Mark 2488 Onager

Template:Ratings Template:Weapon Infobox The 15cm Mark/2488 1.1GJ MAC, also known as the Onager or often just referred to as a "mass driver", was a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon used by the United Nations Space Command during the Human-Covenant War.^[1]

Design details

The Onager is capable of firing a 15 cm round with up to 1.1 gigajoules of kinetic energy.^[1] It has five linearly arranged magnetic coils, each of which needs to charge individually before each shot. Additionally, the weapon needs to cool off after every shot, and does so by opening a radial vent on the upper portion of the barrel. The weapon is operated from a small booth on the left side of the cannon.^[2]

Operational history

During the Fall of Reach, a group of UNSC Marines installed the Onager cannon on top of one of Reach's industrial facilities in Aszod to protect the UNSC Pillar of Autumn while drydocked. Emile-A239 manned the mass driver to fend off incoming Covenant Banshees and Phantoms before the Autumn could take off.^[2] However, the SPARTAN-III was killed by two Sangheili warriors, prompting SPARTAN-B312 to commandeer the cannon and successfully delay the Covenant assault on the Autumn by crippling an incoming CCS-class Battlecruiser with a shot to the ventral energy projector.^[2]

Trivia

The Onager named after a medieval siege weapon, which in turn takes its name from a horse subspecies.
On the Bungie.net weapons statistics page, the description for the Onager is simply "I need a weapon", a reference to the line delivered by John-117 in the opening cinematic of the level Cairo Station in Halo 2.
"S-239" is painted on the Onager's frame. This is a reference to Emile-A239, who is killed while operating the weapon.

Gallery

First-person view of the Onager in Halo: Reach.
The Onager, manned by SPARTAN-B312, firing a round at the incoming Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser.
An Onager's electromagnetic coils charging before it fires.
The control booth of an Onager cannon.