Editing Pez'tk-pattern fuel rod gun

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Ratings}}

<center>''Looking for the closely related Covenant vehicle weapon, [[Fuel Rod Cannon]] or for the [[Assault Cannon]] used by Hunters?''</center>

{{Weapon

|image           = [[File:HReach - T33LAAW.png|300px]]

|manufacturer   =

|model          = Type-33  

|type           = Light Anti-Armor Weapon  

|cost           =

|size            = Shoulder-mounted

*Length (o/a): {{Convert|130.2|cm|in}}

*Length (barrel): {{Convert|73.66|cm|in}}

*Weight (empty): {{Convert|20.8|kg|lb}}

*Weight (loaded): {{Convert|23.3|kg|lb}}

| damage per hit = Very high

| magazine      = *[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo CE]]: Single Battery

*[[Halo 2|H2]] & [[Halo 3|H3]] & [[Halo 3: ODST|ODST]]: 5 Rounds

| maxammo        = *[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo CE]]: 100 battery units (28 shots)

*[[Halo 2|H2]] & [[Halo 3|H3]] & [[Halo 3: ODST|ODST]]: 30 Fuel Rods (6 clips)

| fire          = Semi-Automatic

| ammotype      = 38mm radioactive explosive ballistic projectiles

| operation     =

| rate of fire  = Average (2 rounds per second)

| velocity       = {{Convert|72|m/s|mph}}

| accuracy      = Medium

| range         = Medium

*{{Convert|165|m|ft}}

*[[Type-52 Guided Munitions Launcher/Explosive|Plasma Launcher]]

The '''Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon'''<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', page 325</ref>, more commonly known as the '''Fuel Rod Gun''', is a [[Covenant]] shoulder-fired mortar/radiation weapon.

==Design Details==

[[File:ReachSchematic - FuelRodCannon.png|150px|thumb|left|A blueprint of the Fuel Rod Gun in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.]]

The fuel rod gun, which was first encountered by UNSC personnel in [[2531]],<ref name="B.net">[http://www.bungie.net/projects/halo3/content.aspx?link=h3fuelrod Type-33 LAAW Article]</ref> is essentially a man-portable version of the fuel rod cannon that is mounted on Covenant vehicles - it is a support weapon that is commonly employed in both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle roles. It appears to be recoil-operated and fires 3.8cm explosive ballistic incendiary gel projectiles, that travel to the target in a parabolic arc.

The design of the Fuel Rod Gun is very unique, more akin to large ornament than deadly weapon; the barrel of the weapon is long and black covered by thick gold plates that make up the body of the weapon; the ammunition is loaded on the top aft section of the Fuel Rod Gun, and can hold up to 5 ballistic projectiles, which seem to be held together by straps, before needing to be reloaded. Because of the weapon’s visibility it is just as effective as a psychological weapon, it is often the case that soldiers will ignore closer, more obvious targets in order to eliminate a Type-33 and its operator.

The fuel rod gun is unique in the way it operates, its ammunition is placed one on top of the other to form a clip and then is loaded into the weapon; it is unknown what exactly holds the rods together. When the large "trigger" is pulled the weapon ejects the projectile at high speeds. It can be assumed that the instant the projectile leaves the barrel of the weapon, the large flash associated with firing the fuel rod gun destroys the caps that are on each end of the fuel rod projectile. The rods are equipped with an activation delay that protects the wielder from explosions caused by carelessly firing fuel rods into nearby objects, however a fuel rod will detonate if they are fired into enemies at point-blank range. The fuel rod gun is used by most Covenant infantry; Grunts are commonly seen wielding fuel rod guns, and more rarely, higher ranking Elites and Brutes are seen wielding them. The fuel rod gun is extremely powerful, and as such the Covenant went to great lengths to ensure it does not fall into enemy hands - the fuel rod gun was equipped with a fail-safe that activates under certain conditions, either by the user dropping the weapon without first engaging a safety, or if the weapon runs out of ammunition and is not reloaded after a certain amount of time.<ref>Halo: First Strike, Chapter 20, page 187</ref> In late [[2552]], the fail-safe was removed, preventing the weapon from being self-destroyed. <ref name="B.net"/>

The Covenant fuel rod gun fires an unknown type of incendiary gel. Next to nothing is known about this type of ammunition except that when it strikes a target it does so with devastating results. When the fuel rod impacts an area, or target, it is instantly subjected to temperatures as hot as standard plasma weapons. The fuel rod gun, like the assault cannon, shoots the same type of incendiary gel. Unlike the assault cannon, however, it shoots canisters of the gel approximately 3.8cm long instead of shooting globs or concentrating its energy into a beam.

The fuel rod gun is an extremely devastating weapon in the hands of a skilled infantry unit. The destructive power of the fuel rod gun is so effective that human forces often focus all of their attention on infantry wielding the fuel rod gun. For good tactical reasons, one strike from a fuel rod will instantly kill any light organic target. Infantry outside of the initial blast zone will be affected by the concussive force of the impact, which is strong enough to send them flying. Against light-armored vehicles the fuel rod gun is extremely effective as well, with the ability to flip small vehicles in only a few hits. The gun also takes less time to reload than the rocket launcher, can hold more ammo in both the magazine, has a very slight tracking ability, and has a faster rate of fire. In the context of the Halo games, the fuel rods' strength and lethality are compensated for both the sake of gameplay.

Rods from the fuel rod gun have a smaller explosive radius than the SPNKR. In addition, the fuel rods will arc once in flight and lose their accuracy over long distances. The large size of the weapon obscures the wielder's peripheral vision, and it  reduces the speed of weaker infantry holding it, because of its significant weight, unless it is a Spartan carrying the weapon, due to their superior strength. The bright color of the weapon makes the wielder easy to spot, even when the weapon is backpacked; the green flash that occurs when the weapon is fired, can also give away the users position. The fuel rods are also extremely slow in flight. As a result, Fuel Rods are particularly weak against most reconnaissance vehicles (Ghosts, Warthogs, Banshees, Brute Choppers, Mongooses) at long range. This is because the intended target will easily dodge the fuel rod. It also lacks the lock-on and destructive capabilities of the Halo 2 rocket launcher or Halo 3 [[missile pod]]. Also, in Halo 3, the fuel rods usually bounce off the ground, missing their intended targets, unless it is a direct hit or you are directly facing the surface, such as walls and even the Scarab's exterior, although very rarely would it ricochet off vehicles and infantry.

 

 

The fuel rod cannon is a vehicle-mounted variant of the regular infantry-issue fuel rod gun, and as such it is larger and more powerful. Examples of the fuel rod cannon include the Anti-Air wraith's primary weapon and the Banshee's secondary weapon.

 

 

===Changes from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' to ''Halo 2''===

*There is a new sound effect for the Fuel Rod Gun -it sounds less powerful, featuring more of a 'thumping' effect.

*The player is now able to wield the Fuel Rod Gun in campaign, but it is not available in multiplayer due to gameplay reasons.

[[File:Fuelrodcannon.jpg|thumb|A Fuel Rod Gun in ''[[Halo 3]]''.]]

*The color of the shots have changed to darker green.

*Projectiles are affected by gravity at a much higher degree.  

*The weapon's shape has been redesigned, sporting a smoother, more rounded appearance. Its coloration remains the same. It bears a slight resemblance to the Covenant [[Type-52 Guided Munitions Launcher/Explosive|plasma launcher]].

*The explosion from its rounds is more detailed, and with higher contrast to surroundings.

*It is shaped like the Combat Evolved incarnation, though it is still gold in color.

*It now has a small thermal sight, similar to some other weapons like the Spartan Laser and the Focus Rifle.

==Tactics==

The fuel rod gun is best used against armor at medium range and against enemy positions and gun emplacements at long range.

===Campaign===

*The fuel rod gun in ''Halo 2'' generally is rarely seen, thus you will not be able to use it often, an exception being on the Arbiter level where a multitude of [[Heretic Unggoy|Heretic Grunts]] use it against you when you are flying in a banshee.

*In ''Halo 3'', the fuel rod gun appears far more frequently. The best thing to do with it is to give it to a [[marine]], who then rides in the passenger seat of your vehicle. Marines can also lock on targets with fuel rod gun, even though the player cannot.

===Multiplayer===

*In [[Halo PC]], the fuel rod gun is best used as a mortar to bombard the enemy base. It has an advantage of being able to hit enemies that are in cover and over hills, a feature otherwise only possible through the use of grenades. If the wielder uses it against vehicles, correct lead is essential. In Halo 2, the fuel rod gun does not appear in [[multiplayer]], nor does in Halo 3 - however, it can be added through [[forge]].

*Being an effective suppression weapon, one tactic in multiplayer [[capture the flag]] is to bombard the enemy base from afar with a fuel rod gun. Furthermore, the gunner can fire from a position obscured from enemy view, owing to the indirect-fire properties of the fuel rod gun. Since the view of the targeted area is mutually obscured from the gunner's position (due to having to compensate for the arc and having to aim high), such is unlikely to kill a player, but it is intended to at least deal cover fire for an assault on the flag, and most likely to inflict damage on the flag carrier. If&nbsp;multiple players carrying fuel rod guns bombarding a base with the aforementioned technique, it is&nbsp;quite devastating. Note that the fuel rod gun's splash damage is similar to that of the rocket launcher. If fired at very close range, the projectile will harm the player slightly.

*“The Type-33s have more in common with the ballistic weapon on the banshee than it does with the weapon that the hunters carry around—well, not carry around, but you know what I mean.”

*“No sooner had I put the grunt down than [[Fisk]] has got a hold of that bad boy and dumps the whole clip into the column—stickies and everything just cooking off—secondaries like mad! Fisk was a crazy bastard he was—wish he was still with us.”

*In ''Halo PC'' multiplayer, the weapon's barrel retracts into the weapon when fired. Whether this is the firing mechanism or a recoil compensator is unknown, but the weapon has very little recoil on the hands of the player character, supporting the latter.

*The fuel rod gun was originally meant to be a grenade launcher, but it was changed to a Covenant rocket launcher. It can be viewed on this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tqrfy4SR7I video.]

File:Fuelrodgun.jpg|A ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' era fuel rod gun with a yellow color.  

File:800px-SpecOpsGrunt.jpg|A [[Special Operations Unggoy]] with a fuel rod gun in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.

File:1210493411 Elite Commander.jpg|A Sangheili with a fuel rod gun.

File:1215454542 Spartanwithfuelrodgun.jpg|A Spartan with a fuel rod gun in ''[[Halo PC]]'' [[Multiplayer]].

File:Fuelrodhold.JPG|From a Spartan's point of view in Halo PC.

File:Fuel Rod Gun Render.gif|A render of a fuel rod gun.

File:HReach - Heavy Unggoy.png|An [[Unggoy Heavy]] from ''Halo: Reach'' wielding a fuel rod gun.

File:Fuelrodgun.png|A profile and three-quarter render of the Fuel Rod Gun from ''Halo: Reach''.

{{Appearances|Halo: Graphic Novel|Halo: Reach|Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo: The Flood|Halo: First Strike|Halo 2|Halo 3: ODST|Halo Legends}}

<references/>

 

{{Covenant Weapons}}