these turrets.[6]
M870 Rampart[edit]
M870s are most commonly mounted on lighter vessels of the UNSC Navy and CMA Navy, particularly corvettes and frigates. They also see some use on destroyers and carriers, with no known usage on cruisers and supercarriers. They are primarily employed on the warships constructed between the late-24th century and early 26th century, with their earliest known usage being on the Mako-class corvette, launched in 2388.[7] They seem to have been mostly succeeded aboard larger and more modern ships by the M910 Rampart model, which began to see service aboard the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser in 2493[8]
Despite this, the M870 did see constant usage as a common fixture in the Human-Covenant War of the early-mid 26th century, and a handful of post-war era vessels have made use of it.
- Stations
- Refit station - 7x M870 Ramparts[9]
- Carriers
- Epoch-class heavy carrier - 12x M870 Ramparts[10][11]
- Orion-class assault carrier - 12x M870 Ramparts[11]
- Poseidon-class light carrier - 20x M870 Ramparts[11]
- Destroyers
- Able-class heavy destroyer 2525 refit - 8x M870 Ramparts[12]
- Hillsborough-class heavy destroyer - 7x M870 Ramparts[13]
- Halberd-class light destroyer - 4x M870 Ramparts[13][14]
- Frigates
- Charon-class light frigate - 4x M870 Ramparts[15][16]
- Mulsanne-class light frigate - 12x M870 Ramparts[16]
- Paris-class heavy frigate - 12x M870 Ramparts[16]
- Stalwart-class light frigate - 6x M870 Ramparts[16][17]
- Strident-class heavy frigate - 6x M870 Ramparts[16][5]
- Corvettes
- Gladius-class heavy corvette - 6x M870 Ramparts[2][7]
- Mako-class corvette - 2x M870 Ramparts[7]
- Scholte-class missile corvette - 4x M870 Ramparts[18]
- Prowlers
- Razor-class prowler - 2x M870 Ramparts[7]
M910 Rampart[edit]
The M910 Rampart is a heavier alternative in the Rampart series of point-defense guns, primarily outfitted on the heavy warships of the UNSC; cruisers and battleships. It was in service as early as 2493 aboard the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser and was later a standard installment on successor cruiser classes - with the notable exception of the Marathon-class heavy cruiser. The foremost exception to the trend of M910s installed on large combatants is the usage of the M910 aboard the Point Blank-class prowler, a stealth warship class often itself nicknamed a "stealth cruiser".
For smaller combatants and carriers, the M870 Rampart is often used in a similar role. On at least the Halcyon-class light cruiser, the M910 Rampart is capable of being interchangeably replaced with the M810 Helix point defense gun.[19] It is unknown whether this capability extends to the rest of the fleet; if so, the M910 may also be capable of being fit onto the ships listed here.
- Battleships
- Vindication-class light battleship - 20x M910 Ramparts[13]
- Cruisers
- Autumn-class heavy cruiser - 6x M910 Ramparts[20][19]
- Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser - 50x M910 Ramparts[19]
- Halcyon-class light cruiser - 40x M910 Ramparts (optional; can be replaced with M810 Helix PDGs instead)[19]
- UNSC Pillar of Autumn refit - 18x M910 Ramparts[21]
- Prowlers
- Point Blank-class prowler - 20x M910 Ramparts[22]
Production notes[edit]
The Rampart PDNs have had a fairly inconsistent appearance throughout the various visual media they have appeared in. This is due to the naval armaments' lore being written long after most of the spacecraft artwork was made for the original Halo games. In general, this article preferences the depictions covered in the 2017 starships reference guide Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo, due to its exclusive and dedicated focus on naval weapons and several pieces of artwork designed to feature them.
Of particular note is an inconsistency present in Halo: Fireteam Raven's first level, Escape, and its third level Alpha Base. During these levels, a heavily-armoured weapon mount is called out as an M910 Rampart turret for use by the player for shooting down enemy fighters. In reality, this weapon uses the model of the Sentry and Spitfire models of naval autocannon, and should note be taken as canonically-accurate. Halo: Warfleet's page on UNSC Pillar of Autumn provides a more true-to-form depiction of an M910, featured above in this article.
Gallery[edit]
M870 Rampart[edit]
Two of the M870 Rampart point defense guns on the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn in Halo 3; one on the dorsal surface and one on the ventral surface.
A view of dorsal M870 Rampart point defense gun on the Charon-class light frigate in Halo 3.
A view of dorsal M870 Rampart point defense gun on the Charon-class light frigate in Halo 3.
A view of ventral M870 Rampart point defense gun on the Charon-class light frigate in Halo 3.
An M870 Rampart mounted aboard Anchor 9, a refit station orbiting Reach.
A non-canon depiction of M870 Rampart point defense guns on the Halo 4 design of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.
A view of M870 Rampart point defense gun on the UNSC Mortal Reverie in Halo Infinite.
A frontal view of M870 Rampart point defense gun on the UNSC Mortal Reverie in Halo Infinite.
Low-resolution depiction of the M870 Rampart point defense guns on the UNSC Panama in Halo Infinite.
M910 Rampart[edit]
A non-canon depiction of an M910 in Halo: Fireteam Raven, using the design of a larger naval coilgun battery.
An M910, detached from the Pillar of Autumn defending Alpha Base.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: The Flood (First appearance)
- Halo 2
- Halo 3
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo Legends
- Halo: Reach
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
- Halo 4
- Halo 2 Anniversary
- Halo: Fireteam Raven
- Halo Infinite
- Halo: The Rubicon Protocol
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, UNSC Frigate (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo: Warfleet, page 19
- ^ Halo: Fireteam Raven, campaign level Escape
- ^ Halo 3, Charon-class frigate in-game model
- ^ a b c Halo: Warfleet, page 39
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 48-49
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 128-129
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 118
- ^ Halo: Reach, Anchor 9 in-game model has 7 point-defence turrets of the same design as the Paris frigate's M870s
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 40
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 127
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Digsite Dissection (Retrieved on Jul 28, 2023) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 124-125
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 32
- ^ Waypoint, The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12 (Retrieved on Mar 30, 2013) [archive]
- ^ a b c d e Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 120-123
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 37
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Foundations (Retrieved on Jan 12, 2022) [archive]
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 118-119
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 26-27
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 24-25
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 128
