M12 Chaingun Warthog

"I have yet to come up against an obstacle that the Warthog couldn’t go right over."

— Anonymous E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman

The Warthog is a generic term used to describe the M12 line of United Nations Space Command ground vehicles.

Overview

Warthog Wireframe.

The M12 LRV Warthog is the UNSC Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, used for its scouting capacity, or as an integral part of a mechanized infantry unit; the M12 has been apart of the UNSC's armored vehicle fleet for 50 years, and is the most recognizable vehicle in their arsenal. The M12 is a four wheel all terrain vehicle capable of going over any obstacle without difficulty; under the hood the M12's power is generated by a forward-housed low-profile liquid-cooled hydrogen-injected ICE I/C plant. The hydrogen fuel is burned at very high temperature with a synthetic carbon/silicon catalyst to achieve even better fuel consumption. This hydrogen engine is the standard among all UNSC ground based vehicles, replacing fossil fuel based engines some 400 years ago. The M12 features a Graf/Hauptman solar/saline actuator, and will convert up to 12 liters of fresh, brackish or salt water into hydrogen on the fly, this allows the Warthog to travel 790 kilometers or 490 miles before it needs to be refueled. Detritus is compacted on board. The M12 is a huge, unwieldy, difficult to steer vehicle – until a user learns how to drive it properly. With proper application of the hand, or “e-brake” the M12 can actually turn on a dime. Massive disc brakes and its automatic braking systems, allow the vehicle to come to a near immediate, but controlled stop should the driver be ejected, or choose to leave the vehicle. The Warthog's tires, have moved away from previous inert-gas pocket inflation, with equally burst-proof single unit nanotube skeletons. They provide the buoyancy and ride of gas-pocket tires, but are almost indestructible. The relatively massive tires are a joint project between Michelin-Vance and AMG.^[1]

The M12's design places it into the jeep family of vehicles, it has no doors and has a total seating of three. The M12 although deemed a reconnaissance vehicle is at best an understatement, the M12 is fully capable of both offensive and defensive capabilities, the M12 can also serve as a support vehicle, or a transport vehicle. The M12 can be armed with a wide variety of equipment, however its main armament is the M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, the mounted weapon includes a battery for short term operation separated from the vehicle, but normally operates on the vehicle’s power supply. A M68 Gauss Cannon can be mounted on the back of the M12, making it capable of taking on light armor.

Advantages

The M12 is the workhorse of light ground infantry vehicles, it is adaptable to almost any role and situation and is arguably the most customizable vehicle in the Military's fleet. It is fast able to reach top speeds of 78 MPH and more importantly, swing around rapidly to allow a gunner a better angle on a prospective target. The mounted M41 chain gun can cut down heavily armored infantry within seconds, this also applies to shielded infantry as well. With enough controlled fire from the 12.7X99mm armor-piercing rounds, the M41 can easily rip through the armor of a ghost and destroy it. The Warthog's titanium armor though light, is tough it can take at least one fragmentation grenade and keep rolling and can also withstand small amounts of energy weapon fire. It also makes a impervious scout, and transportation vehicle, able to make a smooth getaway, or rapid infiltrations if needed.

Disadvantages

While fast the M12 is prone to roll over very easily, It is vital that the driver can get in and out of dangerous situations without flipping the heavy and hard-to-right vehicle. The open nature of the Warthog always puts its driver and passengers at risk, a good marksman can easily take down the driver, or the passengers of the M12. Although the armor of the M12 is tough, a couple of direct hits from grenades, or a well placed rocket, will end its reign of terror almost immediately. Covenant energy weapons, are the biggest threat to the Warthog, a direct hit from a Banshees light Plasma Cannons would render the vehicle inoperable and kill its passengers. If the M12 were to be hit by a Covenant Fuel Rod Gun from either infantry or a Banshee the hog would instantly catch fire and be reduced to a smoldering chunk of steel, infantry plasma weapons can inflict moderate damage, if the hog is hit with enough the vehicle may be disabled, a direct hit to the front of the Warthog from a overcharged Plasma Pistol would melt the steel and flash vaporize the hydrogen contents within the engine and severely damage it.

Variants

A number of variants of the Warthog are in service with UNSC forces, including the M831 TT (which eliminates the support weapon in favor of four side-facing passenger seats), the M864 A (with an enclosed passenger compartment and treads in place of wheels), and the M914 RV (equipped with a towing winch and a heavy duty motor and gear system).

M12A1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle

The M12A1 Warthog LAAV (Light Anti-Armor Vehicle) is a rare Warthog identified by black paint with yellow stripes and matching seats. This Warthog sports a rear-mounted 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret which allows it to take out heavily armored targets.This Warthog variant is only available in Halo PC.

M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle

The M12G1 Warthog LAAV serves as the anti-armor version of the warthog and is mounted with a M68 Gauss Cannon.

M831 Troop Transport

The M831 TT is the UNSC's marine transport carrier, it is able to hold up to six or seven Marines and is able to transport them to safety or to the battlefield.

Warthog APC

The Warthog Armored Personnel Carrier. ^[2] is a United Rebel Front ground vehicle. It is essentially an M12 Warthog modified by the URF to include a heavily armored passenger section capable of carrying troops and supplies.

Civilian Warthog

Due to the success of the Warthog in battle situations, a civilian variant, also known as the Yellow Warthog was mass-produced for public use.

Tactics

Campaign

In Halo 3, keep an eye on your motion tracker when Marines are driving Warthogs around you. They will often times hit you, usually lowering your shields, sometimes killing you. Be especially careful on Tsavo Highway.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, when you must engage the first Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage in Assault on the Control Room the Warthog with a Marine gunner is the best weapon to take it out, just be sure to avoid the ice and make hit and run tactics with it, until it is destroyed, when possible mow down Covenant infantry.
In Halo 2 the Warthog is one the best vehicle to use on the level Delta Halo (Level) it will allow you to takes on ghosts and not risk losing your Marine allies.
When Making the Final Run in Halo: CE be sure to slow down when approaching the large down slops, as you will risk losing control of the hog and wasting precious seconds.
Never use the warthog in against the Ghosts on The Storm (Level) Take them out using heavy weapons or the Sniper Rifle.

Multiplayer

Until you have developed more skill in the Warthog, driving it at top speed can cause difficulties for the gunner, meaning that you get killed quickly, and loss of a vital instrument in team games.
Watch for grenades when driving the warthog. A well timed grenade can flip you over or even kill you, so it is best to drive at a steady pace. However, as a steady or slow pace means you are an easy target for rockets and plasma grenades.
If you turn your camera 90 degrees clockwise from the front of your Warthog before being hijacked, you have a one second chance to assassinate them and take back what's yours. Use this to get a nice, easy kill, assuming the hijack damage doesn't kill you.
Utilize your surroundings. In some situations, a well-timed jump to a nearby tree might result in your survival instead of having a face full of LAAG rounds or skid marks down your back.
In Halo:CE and Halo 3, one of the best tactics to take down a rampant warthog is to get as close to it as possible and stick it with a Plasma Grenade, the tactic is very difficult and has the greatest possible risk of killing you as well, however if the stick is successful, and destroys the vehicle, the sacrifice is worth it.
If you have to go up against a Warthog with a gunner, with no power weapons, the grenade tactic becomes even harder, it can still be done, but you will have to place yourself as close to the warthog as you can.
On maps like Standoff or Rat's Nest, get the Rocket Launcher or Gravity Hammer first and then hide near a roadway where the enemy Warthog will come. Make sure you don't try to hit a Warthog that is going too fast, and don't fire too early, because if you miss you become the gunner's prime target. So wait for them to go on a narrow stretch of road, like the roads in front of the bases on Standoff or the corners where they turn in Rat's Nest, and once they are close enough jump out and fire.

Halo Wars

In Halo Wars, Warthogs are lightly armored, fast and nimble scout units. They are your first unit and do not have any damage capability other than running things over. Along with infantry units, they can be used to collect discovered resource crates. The turret can be bought at tech level 1 and at 2 a grenadier rides passenger and finally at level 3 you may purchase the Gauss Cannon.

UNSC Remarks

“It's [the M12] sort of a bear to wheel around, but that’s something you gotta expect – the thing is twice the size of my granddad’s car – but it’s something you get used to pretty damned quick.”
“On the battlefield speed is life and the M12 has that in spades – having a great big damn gun don’t hurt, either.”
“One word: handbrake.”
“I have yet to come up against an obstacle that the warthog couldn’t go right over.”
“The Sarge hates it when we ram stuff, says the ‘hog ain’t indestructible. But it sure feels like it when you’re plowing through a crowd of startled Grunts, though.”
“The seats are unreal! I was thinking of pulling a set out of a parts vehicle and shipping them home… but the wife shut it down – says everyone would be able to tell where they came from.”
“Look at these legs – pretty nice, huh? It’s totally from getting in and out’a the ‘hog's Thirty-six inch damn step height.”

Trivia

During Halo 2's development Bungie considered more specialized warthog variants including a 'Snow', 'Jungle' and 'Transport' Warthog. Eventually, the 'Snow' and 'Transport' variants are featured in Halo 3, although with major design changes.
In the Halo 2 level Outskirts, it is possible to get an Invincible Warthog. The Hog will show damage but cannot be destroyed.
WETA Workshop, in New Zealand, built a full-scale, operating, accurate Warthog. It has several numbers on it, some possibly pertaining to that specific model or maybe even that specific Warthog, including, but not limited to, 5c8611, N/AAV-20, and others. WETA's Warthog is accurate in every function, including a "working" minigun, four-wheel steering, digital displays, air bags, and the ability to "crab crawl"^[3]. If you look at the driver's side of the windscreen, there are stamps portraying the number and type of Covenant troops killed. It can be seen in the short films "Halo: Arms Race". Some of the team members of Bungie were given the chance to drive the WETA workshops Warthog. Three members of the Bungie team were driving the warthog around a parking lot when they scraped the side of the warthog on a small wooden structure built onto the side of a wall.
The concept of the Hummer HX SUV by General Motors resembles the Warthog in the Halo games. If it were to be produced, it would be the closest vehicle to a Halo Warthog with the exception of the WETA Workshop Warthog.
However, an even closer vehicle that resembles a Warthog is the Jeep Hurricane, seen here.
The passenger seat aiming system was changed from Halo: Combat Evolved to the one in Halo 2. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the passenger views everything in first-person. But in Halo 2, it was changed to third person and remains unchanged in Halo 3.
The windshield of any type of Warthog will deflect any plasma grenade that is thrown at it from the front. The grenade will, instead of sticking, bounce off of the windshield. In multiplayer games in Halo PC with infinite grenades, this can actually be used to throw grenades much farther than usual by throwing one plasma grenade onto the hood of the Warthog so it sticks, then throwing another plasma grenade onto the windshield so it bounces and is sent shooting off by the first grenade's explosion.
The Warthog was originally going to be a Humvee like vehicle in the early stages of development of Halo.
In Halo: CE, the physics engine allowed the Warthog to bounce off Tanks and Ghosts to incredible heights, and even drive under a tank at high speeds, flipping it over.
In real life there is an aircraft that also happens to be called a Warthog which is being used by the USAF for tactical air strikes and bomb runs.

Gallery

H2 Warthog Concepts.jpg

Early Halo 2 Warthog concepts.
Warthog01USE.jpg

1:1 Scale Warthog built by WETA Studios for the Halo: Landfall series of short films.
Snow Warthog.jpg

Snow Warthog with ice-crusted treads for use in the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack, Avalanche.
The three Spartans in Halo Wars riding a Wartog with a four barreled LAAG.