M39 rocket turret
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Template:Weapon The 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret is a mounted armament on a Warthog, seen on Halo PC, Halo Mac,and is planned to be on the new game Halo: Reach.
Introduction
The 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret is basically a triple-barreled Rocket Launcher, commonly mounted on the M12A1 Warthog. It gives UNSC personnel a higher degree of anti-armor capacity. This weapon was available to Halo PC and Halo Mac users, only in multiplayer, and was not available on the Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved.
It fires rockets similar to those of the M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, although it can fire only three rockets before each reload cycle, has no scope, and cannot be carried.
Each reload cycle of the 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret consumes four seconds, which is vital in combat situations. Presumably, it has an automatic reload system as the gunner does not have to do anything during the reload cycle. Partial reloads, when only one or two rockets have been fired, are also available, but will still use up the entire reload cycle - there is no time difference between reloading an empty launcher or a launcher with one rocket left.
Its role as the primary anti-armor weapon mounted on UNSC LAAVs is challenged by the faster firing Gauss Cannon in Halo 2, which uses similar technology to the Magnetic Accelerator Cannons and eliminates the need for a long reload cycle, although the power is somewhat lower per shot.
Description
The 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret is painted black, with some sort of motion tracking systems facing the gunner. The turret is apparently magazine-fed, due to the presence of a magazine mounted on the left side of the launcher, as well as a pair of identical magazines stored on the turret's base.. The 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret also resembles the M41 LAAG to some extent, but sports a triple-barreled rocket launcher. The weapon is semi-automatic, but is notoriously inaccurate.
Tactics
While the M39 rocket turret does great damage, frequently killing infantry and vehicle crewmembers in a single shot, learning to hit moving targets when the warthog itself is in motion requires practice as well as precise timing and aim. Players must take into account the flight time of the rocket, the motion of both the target and the shooter, as well as server lag in order to fire accurately. Constantly, the shots will go wide when fired in too close succession or fly too low when the warthog is in midair, thus making this weapon less accurate than the LAAG. Mastery of the 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret takes much longer than proficiency with the LAAG; Warthogs equipped with the LAAG can evade incoming rockets, then take advantage of the launcher's slow reload time to eliminate the helpless enemy. However, the rocket turret is quite an effective killing machine if used correctly, and a skilled gunner and driver can dominate short-range vehiclular combat. The gunner can also fire at masses of troops and/or heavy vehicles/air support, such as the Scorpion tank, or the Banshee. As the rockets travel across the map, gunners can simply create a barrage of missiles from long range, suppressing opponents and forcing them to take cover. As with the LAAG, however, manning the turret leaves gunners extremely susceptible to sniper fire when the hog is still.
See Also
