| M370 autocannon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Production overview | |
|
Manufacturer: |
UNSC |
|
Type: |
|
| Specifications | |
|
Ammunition type: |
70mm (2.76 inch) depleted uranium round[1] |
|
Fully automatic[1] | |
| Service history | |
|
In service: |
|
The M370 autocannon,[2] also known as the "Pelican Gun" or "Nose Gun",[1] is an anti-personnel/anti-vehicle weapon mounted below the nose of United Nations Space Command dropships, including the D77-TC Pelican (and its variants) and the D102 Owl.[3][4][5][6]
Overview
Design details
The weapon fires 70mm depleted uranium slugs and is sometimes twin-linked with another such weapon, doubling its firepower.[7]
Although powerful, it is not very accurate, and troops must rely on its fully-automatic firing to make cover. In space, or other significant distances, the Pelican must rely on its speed and maneuverability for protection.[1] The weapon seemingly replaced the M340 autocannon that was common prior to 2525.[8]
Pilots and gunners of D77-TC Pelicans equipped with M370s are able to use the Integrated Helmet and Display Sight System to allow them track targets with head movements and display weapon information on their heads-up display.[9][10] This allows for very short delays between spotting enemies and firing as the turret can rotate up to wherever the pilot is looking.[9]
Production notes
The Pelican's nose gun was originally intended to appear in Halo: Combat Evolved, though was ultimately cut from the game for final release. The weapon can be observed in the Halo E3 2000 trailer build of the game, at which time the nose gun could be fully-retracted into the vehicle. The weapon was later featured in the Halo novels such as The Flood,ef/Reuse|tf3}} and the Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets strategy guide.[10] In 2023, the chaingun-equipped Pelican was one of the many vehicles restored by the Digsite team for use in mods for Halo games.[11][12]
In Halo: The Flood (including both its original 2003 and 2010 editions), the weapon is referred to as a heavy rotary cannon;[9] this has since been retconned by all visual depictions of the weapon (both including the original cut Combat Evolved model and the look established in Halo: Reach).
Gallery
The cut chaingun in Halo's E3 2000 build.
The E3 2000 Pelican (left) restored for use in Digsite modding projects.
A close-up of the Pelican's M370 autocannon in Halo: Reach.
A profile view of the Pelican's M370 autocannon in Halo Infinite.
Alternate profile view of the Pelican's M370 autocannon in Halo Infinite.
An angled view of the Pelican's M370 autocannon in Halo Infinite.
An angled view of the Pelican's M370 autocannon in Halo Infinite.
List of appearances
Sources
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 320
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 148
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 135
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 150
- ^ a b Halo: Shadows of Reach, Chapter 1
- ^ a b Twitter, @TDenningauthor: "That's a typo. We're correcting it in the digital already, but the print editions will have to wait until next printing. It's supposed to be 70mm; it's the M370, and when we were changing from M370 to mm, the three got left."
- ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 1: "With a hurricane roar, a UNSC Pelican dropship rose over the treetops and its twin chain guns spat a cloud of depleted uranium slugs at the incoming missile, making it bloom into a flower of fire and smoke."
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 10: "John sized up her armaments - dented and charred armor, a pair of old, out-of-date 40mm autocannons."
- ^ a b c Halo: The Flood, chapter 3: "The chin gun—linked to his helmet sensors—followed the movement of Peterson's head."
- ^ a b Halo: Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets, page 66: "[The Pelican] is equipped with electronic systems hardened against EMP; heavy armor; a 70mm "chin gun" controlled by a gunner and an IHADSS (Integrated Helmet and Display Sight System)-essentially wherever the gunner looksm the chin gun follows)"
- ^ Twitter, Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator): "Yes, at that time is was just called "c ground transport"" (Retrieved on Jul 9, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Digsite Deliveries (Retrieved on Jul 7, 2023) [archive]