M52B body armor

Front and rear views of the M52B armor.

The M52B Body Armor is an armored protective vest worn by members of the UNSC Marine Corps. It is a key component of some versions of the Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform. It is usually worn with the CH252 helmet for greater ballistic protection. Nicknames for the body armor include BA, BO, Gear, and Shell.

Design

The M52B body armor consists of 14.5 lb (6.58 kg) of olive-green armor plating over combat fatigues. The body armor is worn like a vest over the torso. A number of ammunition pockets, holsters, and other features can be attached to the armor.

The M52B armor is very resilient against ballistic weaponry, though it can easily be damaged by plasma weaponry. The armor consists of several layers, some of which include a ballistic shock-absorbing gel layer and a heat reduction gel layer to help reduce velocity and felt shock from ballistics, shrapnel, and explosives as well as reducing the burn caused by plasma once it reaches flesh. This heat reduction layer also reduces the chance of the plasma penetrating by counteracting and dissipating the heat, effectively disarming the blast. Temperature-regulation units are integrated to keep the wearer at optimum performance while limiting the need to change BDUs to suit the environment. The regulators also reduce the enemy's ability to track the wearer via thermal energy.

Gallery

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  A Marine wearing full battle dress with the M52B.

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  The M52B body armor as it appears in Halo 2.

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  Concept art for the M52B as it appears in Halo 3.

List of appearances

• Halo 2 (First appearance)
• Halo: Uprising
• Halo: Landfall
  • Halo: Arms Race
  • Halo: Combat
  • Halo: Last One Standing
• Halo 3
• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • The Mona Lisa
  • The Return motion comic
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo Legends
  • Origins
  • Homecoming
  • Prototype
• Halo: Initiation