Spike cannon
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Spike cannons, also known as spiker autocannons,[1][2] are a class of heavy mounted weapon typically used by the Covenant and its remnants. As their name suggests, spike cannons employ the use of spike projectiles as their primary munitions.[3]
Overview
Design details
While there are multiple variants of spike cannons, they generally fire spike projectiles larger than those loaded in handheld spike weaponry.[4] Spike cannons are mounted on ground vehicles as well as aircraft and controlled by either the vehicle's operator or additional gunners.[5][3] When the Jiralhanae first repurposed Lighter Than Some's invention into the Choppers, they were equipped with spike rifles,[6] but later—more refined—models of the Chopper employed forward-firing and self-loading twin-paired heavy spike cannons, which fire large 35mm caliber spike projectiles.[7][8] Despite the weapons being self-loading cannons that fire large calibre projectiles, in his publication Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present, Dr Robert McLees suggested "autocannon" may be a misnomer for the spike cannons.[7] Regardless, the weapon displays a degree of modularity: while the cannon can be upgraded with stabilizers for increased damage and accuracy,[9] the spike projectiles themselves can also be upgraded to explosive shrapnel rounds,[10] converting the cannon to its "shrapnel cannon” variant.[1][3] Although spike cannons tend to fire at a lower rate of fire when compared to plasma cannons and needle cannons, their spike projectiles remain very effective against infantry and light armored vehicles.[2][11]
Usage
- Light spike cannons
- Dovotaa Workshop Reaver - 2x light spike cannon[2][11]
- Spike cannons
- Dovotaa Workshop Griever - 2x spike cannon[5]
- Qavardu Workshop Gravemaker - 4x spike cannon[5]
- Heavy spike cannons
- Barug'qel Workshop Chopper - 2x heavy spike cannon[1][3]
- Barukaza Workshop Chopper - 4x heavy spike cannon[12]
- Bolroci Workshop Chopper - 2x heavy spike cannon[3]
- Shrapnel cannons[3]
- Barug'qel Workshop Chopper - 2x shrapnel cannon (Optional)[1]
- Terror Chopper - 2x shrapnel cannon[3]
Gallery
A profile view of the heavy spike cannon in Halo 3.
A Barukaza Workshop Chopper firing its heavy spike cannon in Halo 3.
The impact of a round from the heavy spike cannon on the ground in Halo 3.
An M274 Mongoose under attack from a heavy spike cannon in Halo 3.
A Barukaza Workshop Chopper equipped with heavy spike cannons in Halo Wars.
A Barug'qel Workshop Chopper firing its spike cannons in Halo Wars 2.
A Chopper firing it shrapnel cannons at a Sentinel Aggressor in Halo Wars 2.
A Bolroci Workshop Chopper's spike cannon in Halo Infinite.
A Bolroci Workshop Chopper firing its spike cannon in Halo Infinite.
A Catulus Chopper's spike cannon in Halo Infinite.
A Catulus Chopper firing its spike cannon in Halo Infinite.
List of appearances
- Halo 3 (First appearance)
- Halo Wars
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo Wars 2
- Halo Infinite
Sources
- ^ a b c d Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Chopper
- ^ a b c Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Reaver
- ^ a b c d e f g Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 465
- ^ Halo 3, In-game Chopper vehicle
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 473
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, chapter 20: "Ponder noted two things as the alien dismounted: first, the vehicle’s seat remained elevated off the ground—evidence of some limited, anti-gravity capability; second, the vehicle was armed with a pair of the aliens’ spike-flinging rifles."
- ^ a b Bungie.net, The Brute Chopper (Retrieved on May 11, 2012) [local archive] [external archive]
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 31
- ^ Halo Wars, Factory: Chopper level 2 upgrade - Stabilizers "Increases the autocannons' damage and accuracy."
- ^ Halo Wars 2, Banished outpost: Chopper upgrade - Shrapnel Rounds "Unit Upgrade, Adds explosive rounds, Detects Cloaked units."
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 466
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 273
