Barukaza Workshop Chopper

Template:Ship The Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle (abbreviated Type-25 RAV), colloquially known as the "Brute Chopper" by UNSC personnel, is a Covenant Loyalist ground vehicle.

Introduction

A Chopper on Sandtrap.

The Brute Chopper is a heavily-armored dual-wheeled motorbike kept afloat by a gravitic array on its rear (behind and below the pilot), and is widely believed to be the Covenant Loyalist analog to the Covenant Separatist Ghost. The Brute Chopper was uncommon before Halo 2, when the Jiralhanae were not actively delegated to frontline battle, but with their resurgence onto the battlelines, it appears that they have brought their vehicles with them. One aspect that makes the Brute Chopper stand out is the fact that it can never be flipped.

Design

File:Brute Chopper.JPG

One of the first appearances of the Brute Chopper.

The Brute Chopper is a heavily-armored, large, and sluggish assault vehicle. Its primary assets lay in its capability to temporarily accelerate to twice its speed, probably through gravitic thrusters, and its armament: 4 x 35mm Autocannons (once believed to be two Spikers or Brute Shots).

In the prow is a massively swelled cyclical engine array and directly connected to it behind it is a small, exposed cockpit that provides the rider no protection, except from the forward field of fire, where the sheer mass of the engine protects the pilot. The engine is also fitted with massive spiked blades, allowing the pilot to impale anyone in its path. The blades on the wheel are strong enough to take down and cut through any vehicle but a Wraith or Scorpion. This is done by using the thrusters just before impact with an enemy vehicle. Also, its autocannons are extremely powerful even with a slow rate of fire, being capable of destroying a Wraith or Scorpion in very little time.[1][2][3][4]

When activated, the vehicle moves around by the use of two massive wheels on the front of the vehicle. They rotate opposite directions when turning, as well as the whole frontal portion rotating to the left or right. However,the pilot's seat is kept aloft by anti-gravity technology similar to that of the Ghost. That anti-gravity technology makes the Chopper unable to be flipped by anything, as the wheels turn instantly when they are on their sides, keeping the driver afloat with the thrusters in the rear.

Origin

As revealed in Contact Harvest, the first Brute Choppers were built by an Engineer named Lighter Than Some as a misguided peace offering towards the Human population of Harvest; Ironically, although the pacifistic Engineer built them in imitation of mechanized plows, the Brutes recognized their potential for carnage and have used them to kill humans ever since. These prototype choppers had two spikers mounted to their bodies. When the Brutes began manufacturing them in mass, these were traded for two pairs of powerful 35mm autocannons.

Misconception

"...The familiar whine of a Covenant Ghost howls and Master Chief lowers the Gauss cannon. But this Ghost is unlike any Ghost we've seen before. Instead of the two small wings that normally frame a Ghost, this model is more tube-like in design. The sound is unmistakable, just like its bumpy hover. There's a much larger driver at the back of this new Ghost-type vehicle -- a Brute. This is the first vehicle we've seen from what Griesemer describes as the Brute Sandbox. As Master Chief lowers the Gauss cannon on the Ghost, the demo ends."

— Luke Smith while discussing Halo 3's single-player

File:Jiralhanae Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle.jpg

A Brute Chopper on Sandtrap.

Because of observation of earlier Halo 3 builds, the Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle was first misnamed the "Brute Ghost" (mentioned in the December 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.) or the "Mauler".

At the time, the vehicle appeared to be similar in color to the Covenant Ghost and sounded the same as well (but that is pre-Alpha code, so it could have been placeholder sound). However, the wings have been folded up and the result is a much thicker, tube-ish vehicle, giving some the idea that this was different from the original Ghost.

Equivalents

The Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle holds a position in Loyalist tactical doctrine similar to vehicles in other armies:

• Ghost - The Covenant Separatist equivalent of the Chopper, although it is also heavily used by the Covenant Loyalists
• Mongoose - The UNSCDF equivalent of the Chopper