Editing Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle

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{{Individual ship infobox
|name=Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle
|image=[[Image:HEV-ODST-scaled.jpg|300px]]
|class=
|manufacturer=
|modifier=
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|length=2.7 meters
|width=2.6 meters
|height=5.5 meters
|max accel=Freefall
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|armament=Small Arms for ground combat are located within the vehicle. 
|complement=
|skeleton=
|passengers=1 Trooper
|capacity=
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|role=
|commission=
|first sighting=
|destroyed=
|retired=
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|battles=
|affiliation= *[[United Nations Space Command]]
**[[ODST|UNSC Marine Shock Troopers]]
|fleet=
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}}
A '''Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle''', also referred to as a '''Human Entry Vehicle''' or '''HEV''', is a small pod used by the [[United Nations Space Command]] to deploy an individual from high orbit to the ground. 

SOEIV usage is popularly associated with the men of the elite [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marine]] [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|Shock Troopers]], although [[UNSC Special Forces]] operators are known to use these as one of their primary infiltration methods as well <ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 350</ref>.

==Operation==
===Doctrine===
SOEIV's allowed for the rapid deployment of ground assault troops near or right onto an objective. Their smaller profiles made them more difficult to destroy by defensive fire than conventional dropships. The large number of pods dropped at once also increased the probability of some of the attack force surviving to the land. Each pod bore the name of the soldier inside; amongst other things this identification could be used to identify the unfortunate occupant of a destroyed pod.

[[ODST]] doctrine required the command unit of an SOEIV-facilitated assault to land first to minimize the period of disorder that might occur as pods landed and soldiers deployed. Command unit SOEIVs were equipped with additional features, including high-powered imaging gear and the Class C military [[AI]] (such as [[Wellsley]] <ref>''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', page 47</ref>) required to operate it.

===Reentry===
[[Image:hevstohalo05.jpg|200px|thumb|right|SOEIVs carrying troopers from the [[7th Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Battalion|7th ODST Battalion]] over [[Installation 05]].]]
An SOEIV slightly resembles a somewhat sleek teardrop and is made of [[Titanium-A]], [[Lead Foil]], and a ceramic skin. The skin burns away during atmospheric reentry, protecting the rest of the pod and its occupant from the worst of the considerable heat. The Lead Foil is there to keep the Armor from ripping away and to replace the ceramic skin once it burns away. However, even with this ablation it is not unknown for passengers to be killed when tolerances are exceeded <ref>''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', page 35</ref>.

Once within the atmosphere, a metallic drag chute deploys for a short while before detaching to steady the descent, keeping the pod on course, and providing some deceleration. A more conventional backup chute is provided for landing, although final deceleration is typically accomplished using retro rockets forcing the passenger to experience significant g-forces. Needless to say, failure of any combination of components could be fatal. The mere impact of the "Pod" may be life-threatening.

HEVs are capable of smashing through almost any surface during re-entry, including buildings.<ref name = "Xbox">''Xbox 360'' #35 pp34-37</ref>

===Capacity===
The vehicle also contains stores for weapons and ammunition, and a small amount of food, if the Marine is ever dropped off target or they need to fight immediately when they hit the ground. It is also possible to store a light vehicle, such as a mongoose, inside the SOEIV, or even a SHIVA tactical nuke.<ref>''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''</ref>

The SOEIV has at least two radio frequencies, a command frequency and what is probably a regular, stationed troop frequency, which was used to play the ODST anthem shortly before dispersal entry to [[Installation 04]] <ref>''[[Halo: The Flood]]''</ref>.

The SOEIV's also store an extra tank of rocket fuel, which is not used up in the landing, but is rather used for moving to a different location. The pod, however, must be stood up in the position designed to land in. The only known person to use this is [[Adriana-111]], whom was at the time trapped inside the pod whilst on its side.<ref>''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]] Page 319''</ref>

==Other Versions==
=== [[Long Range Stealth Orbital Insertion Pod]] ===
[[Image:ElitePod.jpg|thumb|An Elite emerging from his Covenant drop pod.|150px|right]]
An improvement on the SOEIV was the [[Long Range Stealth Orbital Insertion Pod]] which came into service around [[2545]]. The long range pods featured an [[Stealth Ablative Coating]] and could be launched from [[Slipspace]].

=== [[Orbital Insertion Pod|Covenant Orbital Insertion Pod]] ===
The [[Covenant]] had an SOEIV equivalent known as a [[Orbital Insertion Pod]]. These were used to deploy [[Elites]] during the [[Battle of New Mombasa]]<ref name="dh">[[Outskirts (Level)]]</ref> and to aid [[Spartan-117]] and [[the Arbiter]] during the Flood infestation in [[Voi]]. <ref>[[Halo 3]] level [[Floodgate (Level)|Floodgate]]</ref>. In one of the Halo 2 trailers, most of the [[Elites]] emerging from the OIPs were Special Operations. One of the main differences from their human counterparts is the ability to launch them over long distances away from their ship of origin, while HEV pods must be dropped directly underneath a ship.

=== [[Flood Dispersal Pod]] ===
Even the [[Flood]] parasite employs a similar method of troop-delivery, using a frame of Flood biomass or an encased SOEIV pod to encase single [[Combat Forms]] or a number of Flood [[Infection Forms|Infection Forms]] for surface delivery in a similar manner. These were used by the [[Flood]] to reach the [[Installation 04 (II)|second Installation 04]]<ref>''[[Halo 3]]: [[Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo]]''</ref>


== Trivia ==
*SOEIV's are expected to feature prominently in the upcoming ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''.<ref name = "Xbox"/>
*In our present time, the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is currently working on project SUSTAIN, codenamed Hot Eagle. The basic thought is to have heavily armed [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marines]] launched into suborbital space and then reenter anywhere on earth in less then a total of four hours. Specifications have not yet been revealed to the public.
*Popularly, the concept of dropping individual soldiers onto a planet from orbit in pods is attributed to [[Wikipedia:Robert A. Heinlein|Robert A. Heinlein]]'s novel ''[[Wikipedia:Starship Troopers|Starship Troopers]]''. HEVs in the Halo universe act similarly to those described in the book. ODST doctrine of 'command unit first' also resembles Mobile Infantry doctrine of 'officers first'. Additionally, the ODST tradition of playing the [[ODST]] Anthem prior to a drop is similar to Mobile Infantry traditions in Starship Troopers, with the anthem of the unit's respective troop ship played on their radios during mid drop.

== Sources ==
<references/>

[[Category:UNSC]]
[[Category:Technology]]