Razor-class prowler

Razor-class
Class attributes
Operators:	UNSC Navy UNSC Prowler Corps
Manufacturer:	Watershed Division
In service:	2499-present
General characteristics Type: Prowler Length: 160 meters (525 ft) Mass: 29,500 metric tons (29,000 LT; 32,500 ST) Power plant: Fusion reactor Maneuver drive: Fusion drives Slipspace drive: Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine Crew: 22 crewmen Complement: 1 escape pod 2 Pelican dropships Troops: 40 ODSTs Hull: Titanum A battleplate Stealth ablative coating Armaments: Varies (see armaments) Standard: 2 M870 Rampart point defense guns 12 M28 Shrieker missiles 8 M4510 Argent V missiles 3 Fury tactical nuclear weapons Air facilities: 1 infantry drop bay located on the underside of the ship 1 dropship hangar bay above the drop bay

The Razor-class prowler is a class of stealth corvette in the UNSC Navy. Razor-class ships entered service in 2499 during the Insurrection and served throughout some of the Prowler Corps' most large-scale operations. They were considered old by 2553.

Design details

Armament

The Razor-class prowler is heavily armed, and seems to sport varying loadouts depending on mission specifics. A standard loadout for a Razor consists of two M870 Rampart point-defence guns and several missile pods including twelve M28 Shrieker missiles and eight M4510 Argent V missiles. This can differ; the Razors of Task Force Yama during Operation: SILENT STORM instead employed four autocannons including two belly-mounted 30mm guns on the prowlers of Ghost Flight, and two nose-mounted 50mm cannons (presumably the two aforementioned Ramparts) on UNSC Black Widow. Both the Shrieker and Argent missiles can be used in a ground-attack role.

During the Battle of Netherop, the Razor UNSC Night Watch was equipped with four autocannons and multiple Archer missiles of unspecified model.

The ship also carries three Fury-class Medium Fusion Destructive Devices (MFDDs) for more large-scale destruction. In the event that the vessel is compromised, Razor-class prowlers make use of a self-destruct system tied to a one-megaton Fury weapon in the engineering section, which can completely pulverize the ship, any technology and data within it, and any hostile party that may be trying to access it. Generally, the nuke is programmed to detonate automatically if the ship experiences a catastrophic event, such as a crash. However, it will only detonate if there are no live signs detected within the vessel. If there are survivors detected, the self-destruct system will only activate once there has been no shipboard motion for two hours. The nuke can also be remotely activated at will by either the ship's flight commander or wing commander. The captain of the fleet or task force's flagship can also detonate the nuke remotely. Personnel trained to handle Fury nukes can enter certain codes to arm the device manually, even setting a timed delay if desired.

Countermeasures

The Razor-class prowler incorporates a refractive coating onto its hull to obscure it from enemy sensors. Although difficult to detect, human sensors have a 30% increased chance to detect the prowler when it is located roughly 100,000 kilometers away. First Blade Tel 'Szatulai of the Silent Shadow observed that the stealth capabilities of the Razor-class prowler were superior to the active camouflage of the intrusion corvettes in his own flotilla. Even when backlit by a planet and visible to the naked eye, the prowlers remained invisible to any of the sensors employed by the Covenant corvettes.

Interior features

For the purpose of infantry deployment, Razor-class prowlers have a drop bay fitted with a tactical monitor on the bulkhead, allowing those within to watch what the prowler's crew can see with its array of sensors. This same bulkhead also includes alert lamps that can be changed from red to amber to green, signifying the time until deployment. The lights in the drop bay can be changed from white to a pale purple, the later of which is less noticeable to any potential onlookers if the four meters square jump hatch us opened in space or any other dark location. For those within the bay, this darker lighting also helps their eyes to adjust before entering low-light conditions. In the event that the jump hatch is opened in the vacuum of space, the drop bay can be sealed off from the rest of the ship. It can also be pressurized or depressurized on command. Razor-class prowlers have at least one escape pod, accessible through a hatch or other kind of portal on the floor of the engineering compartment. On the outer hull, the escape pod is protected by a large hatch that is forcefully blown open roughly half a second before the pod's launch.

Crew and complement

The Razor-class prowler is able to carry a full ODST platoon of 40 personnel in its drop bay, complete with vacuum-rated armor and thruster packs. When increased to 42, it is estimated to take at least four seconds to clear the bay. This could potentially spread the platoon across a 30-kilometer area of space when deployed in a typical drop-and-go fashion. The bay also had recessed tie-down bars that could secure a M12 Warthog. A hangar bay is located above here, which can accommodate two D75-TC Pelicans.

The prowler can accommodate a crew of up to 22 personnel, with seven servicemen occupying the flight deck at the front of the prowler. This group of personnel are composed of the prowler commander, pilot, copilot, sensor operator, communications officer, navigator, and weapons controller. Located in the middle of the prowler is the engineering section, which was divided between two decks.

The Razor is intended for use on long-term field missions. As such, it carries enough on-board supplies to last eight months without any kind of external resupply.

Operational History

Human-Covenant War

Main article: Human-Covenant War

In March 2526, Captain Halima Ascot's Razor-class prowler, UNSC Starry Night, led a mission in which twelve Spartan-IIs boarded a Covenant frigate. The mission ended with the vessel being destroyed, leading to the activation of Operation: SILENT STORM. A number of Razor-class prowlers were assigned to Task Force Yama, which would be commanded by Captain Ascot from aboard the Starry Night. Some of these prowlers would be lost during the Battle of Seoba, including the UNSC Ghost Star and the Starry Night itself. Spartan-II John-117 and his unit used the Starry Night's nuclear self-destruct to prevent Covenant capture of sensitive data within the downed prowler, destroying an intrusion corvette in the process.

At least one unit, Ghost Flight commanded by Lieutenant Commander Hector Nyeto, was composed exclusively of these ships, and three of the prowlers defected to the United Rebel Front during the attack on Zhoist. Later, the UNSC Night Watch attempted to drop off Blue Team and a platoon of UNSC Marines during the Battle of Netherop, although it was shot down and destroyed by its crew.

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Post-war

The three prowlers stolen by Nyeto were later passed onto his son, Ross, who used them to smuggle arms across the Isbanola sector up until late 2553.

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Ships of the line

• UNSC Black Widow - A prowler in Sierra Force.
• Ghost Flag - A smuggler ship and one of three vessels of the class stolen by Hector Nyeto from the UNSC Navy.
• UNSC Ghost Song - A prowler in Task Force Yama's Ghost Flight.
• UNSC Ghost Star - A prowler of Task Force Yama's Ghost Flight destroyed on Seoba.
• UNSC Ghost Wind - A prowler in Task Forca Yama's Ghost Flight.
• UNSC Night Watch - A prowler in Sierra Force. Shot down and self-destructed during the Battle of Netherop.
• UNSC Razor - The lead ship of the class.
• UNSC Starry Night - A prowler under the command of Captain Halima Ascot, and flagship of Task Force Yama in early 2526. Self-destructed by Blue Team after it was shot down on Seoba.

Trivia

The UNSC Razor's Edge may be part of this class, possibly even the lead ship.

List of appearances

• Halo: Retribution (First mentioned)
• Halo: Silent Storm (First appearance)
• Halo: Oblivion