Pulse laser turret

This article describes the Covenant weapon. For the pulse laser mounted on UNSC prowlers, see XEV9-Matos Nonlinear Pulse Cannon.

A CCS-class battlecruiser firing its pulse laser turrets.

The pulse laser turret is a light Covenant ship-to-ship weapon system. These laser weapons are known to have been mounted on most Covenant ships and starfighters, and are mostly used for point defense but also for ship-to-ship combat.

Design details

Specifications

The pulse laser turret is one of the Covenant's primary weapon systems, often classified as a point-defense weapon and compared to the UNSC's point-defense guns. These pulse weapons are affixed to most Covenant ships, including Kig-Yar privateer ships such as the Minor Transgression, and starfighters such as the Type-31 "Seraph"-class. Covenant pulse lasers are typically considered to their UNSC counterparts, due to the Covenant's superior power storage systems and gravitic-lensing focal arrays.

Firing operation

Main article: Laser

The pulse laser turret fires by means of laser, using hydrogen fluoride as fuel. Before the weapon fires, it must first charge; during the charge, a sphere of light energy forms around the charging weapon. After finishing charging, the weapon expels a cyan/purple beam of energy. A section of the ship's shielding system must be dropped to allow the pulse weapons to fire completely.

Damage

Like most Covenant weapons, the pulse laser turrets are rated in the kilowatt range. Damages dealt by the pulse laser turrets are known to be serious threats to most, if not all UNSC ships; a pulse laser salvo is capable of melting through Paris-class frigate Commonwealth’s 60 cm of Titanium-A armor hull in a single shot. In one such instance, the UNSC Commonwealth, a frigate, received severe armor damage in sections three and four to a quarter the original width. As such, it is believed that UNSC ships with thicker armor would have to take multiple pulse laser salvos to show the same results.

Known types

• Eriu-pattern - Used on the Hekar Taa-pattern Blockade Runner.
• Ferriel-pattern - Used on the Kerel-pattern CAS-class assault carrier.
• Gon-pattern - Used on the Sinaris-pattern CPV-class heavy destroyer and the Ket-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers.
• Pallio-pattern - Used on the Mjern-pattern DSC-class support ship.
• Phot-pattern - Used on the SDV-class heavy corvette.
• Phot Et-pattern - Used on the Varric-pattern ORS-class heavy cruiser, and the Mutan Et-pattern DAS-class storm cutter.
• Pok-pattern - Used on the CRS-class light cruiser.

Gallery

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  Closeup of the pulse laser turret.

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  Another closeup of the turret.

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  A CCS-class battlecruiser firing its ventral pulse laser turrets and dorsal plasma turrets.

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  An SDV-class heavy corvette fires a pulse laser at a space elevator at the Corbulo Academy, triggering its collapse.

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  The laser being used against UNSC vessels.

List of appearances

• Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
• Halo: Contact Harvest
• Halo: Legends
  • The Package
• Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
• Halo: Mortal Dictata (Mentioned only)
• Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Terminals
• Halo: Shadow of Intent
• Halo: Retribution
• Halo: Silent Storm (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Oblivion