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{{Status|Canon}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Weapon infobox
{{Status|Canon}}
|image=[[File:Halo3-PointDefenseGun.png|300px]]
[[File:Origins - Defensive Measure.png|300px|thumb|A {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} firing its point-defence loadout upon inbound [[Covenant]] boarding craft.{{Ref/Film|HLeg|Story=Origins}}]]
|name=Point-defense gun
'''Point-defense weapons''' are a classification of weaponry used on [[Warship|military spacecraft]], and occasionally on ground installations. They serve as a primarily defensive tool for the spacecraft in question, and are designed for shooting down incoming projectiles (such as debris or [[missile]]s) and [[Space fighter|strikecraft]]. They may be used in a limited role for engaging enemy warships, though their smaller scale means they are less effective in this role than larger, more dedicated heavy weapons.
|manufacturer=
|model=
|type=Close-in weapon system
|cost=
|size=
|damage per hit=
|magazine=
|maxammo=
|fire=
|ammotype= Varies; typically 50 mm high-explosive
|operation= Magnetic linear accelerator (MLA){{Ref/Reuse|ENC}}
|rate of fire=
|accuracy=
|optics=
|range=
|service=26th Century<ref name="Everest">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''page 475''</ref>
|counterpart=[[Pulse laser turret|Covenant pulse laser turret]]
|counterwep=
|affiliation=[[UNSC]]
}}


A '''point-defense gun''' is a type of [[United Nations Space Command]] starship-mounted magnetic accelerator weapon.<ref name="ENC">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 315'' (2011)</ref> Though several models exist, the most common type of point-defense gun fires 50&nbsp;mm high-explosive projectiles.<ref name="Flood215">'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 215''</ref>
Point-defence weaponry is found on both [[human starship]]s and [[Covenant starship]]s, and serve in broadly the same roles - though with vastly different operating principles.


==Design details==
==Human point-defense==
===Functionality===
For [[human]]ity, the vast majority of point-defence weapons are Magnetic Linear Accelerators (MLAs){{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=315}} - typically [[coilgun]]s - firing fully-automatic streams of high-velocity projectiles at inbound targets.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Human}} They are generally mounted on [[Human starship|warships]] of the [[UNSC Navy]] and [[CMA Navy]] in vast "'''point-defense networks'''"{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Human}} consisting of dozens of individual guns spread across the ship with overlapping fields of fire to cover all potential approach vectors. An exception to this is fittings alongside a ship's [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] system; the constant magnetic bursts of the coilguns may interfere with a MAC and risk the ship's operation in combat.{{Ref/Reuse|FOR29}}
The point-defense gun fills a role similar to the [[wikipedia:CIWS|CIWS]] designs created during the 20th century. Based around [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|magnetic linear accelerator]] technology,{{Ref/Reuse|ENC}} it fires solid projectiles. Unlike [[Archer missile]]s and the [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] weapon systems mounted on capital ships, the point-defense guns are not used to engage Covenant capital ships.  They are instead meant to intercept smaller threats like [[Type-31 Seraph]] fighters<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 272''</ref> or [[R'sisho-pattern Tick|boarding craft]], and disrupt incoming plasma weaponry,<ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 19''</ref> to reduce the damage inflicted to a warship's superstructure.


Because [[human]] operators lack the reflexive responses necessary to operate the point-defense guns to maximum effect, the autocannons are computer controlled and, if an AI is available, control is diverted to it. [[Smart artificial intelligence|"Smart" AIs]] seem better able to operate the point-defense guns than standard computers and also lesser [[Dumb artificial intelligence|"dumb" AIs]].<ref name="nav">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 19''</ref> Nonetheless, in times of need, human operators are capable of manning the turrets when an AI is unable to.<ref name="HFREscape">'''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''', level ''[[Escape (Halo: Fireteam Raven level)|Escape]]''</ref>
These weapons are fully-automated due to requiring reaction times faster than those capable of any human, instead controlled by a [[Human starship|starship]]'s given controlling [[artificial intelligence]] [[ship director]]. The automated systems calculate firing solutions in the heat of battle and are able to rapidly reorient the guns to fire at newly-acquired targets.{{Ref/Book|Id=WF19|HWF|Page=18-19}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22Human|Enc22|Section=Human Spaceships|Page=111-133}} Without an AI to control point-defence systems, a ship is as good as defenceless against inbound threats{{Ref/Novel|Id=FOR21|HTFoR|Chapter=21}} - though manual control may be surrendered to a human operator if absolutely necessary.{{Ref/Level|HFR|Escape (Halo: Fireteam Raven level)|Escape}} In extremely special cases such as that of {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} in [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a vessel may even equip a secondary backup AI solely to handle point-defence, with the primary smart AI freed up for other more specialised tasks.{{Ref/Novel|Id=FOR29|HTFoR|Chapter=29}}


===Operational history===
Exceptions to the MLA paradigm include the Scythe series of [[Wikipedia:Close-in weapon system|close-in weapon systems]] (particularly the [[M71 Scythe]] used for defending ground bases) and the [[Streak missile]] - a series of small, mass-deployed missiles which can be used to track down and intercept inbound munitions. Some more recent additions to the fleet of the [[UNSC Navy]] have additionally begun to experiment with the integration of [[laser]] point-defence systems - particularly the {{Class|Winter|prowler}} and {{Class|Anlace|light frigate}}.
[[File:HFR Alpha Base 2.png|thumb|One of the ''Pillar of Autumn'''s point-defense guns defending Alpha Base.]]
Point-defense guns have been standard armament on UNSC vessels since the [[Insurrection]], a common model being the [[M810 Helix point defense gun|M810 Helix]]. Later, {{Class|Halcyon|cruiser}}s used a dual-barreled point-defense weapon system designated as the [[M910 Rampart point defense network]].<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/Content/assets/en-us/ONI/577839090903298928/DDR-A340024-1115-08-27-52.pdf Data Drop 5]</ref>


During the opening stages of the [[Battle of Installation 04]], the ODSTs of [[Fireteam Raven]] were instructed by [[Wellsley]] to man the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}'s defensive guns to fend off several waves of Seraph and [[Elsedda-pattern Banshee|Banshee]] fighters.{{Ref/Reuse|HFREscape}} During the later human occupation of [[Installation 04]], the [[ODSTs]] that recaptured and secured the wreckage of the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} from the [[Covenant]] managed to scavenge several of the ship's 50&nbsp;mm turrets.<ref name="c137">'''Halo: The Flood''', Chapter 5, ''page 137'' (2003 paperback); ''page 153'' (2010 paperback)</ref> The ODSTs utilized the scavenged defense weapons and used them as anti-air defensive emplacements at [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]].
===List of human point-defense weapons===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
;Magnetic Linear Accelerators
*[[Mark 57 Arena point defense gun|Mark 57 Arena]]
*[[M710 Bulwark point defense gun|M710 Bulwark]]
*[[M965 Fortress point defense network|M965 Fortress]]
*[[M606 Goalkeeper point defense gun|M606 Goalkeeper]]
*[[M810 Helix point defense gun|M810 Helix]]
*Rampart
**[[M800 Rampart point defense gun|M800 Rampart]]
**[[M870 Rampart point defense gun|M870 Rampart]]
**[[M910 Rampart point defense network|M910 Rampart]]


==Known types==
;Conventional ballistic weapons
===Arena===
*Scythe
*[[Mark 57 Arena point defense gun]] – Used on {{Class|Strident|heavy frigate}}s.
**[[M71 Scythe]]
**[[M85 Scythe]]
{{Col-2}}
;Missiles
*Ship-launched
**[[Streak missile]] {{C|M340A4 and M390 Streak-II}}
*Surface-to-air
**[[Anaconda surface-to-air missile|Anaconda]]
**[[M260 Multiple Launch Rocket System|M260 MLRS]]
**Lance
***[[M95 Lance]]
***[[M97 Lance]]
**[[Surface-to-air missile launcher]] (unidentified)


===Bulwark===
;Energy weapons
*[[M710 Bulwark point defense gun]] – Used on {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}}s.
*[[AN/SEQ-11 point-defense laser array]]
*[[M995 Backstop point defense laser]]
{{Col-end}}


===Fortress===
==Covenant point-defense==
*[[M965 Fortress point defense network]] – Used on {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}.
The point-defence systems used by the [[Covenant starship|military spacecraft]] of the [[Covenant]] and its [[Covenant remnants|splinters]] differ greatly from their human counterparts. Rather than firing projectiles to intercept inbound threats, they instead operate as [[directed-energy weapon]]s of various kinds - using [[plasma]] and [[laser]]s to destroy their targets.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22Covenant|Enc22|Section=Covenant Spaceships|Page=260-271}}


===Goalkeeper===
Covenant point-defence weapons can be broadly classed into two weapon classes; [[plasma beam laser]]s and [[pulse laser turret]]s. While broadly similar in principle, they have significant operational differences; a plasma beam laser is fires a continuous beam of [[plasma]] at its targets, able to pick out and destroy dozens of targets in short order. By comparison, a pulse laser has a relatively low rate-of-fire and fires in multiple repeated bursts to accurately pick off inbound targets - though repeated strikes on the same area can also be used to breach the exterior hulls of enemy warships if needed.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Covenant}}
*[[M606 Goalkeeper point defense gun]] – Used on [[orbital defense platform]]s.
 
===Helix===
*[[M810 Helix point defense gun]] – Used on {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}}s, {{Class|Epoch|heavy carrier}}s, and [[Unidentified UNSC heavy destroyer class|UNSC heavy destroyer]]s.
 
===Rampart===
*[[M800 Rampart point defense gun]] – Used on refitted {{Class|Phoenix|colony ship}}s.
*[[M870 Rampart point defense gun]] – Used on {{Class|Gladius|heavy corvette}}s, {{Class|Mulsanne|light frigate}}s, {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}s, {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}}s, {{Class|Strident|heavy frigate}}s, {{Class|Halberd|light destroyer}}s, and {{Class|Epoch|heavy carrier}}s.
*[[M910 Rampart point defense network]] – Used on {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}s, and {{Class|Autumn|heavy cruiser}}s.


Outside of the aforementioned examples, the Covenant may use rapid-fire [[plasma cannon]]s in a role comparable to human MLAs for defending ground installations; the twin rapid-fire heavy plasma cannons of the {{Pattern|Upisa'weri|Shrike}} or the rapid-fire explosive plasma bolts of the anti-air variants of the {{Pattern|Preksheda|Shade}} and {{Pattern|Bmur'resh|Shade}} turrets can be used in a CIWS role to great effect against enemy aircraft.
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>

Revision as of 16:11, June 12, 2023

The Pillar of Autumn using its CIWS in Halo Legends: Origins.
A Halcyon-class light cruiser firing its point-defence loadout upon inbound Covenant boarding craft.[1]

Point-defense weapons are a classification of weaponry used on military spacecraft, and occasionally on ground installations. They serve as a primarily defensive tool for the spacecraft in question, and are designed for shooting down incoming projectiles (such as debris or missiles) and strikecraft. They may be used in a limited role for engaging enemy warships, though their smaller scale means they are less effective in this role than larger, more dedicated heavy weapons.

Point-defence weaponry is found on both human starships and Covenant starships, and serve in broadly the same roles - though with vastly different operating principles.

Human point-defense

For humanity, the vast majority of point-defence weapons are Magnetic Linear Accelerators (MLAs)[2] - typically coilguns - firing fully-automatic streams of high-velocity projectiles at inbound targets.[3] They are generally mounted on warships of the UNSC Navy and CMA Navy in vast "point-defense networks"[3] consisting of dozens of individual guns spread across the ship with overlapping fields of fire to cover all potential approach vectors. An exception to this is fittings alongside a ship's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon system; the constant magnetic bursts of the coilguns may interfere with a MAC and risk the ship's operation in combat.[4]

These weapons are fully-automated due to requiring reaction times faster than those capable of any human, instead controlled by a starship's given controlling artificial intelligence ship director. The automated systems calculate firing solutions in the heat of battle and are able to rapidly reorient the guns to fire at newly-acquired targets.[5][3] Without an AI to control point-defence systems, a ship is as good as defenceless against inbound threats[6] - though manual control may be surrendered to a human operator if absolutely necessary.[7] In extremely special cases such as that of UNSC Pillar of Autumn in Operation: RED FLAG, a vessel may even equip a secondary backup AI solely to handle point-defence, with the primary smart AI freed up for other more specialised tasks.[4]

Exceptions to the MLA paradigm include the Scythe series of close-in weapon systems (particularly the M71 Scythe used for defending ground bases) and the Streak missile - a series of small, mass-deployed missiles which can be used to track down and intercept inbound munitions. Some more recent additions to the fleet of the UNSC Navy have additionally begun to experiment with the integration of laser point-defence systems - particularly the Winter-class prowler and Anlace-class light frigate.

List of human point-defense weapons

Magnetic Linear Accelerators
Conventional ballistic weapons
Missiles
Energy weapons

Covenant point-defense

The point-defence systems used by the military spacecraft of the Covenant and its splinters differ greatly from their human counterparts. Rather than firing projectiles to intercept inbound threats, they instead operate as directed-energy weapons of various kinds - using plasma and lasers to destroy their targets.[8]

Covenant point-defence weapons can be broadly classed into two weapon classes; plasma beam lasers and pulse laser turrets. While broadly similar in principle, they have significant operational differences; a plasma beam laser is fires a continuous beam of plasma at its targets, able to pick out and destroy dozens of targets in short order. By comparison, a pulse laser has a relatively low rate-of-fire and fires in multiple repeated bursts to accurately pick off inbound targets - though repeated strikes on the same area can also be used to breach the exterior hulls of enemy warships if needed.[8]

Outside of the aforementioned examples, the Covenant may use rapid-fire plasma cannons in a role comparable to human MLAs for defending ground installations; the twin rapid-fire heavy plasma cannons of the Upisa'weri-pattern Shrike or the rapid-fire explosive plasma bolts of the anti-air variants of the Preksheda-pattern Shade and Bmur'resh-pattern Shade turrets can be used in a CIWS role to great effect against enemy aircraft.

Gallery

  • A close-up of an M870 Rampart on the Charon-class light frigate in Halo 3.

    A close-up of an M870 Rampart on the Charon-class light frigate in Halo 3.

  • A Halcyon-class cruiser defending itself from Covenant boarding craft using its point defense guns.

    A Halcyon-class cruiser defending itself from Covenant boarding craft using its point defense guns.

  • A close-up of one of the Pillar of Autumn's point-defense guns in Halo: Reach.

    A close-up of one of the Pillar of Autumn's point-defense guns in Halo: Reach.

  • A close-up of a point-defense gun.

    A close-up of a point-defense gun.

  • Shot of the UNSC Savannah's point defense gun arrays.

    Shot of the UNSC Savannah's point defense gun arrays.

  • The UNSC Savannah's point defense guns firing on the Covenant corvette Ardent Prayer.

    The UNSC Savannah's point defense guns firing on the Covenant corvette Ardent Prayer.

  • Close-up of a UNSC frigate's point defense guns firing.

    Close-up of a UNSC frigate's point defense guns firing.

  • The UNSC Savannah using its point-defense guns against the Ardent Prayer in Operation: UPPER CUT.

    The UNSC Savannah using its point-defense guns against the Ardent Prayer in Operation: UPPER CUT.

  • A close-up of an M870 Rampart on the Mulsanne-class light frigate in Halo Infinite.

    A close-up of an M870 Rampart on the Mulsanne-class light frigate in Halo Infinite.

Main-Superintendent.png Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ Halo Legends - Origins
  2. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 315
  3. ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) - Human Spaceships, page 111-133
  4. ^ a b Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 29
  5. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 18-19
  6. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 21
  7. ^ Halo: Fireteam Raven, campaign level Escape
  8. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) - Covenant Spaceships, page 260-271

v • d • e
 
Heavy armaments of humanity
Artillery
Autocannons and mounted machine guns
Automated turrets
Ground installations M5 Talos base turret • Scythe (M71 • M85) • M3045 • M3063 • M8 Wolf Spider
Point-defense guns Arena (Mark 57) • Bulwark (M710) • Fortress (M965) • Goalkeeper (M606) • Helix (M810) • Rampart
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