Headhunters (Team)

For the short story, see Headhunters (Short Story).

"But even among this collection of steadfast soldiers there were a select few with a bond deeper than the others could ever begin to imagine, as these unique IIIs were a secret even to their peers."

— Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe page 159

Headhunters are Spartan-III Special Operations squads. Only SPARTAN-IIIs that had survived two or more specially assigned training missions would be evaluated. Once an overall list of potential candidates was compiled, each soldier's personal files and mission reports were analyzed against a set series of parameters calculated by top ONI specialists. Once selected, candidates were separated from their fellow Spartans and shipped to a special training facility on the far side of Onyx. After three months, the soldiers were broken into four two-person squads, chosen through a series of detailed evaluations and an intense interview process meant to devise the best possible pairings between members of the group. For the next two years, the Headhunters would go through seven months of supervised field exercises, followed by six months' real-world wartime insertions. These SPARTAN-IIIs would go onto missions far behind enemy lines and would more than likely be expected to die in combat.

Two Headhunter teams participated in a failed mission on an unnamed Covenant moon, with notable members including Jonah and Roland.

Known Headhunters

• Jonah
• Roland

Trivia

• The concept of the Headhunters is quite similar to that of the SPARTAN-II group, Gray Team. Both groups are separated from their fellow Spartans and are sent far behind enemy lines for special covert operations. However, while the IIs knew about Gray Team, it is mentioned that the Headhunters were a secret even to their peers. How this is done with the Headhunter training facilities on Onyx is unknown.
• At the height of the program there was a maximum contingent of 6 squads - 6 teams with a total of 17 soldiers rotating in to fill gaps when half or all of a team was lost.
• It appears that they wear advanced prototype SPI armor that includes shields, tracking, VISR technology and a prototype active camoflauge, or av-cam, but it only lasts 3-5 minutes and it comes at lower power to other systems while it recharges.