Editing Project HRUNTING

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:HW2_CyclopsBattle_Concept.jpg|300px|thumb|The HRUNTING Mark III exoskeleton (back) is the most widespread legacy of Project HRUNTING. Pictured here is a [[HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops|Mark III <nowiki>[S]</nowiki>]] model employed by the forces of {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}.]]
'''Project HRUNTING''' was a [[powered exoskeleton]] development project carried out by [[human]]ity, beginning in [[2166]], during the height of the [[Interplanetary War]]. The program was eventually picked up by the [[Materials Group]] and continued under [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] direction for hundreds of years, before formally ceasing development in [[2525]], wherein it was consolidated with the [[Project YGGDRASIL|YGGDRASIL]] program.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=76-77}}

==Background==
Powered exoskeletons and mobile armour systems had been a key focus of military R&D since the early portions of the 21st century, and had been through various periods of intense research and development which attempted to resolve cost issues and combat effectiveness for early models. For most of its history, the [[Colonial Military Authority]] (CMA) was the biggest investor in exoskeleton projects, seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their relatively low-in-number [[CMA Marine Corps|ground forces]] for policing the [[Human colonies|colonies]]. The [[United Nations Space Command]] (UNSC) generally held very little interest in the program for the majority of its history, being confined entirely to the [[Sol system]] and uninterested in non-[[UNSC Navy|naval]] technologies for the vast majority of its history.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

==Overview==
===Development history===
HRUNTING was kickstarted during the Interplanetary War, with the research groups being put together in 2166. The early prototypes produced in this era were generally evaluated positively, though the program was ultimately scrapped following the war's end and the subsequence demilitarisation of the Sol system. The Materials Group later acquired HRUNTING program and its assets for their own portfolio and continued to develop them over the next few centuries, with significant investment by the CMA as extrasolar colonisation truly began to bloom. Accordingly, the Materials Group refocused the program on developing projects and technologies that could aid in colony settlement and military logistics, rather than serving as a purely combat-oriented vehicle.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

===Products===
[[File:Journal_MK_I.png|thumb|250px|A sketch of the Mark I HRUNTING exoskeleton, sketched by Catherine Halsey in her [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal|journal]].]]
====Mark I====
{{Main|HRUNTING Mark I exoskeleton}}
The '''HRUNTING Mark I''' exoskeleton was produced throughout the ''[[Domus Diaspora]]'', and fielded in limited numbers by the UNSC - with modified variants licensed and modified for usage by [[civilian]]s in heavy lifting and material handling roles such as aboard [[Human starship|spacecraft]] and [[space station]]s. The military variants of this era were employed as logistical support vehicles and limited weapons carriers.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

====Mark II====
{{Main|HRUNTING Mark II battle armor}}
HRUNTING Mark II was developed in the 2300s as a battle armor system, and showed promise as a force multiplier for special forces usage. However, they proved too expensive and unreliable for extended operations on the frontier and found little favour by the CMA and little interest by the UNSC. As such, the Mark II was discontinued by [[2400]], by which time the remaining suits were found only in military museums and in the hands of private collectors.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

====Mark III====
{{Main|HRUNTING Mark III Cyclops}}
Of all the HRUNTING programs, the Mark III "Cyclops" has proven the most venerable, and is widely employed as a capable logistics and [[combat engineer]]ing vehicle. The Mark III is larger and more proficient than the older Mark IIs, with the improved [B] model even pressed into frontline roles as a siege machine during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. The Mark III platform has proven so adaptable that numerous upgrades and models have been produced including some intended for use as superheavy infantry. The Cyclops continues to see heavy usage in the civilian sector in a wide range of industrial, security and even [[law enforcement]] roles.

*[[Mark III exoskeleton|Mark III [A] Cyclops]] - Initial prototype using [[neural interface]] controls and featuring an armoured canopy simiilar to ones found in [[EVA-class Mjolnir]] helmets.{{Ref/Site|Id=Universe|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/cyclops|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Cyclops|D=4|M=11|Y=2021}}
**[[Mark III (A1) Peacekeeper|Mark III [A1] "Peacekeeper" Cyclops]] - Civilian variant employed by law enforcement agencies such as the [[New Mombasa Police Department]]{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
*[[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops|Mark III [B] Cyclops]] - The most widespread and common variant of Cyclops used during the war with the [[Covenant]]{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
**[[HRUNTING Mark III (B-II) Cyclops|Mark III [B-II] Cyclops]] - An unofficial name for a redesigned [B] variant, featuring redesigned feet and a more robust, sealed cockpit. B-II models also frequently use power packs that replace the [[fusion reactor]] with hydrogen-burning turbines or high-density power cells.{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
**[[HRUNTING Mark III (B1) Cyclops|Mark III [B1] Cyclops]] - A heavy assault variant of Mark III [B] Cyclops with additional armor and weapons hardpoints, employed by the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] and paramilitary forces on [[Earth]].{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
*[[HRUNTING Mark III (M1) Cyclops|Mark III [M1] Cyclops]] - An "Attack" variant of the Cyclops manufactured by [[Lethbridge Industrial]] and equipped with dual shoulder weapon hard points for equipping armaments such as [[M12 machine gun]]s, designed for covert operations behind enemy lines.{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
[[File:HW2_Cyclops.png|thumb|250px|The Mark III [S] variant.]]
*[[HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops|Mark III [S] Cyclops]] - Modified variant created by [[Serina]] aboard {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} and widely employed in the [[Second Ark Conflict]]. The ''Spirit of Fire'' alone has created several unique designs in its internal fabricators.
**[[Corporate Security Cyclops]] - Mark III [S] variant employed by [[Liang-Dortmund Corporation]].
**[[Incinerator Cyclops]] - Mark III [S] variant equipped with arm-mounted flamethrowers employed by the [[Hellbringers]].
**[[Kinsano's Cyclops]] - a modified Mark III [S] equipped with dual [[M7057 flamethrower]]s.
**[[Reactive Cyclops]] - a Mark III [S] equipped with a [[Energy shielding|bubble shield]].
**[[Veteran Cyclops]] - a Mark III [S] equipped with shock rounds in its main cannon.

A number of ultra-specialised minor Cyclops variants exist, though there are no official categorisations for these variants. However, they often follow common themes in terms of their loadout and scope of modification. Many of these include environment-adapted variants of the Mark III [B] nd Mark III [S] to operate in [[Arctic Cyclops|arctic]], [[Desert Cyclops|desert]], [[Desert Sniper Cyclops|desert sniping]] and [[Jungle Cyclops|jungle]] conditions, or variant modifications such as the following;{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
*[[Protector Cyclops]] - Typically (though not exclusively) older [B-II] units refit for high-threat civil rescue missions.{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
*[[Breaker Cyclops]] - Industrial variant used for shipbreaking, construction and [[extra-vehicular activity]].{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}
*[[Hazops Cyclops]] - Refit Mark III [B] unit equipped with biolab-grade environmental sealing and used to accompany [[Spartan Operations|Spartan]] [[Flood containment Fireteam]]s when delving into [[Forerunner]] facilities suspected to house samples of the [[Flood]] parasite.{{Ref/Reuse|Universe}}

==Legacy==
===CMA offshoots and MJOLNIR===
While the CMA retained great interest in the fruits of HRUNTING, in [[2461]] they began their own ventures into supersoldier augmentation and weapon system R&D supported by ONI. This resulted in {{Project|MELAENO}} - the equipment and technical support arm of the CMA's own [[ORION Project]]. Where ORION focused on the development of human supersoldiers, MELAENO focused on their equipment ultimately culminating in the development of the [[ORION armor|Orion Exoframe Load Carrier]] - a short-lived powered exoskeleton project that underwent some limited field-testing before being cancelled.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

The remains of MELAENO remained classified even throughout the CMA's dissolution in the early 26th century, though Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] was able to gain access to the files in [[2515]] and strip it of useable information. In [[2510]], Halsey conducted a review into HRUNTING as a civilian consultant for ONI and deemed HRUNTING as an "interesting failure" for not innovating and exploiting the breakthroughs it had achieved. However, Halsey was unwilling to reform the project and reform its administrative burden and instead proposed the creation of a new program - termed [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]] -  with a new handpicked team unbound by dogma or preexisting assumptions. The useful components of HRUNTING and MELAENO were incorporated into MJOLNIR alongside new innovations, and within a year of initiation MJOLNIR had already eclipsed HRUNTING in progress. Despite this, ONI kept both programs online in parallel with one another - with MJOLNIR eventually going on to furnish the [[SPARTAN-II program]] and its [[Spartan Operations|successors]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

In the later 2530s, the remnants of Project MELAENO were themselves used as a useful stepping stone by the [[Watershed Division]], who went on to create the [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] for the nascent [[SPARTAN-III program]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

===HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL===
HRUNTING was formally discontinued by the Materials Group in 2535, due to a widespread consolidation of assets by ONI during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. By this time, the project was viewed to have reached a dead-end even despite the continued employment of the Cyclops and its variants. As such, HRUNTING was combined with the simultaneous {{Project|YGGDRASIL}} in a program that paired engineers and scientists from both work groups with external corporate partners from [[Lethbridge Industrial]], [[Beweglichkeitsrüstungsysteme]] and [[Hannibal Weapon Systems]]. This new combined program, sometimes termed "HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL", primarily focused on the development of armor defense systems amid a number of false starts and nonviable prototypes.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

The Armor Defense System (ADS) prototypes enjoyed great success and at least three of their major developments were later proven to have a tangible strategic impact, including the [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I ADS|Mark I]], [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark II (D) Geyrion|Mark II]] and [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mark IX]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Human exoskeletons}}
[[Category:UNSC projects|HRUNTING]]