Carpet bombing

There is more information available on this subject at Carpet bombing on the English Wikipedia.

A squadron of Longswords carpet bomb a formation of Covenant Scarabs during the Fall of Reach.

Carpet bombing is a form of aerial warfare, utilizing large numbers of unguided bombs, to attempt the complete destruction of a target region, either to destroy personnel and material, or as a means of demoralizing the enemy.

Background

The UNSC have utilised carpet bombing several times throughout the course of the Human-Covenant War. B-65 Shortsword bombers were utilised in 2531 to deliver munitions on concentrations of Covenant forces during the Harvest campaign, Battle for Arcadia and Battle of the Etran Harborage.^[1] In 2552, GA-TL1 Longswords were utilised in the Battle at Szurdok Ridge to carpet bomb a formation of Scarabs, following the destruction of anti-air defenses by NOBLE Team.^[2] In 2559, the UNSC Spirit of Fire utilised its complement of Archer missiles and other unguided munitions during the Second Ark Conflict.^[3]

Gameplay

Halo Wars

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"Rolling out the carpet."

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The Shortsword's ordnance explode on Covenant forces in an early build of Halo Wars.

In Halo Wars, the player can call in a Shortsword bomber from the UNSC Spirit of Fire, which swoops across the battlefield and drops bombs. The player can orient the direction of the bombing run by rotating the left thumbstick. The bombs detonate a short time after impact with the ground. This ability requires Tech Level of one and costs 600 resource points.

In skirmish and multiplayer, the carpet bombing ability can only be used by Sergeant John Forge. The ability can be upgraded up three times inside a Field Armory, to cover more ground and to deal more damage. This power is very effective against all ground units and buildings, and can also damage air units. However, a disadvantage is that the carpet bombing ability can damage allied units as well as enemies.

Halo Wars 2

The Scatter Bomb Blitz art.

In Halo Wars 2, the carpet bomb has been largely replaced by an orbital strike of Archer Missiles, available to Cutter. Similarly, Forge now has an ability called the "Scatter Bomb", that drops unguided munitions in a single area. Unlike its predecessor, neither ability in Halo Wars 2 utilises the Shortsword bomber.