Plasma weaponry

Plasma weaponry refers to directed energy weapons that utilise plasma to do damage to a target. Covenant military forces, both Loyalist and Separatist, use plasma in weapons to great effect.

Operation

Plasma weapons contain and guide the plasma in the form of a single bolt, beam, or continuous stream. Plasma is stabilized using magnetic fields. Without the field, the plasma dissipates too quickly to be of any real use. The field controls and contains the plasma, without interfering with firing. The energy sword is an example of this technology, as the magnetic field holds the blade together while allowing it to cut through objects.

This is also how the plasma pistol's overcharge shot works: A small magnetic generator is installed in the hilt of the pistol and, when fired, the bolt tracks its target using a very simple motion tracking system built into the magnetic generator which alters the field to make the plasma move. A larger version of this effect is seen in the plasma torpedoes of Covenant cruisers.

Defense against plasma weaponry

Complete armor protection against plasma is generally difficult to accomplish due to plasma's high damage ratio. The armor used by the UNSC Marine Corps and UNSC Army usually provides good protection from plasma, but only to a certain extent. A series of hits from a plasma weapon will literally melt or burn the armor, rendering it useless. The SPARTAN-II armor variant is similar the Marines' armor, in that it will eventually give way to the plasma. Some newer versions of the Spartans' armor boast energy shields, which provide additional protection from plasma, although shielding systems can be completely depleted by sustained plasma fire, or a single, overcharged bolt.

The armor of neither Covenant nor UNSC warships provides significant protection against plasma, which will melt through the hulls of both. Covenant plasma torpedoes have a temperature of approximately 3,000 degrees Celsius,^[1] while titanium, a key component of UNSC ship armor, has a melting point of 1668 degrees Celsius. In all encounters with Covenant ships, plasma-based weaponry has melted through and disabled UNSC ships in a matter of seconds. However, it is possible that since the UNSC uses Titanium-A, an augmented form of titanium, in its ship armor, the melting point of their starship armor is much higher than suspected.

Applications

Plasma-based weapons are the most common armament of Covenant infantry and vehicular forces, and the main armament of their warships, dominating almost their entire weapon arsenal. Small arms are designed to deplete shielding or melt infantry armor, while heavier weapons can destroy vehicles or buildings. The largest are mounted onto capital ships and are used for orbital bombardment and ship-to-ship combat, and can reduce a ship's hull to a pile of molten metal floating in space. When a plasma weapon is charging, a high quantity of beta particle radiation is emitted.^[2]

The UNSC has yet to develop its own plasma weaponry, using more conventional projectile-based weapon systems. However, the UNSC has been seen to operate captured Covenant plasma weapons, and in one case, UNSC forces were able to dramatically improve the lethality of a capture Covenant starship's plasma turrets without significant technical modifications.^[3] There was an attempt to produce a tank with plasma-based weaponry for the UNSC armed services, but it was abandoned, falling back on projectile weaponry.^[4]

The only known Forerunner constructs to use plasma weaponry are the Sentinels.

Starship weaponry

Ground weaponry

Mounted weapons

Covenant anti-aircraft battery
Focus cannon
Plasma mortar
Class-2 Energy Gun
Type-26 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun
Type-42 Directed Energy Support Weapon
Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon
Prototype UNSC plasma artillery on the M-145D Rhino

Handheld weapons

Explosives

Plasma grenade

Sources

^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 17
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 147
^ Halo: First Strike
^ Halo Wars

[1] Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 17

[2] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 147

[3] Halo: First Strike

[4] Halo Wars

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