Editing Magnetic Accelerator Cannon

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<center>''Were you looking for [[Mac (Homecoming)|Mac]], a Marine from [[Homecoming]]? Or maybe the [[Onager|large cannon at the Aszod drydock]], referred to as a MAC gun in game?''</center>
{{Quote|That MAC gun can put a round clean through a [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] [[Capital Ship]].|[[Sergeant Johnson]], talking to the [[John-117|Master Chief]] on board the [[Orbital Defense Platform]] ''[[Cairo Station|Cairo]]''.}}
The '''Magnetic Accelerator Cannon''', also known as '''Mass Accelerator Cannon''',<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 119''</ref> '''MAC Gun''' and '''MAC Cannon''', is a large [[Wikipedia:Coilgun|coilgun]] that serves as the primary offensive weapon for [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] warships. Larger versions, nicknamed ''"Super"'' MACs or the ''"big stick"'', of these are used as orbital defense platforms. They are the only non-[[nuclear weapon]]s in the UNSC arsenal capable of effectively reducing or destroying [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] [[Energy shielding|energy shields]]. Smaller shipborne versions can take as many as three hits to overload a shield while an orbital platform can put a hole through any Covenant vessel even with fully charged shields.

The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon should not be confused with the [[railgun]], despite their superficial similarities.

==Overview==
[[File:Magnetic_Accelerator_Cannon.png|300px|thumb|An Orbital Defense Platform above the planet [[Reach]] preparing to fire its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.]]
The theory behind the operation of a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is the same as that of a coilgun.<ref group="notes">A coilgun (not to be confused with a railgun) is a type of cannon which uses one or more electromagnetic coils to accelerate a magnetic projectile to high velocity.</ref> The cannon fires a massive metal projectile using a linear system of magnetic fields coils down a long shaft, increasing the projectile's velocity until it carries an incredible amount of kinetic energy. The ship-based models use ferric, ferrous, or depleted uranium cores, while orbital platforms and station-based versions use ferric tungsten rounds.

===Mounting===
The size of a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is such that it is normally an integral component of a warship's structure. Some types of Defense Stations are literally built around the massive weapon for orbital defense.

===Ammunition===
A standard ship-based MAC fires slugs of either ferric [[tungsten]] or depleted uranium at around 30,000 meters per second.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page 108</ref> The high muzzle speed gives the 600-ton slug the kinetic energy and momentum necessary to damage a target and partially mitigates the unguided nature of the slug and its lack of maneuverability. [[ODP|Orbital Defense Platforms]] fire a 3,000-ton slug at point four-tenths <ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page 320</ref> of the [[Wikipedia:Speed of light|speed of light]], around 12,000 kilometers per second, which is capable of piercing multiple obstacles before fully stopping the projectile, if needed.

===Aiming===
Magnetic Accelerator Cannons are built into the superstructure of a ship or weapons platform, requiring that it maneuver in order to aim the weapon. Shipboard versions generally require an AI to aim the cannon, as the projectiles are unguided. Orbital platforms have dedicated targeting computers.

===Firing===
The firing process uses [[wikipedia:Electromagnetism|electromagnetism]] to fire a ferromagnetic-tungsten slug at high velocity. An extremely large amount of current is put through the first solenoid (coil of conducting wire) which creates a strong magnetic field which attracts the metal slug. As the slug passes into the solenoid, the solenoid is quickly turned off and the second solenoid, which is further up, turns on, which attracts the now high velocity metal slug just like the first solenoid, and the process is carried on. By the time the slug is fired out the end of the barrel it has been accelerated to a speed of approximately 30 kilometers per second for a ship-based MAC and around 12,000 kilometers per second for a "Super" MAC. For ODP, a pair of thrusters on the bottom side of the station fire for a couple of seconds to counteract the acceleration imparted to the station. It normally takes five seconds to recharge the capacitors as well as load the slug, which is why boarding craft Are usually deployed to take the stations out.

==Types==
===Standard Magnetic Accelerator Cannon===
The standard ship-mounted MAC fires a 600-ton ferric-tungsten projectile with a depleted uranium core at 120,000 kilometers per second. The large amount of energy needed to fire the weapon is particularly onerous on a warship, and the extended recharge time is a significant factor in combat against Covenant warships as multiple MAC rounds are required to penetrate Covenant shields. At 1.17 teratons per shot a single ship base MAC round can destroy any UNSC and Covenant ships in one shot.

Shipborne MAC draw power from the ship's reactor and require a charge of the weapon's magnetic coils in order to be fired. According to ''Halo: the Fall of Reach'' it takes three shots from the standard MAC cannon to effectively lower the shields of a covenant ship and destroy it. The time it takes to bring the MAC's systems to full charge on a UNSC vessel is the deciding force in a conflict. Thus, while a vessel may not run out of ammunition for a long time (depending on the size/weight of the shots and the capacity of the ship), a captain or commander has to carefully analyze the situation of a battle and use his shots strategically. The weapon can be fired even when not at full charge, but the range and velocity of the projectile is greatly diminished.

An average UNSC frigate sports one MAC system, while a standard destroyer may possess two. UNSC cruisers carry two and UNSC carriers carry an unknown number of these powerful projectile weapons.

====Modified MAC====
When the UNSC ship Pillar of Autumn was refitted for the war against the Covenant, it received the latest version of the ship-based MAC weaponry. Magnetic field recyclers coupled with booster capacitors allowed the cannon to be fired three times per full charge, unlike traditional shipborne MAC systems, which could only fire once per charge. The Pillar of Autumn also carried new lighter MAC rounds that had a less dense ferrous core, but a harder outer layer of tungsten carbide. This technology is only possessed by the Pillar of Autumn and is never seen in gameplay. Also, the Pillar of Autumn's MAC charges up faster than normal UNSC MAC cannons, most likely due to the Pillar of Autumn's advanced reactor(s).

[[File:Macstationcairolarge1ki.jpg|200px|thumb|An Orbital Defense Platform ([[Cairo Station|ODA-142: Cairo Station]]) armed with a "Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.]]

==="Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon===
{{Main|Orbital Defense Platform}}
UNSC Orbital Defense Platforms typically mount larger and more powerful versions of the standard Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, nicknamed ''"Super"'' MACs or the ''"big stick"''.

These cannons fire a 3000-ton ferric-tungsten round at 150,000 kilometers per second, impacting with a massive amount of relativistic kinetic energy, equal to approximately''' '''9.98 teratons of [[wikipedia:Trinitrotoluene|TNT]]. No known ship, UNSC or Covenant, has been shown to survive the impact of one of these rounds. Against Covenant shield technology, the rounds possess enough kinetic energy to punch through shields, cut through the ship, and, upon exit, still retain enough energy to cripple or destroy a second ship.

It is theorized that if a ship's armor or shields were to absorb all the kinetic energy of a super MAC round, the release of thermodynamic energy would still vaporize the ship. By receiving power from [[Orbital Defense Generator|ground-based power plants]], orbital platforms could achieve recharge and reload times as short as five seconds.

==Related Technologies==
===M68 Gauss Cannon===
{{Main|M68 Gauss Cannon}}
The M68 Gauss Cannon is a UNSC weapon mounted on the [[M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle]] as well as on stationary turrets. It utilizes the same coilgun technology used in Magnetic Accelerator Cannons, but on a smaller scale.

===M99 Stanchion Gauss Rifle===
{{main|Model 99 Special Application Scoped Rifle}}
The M99 is a man portable anti-matérial and anti-personnel special application weapon. Like the M68 Gauss Cannon, it utilizes the same coilgun technology as a MAC, only on an even smaller scale, using 5.4mm/.21 caliber rounds. Though smaller than conventional ammunition, these rounds are accelerated to speeds fast enough to travel long distances with almost no change in trajectory, punch through any obstructing materials, hit their target, and still retain significant kinetic energy.

===M92 Principle Gauss Cannon===
The M92 Principle Gauss Cannon is a Magnetic Accelerator Weapon that runs along the length of the [[Open Frame 92/Extra-Vehicular Activity]].

===Mass Drivers===
{{Main|Mass Driver}}
The mass driver is a somewhat primitive United Nations Space Command orbital launch assembly designed to propel low-weight payloads into orbit, otherwise known as orbital lifting. The operating principle of the mass driver is essentially the same as that of the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon: it is a large coilgun that magnetically accelerates a package consisting of a magnetizable holder containing a payload. 

While not a purpose-built weapon like the UNSC's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, these platforms are still potent weapons of opportunity. While never formally incorporated as a weapon, mass drivers have been used at as defensive magnetic accelerator weapons at [[Harvest]], [[the Rubble]], and [[Reach]].

[[File:MAC Blast.JPG|thumb|right|The MAC Blast in use.]]

===MAC Blast===
{{Quote|Use the Spirit of Fire's awesome Mass Accelerator Cannon to incinerate enemy troops.|In-game description.}}
In ''[[Halo Wars]]'', the '''MAC Blast''' ability allows the player to use the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}'s MAC for pinpoint [[orbital bombardment]]. It is mainly used as a support weapon to help the UNSC penetrate heavy Covenant defenses and Covenant bases, and is a potent weapon against [[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Scarabs]].

In [[skirmish]] and multiplayer, the MAC Blast can only be used if [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[James Gregory Cutter|Cutter]] is selected as the player's leader character. In the campaign, the MAC Blast is available in several missions, most notably [[Dome of Light]], during which the player is granted access to forty rapid-fire MAC rounds to destroy a Covenant base.
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==Speculation==
{{Conjecturalization}}
===Other MAC Sizes===
Although never explicitly elaborated upon, there may be many more different sizes of MAC weaponry based on the size of possible mounts. For example, one might extrapolate that a [[UNSC Frigate|frigate]] would mount a smaller, less powerful cannon than a [[UNSC Supercarrier|supercarrier]] or a {{Class|Marathon|Cruiser}}, if only for power management issues.

Conceivably, a 'large' ship could mount many 'small' MACs. However, the lack of such occurrences might suggest that the power of a MAC, once the mass and volume of all attendant components (i.e. capacitors) are accounted for, does not scale linearly. However destroyers and ''Marathon''-class Cruisers are outfitted with two MAC cannons. The [[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn]] had one large MAC cannon which could fire three 144 ton "shredder" rounds in succession on a single charge (see below).

{{Conjecturalization End}}



==Trivia==
*The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is twice wrongly addressed in the [[Halo Universe]] - once as the "''Mass ''Accelerator Cannon" in ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', and as the "''Mass Accelerated'' Cannon" in ''[[Halo Wars]]''. The first reference may be a confusion between the MAC and the [[Mass Driver]], which is a non-military application of similar technologies. The second reference may be a grammatical error also referring to the Mass Driver.
*The upgraded colony ship [[UNSC Spirit of Fire]]'s MAC cannon is revealed to be unable to penetrate a [[Citadel (Covenant)|Citadel]]'s [[Shield Generator (Covenant)|shield]] in ''[[Halo Wars]]'' with one round. This could be because of the use an earlier, less powerful version of the cannon, or because of the high resistance of the shield. It may also be because the round loses kinetic energy and mass as it enters atmosphere from orbit. Another possibility is that the Spirit of Fire's MAC gun was designed for ground support and not ship-to-ship engagements, thus firing weaker rounds to avoid friendly casualties. The last theory might explain why the MAC cannon could fire multiple shots in quick succession. However, its weak power in ''Halo Wars ''may only be for gameplay purposes.
*The total energy released from the impact of a MAC round fired from a UNSC Orbital Defense Platform releases a colossal 216.7 exajoules of energy. To put this in perspective, this is about 3,423,829 times the energy released from the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima in World War II, which released a comparatively small 60 terajoules of energy.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="150">
File:Coilgun animation.gif|The basic design of a coilgun.
File:Mac.jpg|Three UNSC Frigates unleashing their MAC on the Forerunner Dreadnought over the [[The Artifact|Forerunner Structure]].
File:Halo3 - FrigateAssault.png|MAC charges impacting the Dreadnought, to little effect.
File:Navesota.jpg|The front view of a UNSC Frigate's MAC cannon.
File:Halo3 - MAC muzzle.jpg|A close view of the MAC muzzle of a UNSC Frigate.
File:PoAed.JPG|MAC muzzle of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.
File:POA-MAC Schematic.jpg|An overlay of the ''Pillar of Autumn'' and its possible MAC position.
File:Cairo Mac firing.jpg|An example of an Orbital Defense Platform firing its "Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.
File:Nassau.png|[[Nassau Station]] firing its MAC.
File:MAC - Bombardment.jpg|A MAC round impacting a planetary surface.
</gallery>

==Appearances==
{{Appearances|Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo: The Fall of Reach|Halo: The Flood|Halo: First Strike|Halo 2|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Halo 3|Halo: Contact Harvest|Halo: The Cole Protocol|Halo 3: ODST|Halo: Evolutions|Halo Legends|Halo: Reach}}

==Notes==
<references group="notes"/>

==Sources==
<references/>

==External==
*[http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_stationsignage/ '''Halo.bungie.org''': ''Overview of an Orbital Defense Platform by Stephen Loftus'']
*[[wikipedia:Coilgun|'''Wikipedia''''s article on ''Coilgun'']]

{{UNSC Heavy Weapons}}


[[es:MAC]]
[[Category:UNSC Weapons]]
[[Category:Starship Weapons]]
[[Category:Halo: Reach Weapons]]