M12 Warthog

"The Warthog is as much a part of the UNSC as boots, guns, and tasteless coffee."

— Halo Encyclopedia

The M12 Force Application Vehicle, more commonly known as the Warthog or simply the Hog, is a United Nations Space Command ground vehicle.^[1]^[2]

Overview

The M12 FAV Warthog is the UNSC's primary ground vehicle, used for its scouting and reconnaissance capacity, or as an integral part of a mechanized infantry unit; the M12 has been a part of the UNSC's armored vehicle fleet for fifty years, and is the most recognizable vehicle in their arsenal. It is a highly mobile, all-wheel-drive, all-wheel-steering, ICE-powered vehicle equipped with a manual transmission.^[2]

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, coupled with an automatic infinitely variable transmission (IVT).^[3] 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 twelve liters of fresh, brackish or salt water into hydrogen on the fly, detritus is compacted on board, this allows the Warthog to travel 790 kilometers or 490 miles before it needs to be refueled. 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.^[4]

The M12's design places it into the jeep family of vehicles; it has no doors and has a total seating of two or three. The M12's description as a reconnaissance vehicle is, at best, an understatement; the M12 has both offensive and defensive capabilities. The M12 can be configured to become a troop carrier, armament carrier, ambulance, reconnaissance vehicle, or communications vehicle. All M12-based vehicles are designed to travel both on and off-road, in all weather conditions.^[2]

Advantages

The M12 is the workhorse of light infantry ground vehicles, is adaptable to almost any situation, and is arguably the most customizable vehicle in the military's fleet, similar to the older jeeps used in the 20th century. It is able to reach top speeds of 125km/h (78 MPH) and, more importantly, swings around rapidly to allow the 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 Covenant Ghost and destroy it. The Warthog's titanium armor, though light, is tough enough to take at least one fragmentation grenade and keep rolling and can withstand small amounts of energy weapon fire. It also makes for an impervious scout and transportation vehicle, able to make a smooth getaway or rapid infiltration if needed.

Disadvantages

Due in part to its speed, the M12 is prone to roll over. It is vital that the driver can get in and out of dangerous situations without flipping the hard-to-right vehicle. The open nature of the Warthog always puts its driver and passengers at risk as a good marksman can easily take down the driver or passengers of the M12. A well thrown frag grenade can flip a Warthog, which will knock the driver and passenger out of the vehicle. Although the armor of the M12 is tough, a couple of direct hits from grenades or a well placed rocket will destroy it immediately. Covenant energy weapons are the biggest threat to the Warthog; a short burst from a Banshee's light plasma cannons is deadly, able to melt and punch through the armor with ease. The Warthog is also vulnerable to the Banshee's Fuel Rod Gun which can reduce the vehicle to twisted charred metal with one strike. Infantry plasma weapons can inflict moderate damage, and, like all vehicles, can be rendered temporarily or permanently inoperable by a hit from an overcharged Plasma Pistol. In Halo: Reach, the M41 LAAG is prone to overheating, which requires the person operating the weapon to use it in short bursts. Failing to operate the weapon carefully will leave the operator vulnerable as they wait for the machine gun to cool down.^[5] Aside from that, it is very vulnerable to small arms fire, even to the point where it can be pushed about by infantry or smaller vehicles in Halo 3 and rolled incredibly easily on the ground. The vulnerability isn't an indication of the Warthog's armor, rather just its lack of a feeling of weight in comparison to the near impossible to flip Ghost or Revenant.

Variants

The M12 Warthog can be configured for various roles: examples include the M831 TT, which eliminates the support weapon in favor of four side-facing passenger seats; the M864A, with an enclosed passenger compartment and treads in place of wheels; or the M914 RV, equipped with a towing winch and a heavy duty motor and gear system, armament carrier, ambulance, or communications vehicle. All M12-based vehicles in service with the UNSC are designed to travel both on- and off-road, and in all weather conditions.

Other models

M864 Arctic

The M864 Arctic is camouflaged and outfitted specifically for expeditions in the Arctic.^[6] It can be found exclusively on the Halo 3 Legendary map, Avalanche.

M868 Tropic

The M868 Tropic is camouflaged and equipped specifically for tropical expeditions.^[6]

M914 Recovery Vehicle

The M914 RV is a faster, stripped down version of the Warthog, built for troop and equipment recovery.^[6]

Tactics

Campaign

It is recommended for the player to be accompanied by an AI gunner. Also, as they are programmed in the game, have excellent accuracy and, in most situations, can quickly eliminate enemy infantry and vehicles almost without fail.
It is often advised for the player to switch Warthogs if they see a heavier-armed Warthog (i.e. Gauss, Rocket) as they would provide a more lethal method to eliminate the enemy personnel and vehicles.
Take care when using the Warthog against other vehicles on Legendary. Without any heavily-armed passengers, the enemy AIs can kill the player easily. It is advised to have the passenger to be equipped with a Rocket Launcher or a Spartan Laser.
The Warthog is the second strongest vehicle for ramming a Shade Turret.
With a gunner, the Warthog is very effective against Ghosts, but still weak against Choppers.

Multiplayer

Do not slow down when driving the Warthog. A slow Warthog can become an easy prey to hijacking and can be quickly be destroyed with explosives.
Always remind the gunner to focus on the enemy vehicle's gunner instead of the driver. This will eliminate any counter-offensive and make it easier to eliminate the enemy vehicle.
The M12 is very versatile vehicle; it can evade explosives rounds fired by the enemy if the driver is experienced with the vehicle (using the hand-brake) and the terrain (avoiding locked-on missiles with a scenery object). For example, an experienced driver could avoid a grenade explosion by skidding around the grenade instead of going straight over it.
The Warthog is not the best vehicle to engage head on with a tank. Should the players find it necessary to remove the threat, it is advised to utilize an anti-armor Warthog instead of the anti-infantry Warthog. Additionally, flanking the tank as to diverting its attention would provide a window of opportunity for the anti-armor Warthog to destroy the tank.
Unless absolutely necessary, do not use the turret without a driver. A gunner in a stationary Warthog is more easily exposed to attacks than those in a moving Warthog; one such instance is that a gunner can be quickly eliminated by sniper fire. It is reasonable in a Gauss turret due to its lethal power, but change positions often or the player could be easily overwhelmed.
It is very tempting to splatter enemies with the Warthog. However, do not attempt to do so as the Warthog would be more likely be susceptible to a Plasma Grenade stick. In some cases, the Warthog could fall prey to a heavily-armed opponent.
Warthog can be used as effective entrance jammers. Additionally, it is often recommended for the driver to drive the Warthog in an irregular behavior when circling around an enemy base.
In most maps, for example "Blood Gulch", the map has some road like trenches in it, driving on these is highly recommended as this makes flipping less likely and the sides give the player some cover from enemy attack.

Halo Wars

In Halo Wars, Warthogs are lightly armored, fast and nimble scout units. They are player's 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. A Warthog cost 150 resources to construct at the command center and a unit takes up one population.

Gunner: 250 resources and requires a tech level of one. Adds a M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, giving them combat capabilities.
Grenadier : 500 resources and requires a tech level of two. Adds a grenadier armed with a XM510 Multishot Grenade Launcher.
Gauss Cannon: 800 resources and requires a tech level of three. Replaces the M41 LAAG with a M68 ALIM.

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

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A warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in Africa, in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming atmospheric vehicles after real animals, with the exceptions of the Cyclops and Gremlin, which are named after mythical creatures, and the Longsword, Shortsword, and Sabre, which are named after bladed weapons.
WETA Workshop, based in New Zealand, built a full-scale, operating 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". Stamps portraying the number and type of Covenant troops killed can be seen on the dash. This Warthog is featured in the Halo: Landfall live-action film series.^[7]
- Some Bungie employees were given the chance to drive WETA Workshop's Warthog. Three members of the Bungie team were driving the Warthog around a parking lot when they scraped the side of it on a small wooden structure built onto the side of a wall.^[8]
A remote-controlled toy Warthog was one of the first Xbox 360 Avatar accessories available after the August 11, 2009 dashboard update that introduced Avatar accessories. It is available from the Xbox Live Avatar shop for 320 Microsoft Points, under Halo 3: ODST-themed accessories.
The Warthog was originally going to be a Humvee-like vehicle in the early stages of development of Halo: Combat Evolved.^[9]
During Halo 2's development, Bungie considered creating more specialized warthog variants including arctic, transport, and jungle models. The first two models were later featured in Halo 3 as the M864 Arctic and the M831 Troop Transport, respectively, while the latter model was named in the Halo Encyclopedia as the M868 Tropic.
In Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach, the Warthog's tires are printed with the word PUMA. This is a reference to an episode of Red vs Blue's in which Simmons and Grif argue with Sarge about whether to call the vehicle a Puma or Warthog.
The Halo 4 Warthog is featured in Forza Motorsport 4, although it is not drivable.^[10]

Gallery

H3Puma.jpg

"Puma" written along the rim of a Warthog's tire.
The controls of the Warthog in Halo 3.
The Warthog in Halo Wars, without its customary turret.
The various Warthogs in Halo: Reach.
WarthogsBungieday2010.jpg

A comparison of the Gauss and Rocket Warthog in Halo: Reach.
A formation of Warthogs leading an assault against Covenant forces during the Fall of Reach.
A view of the driver's seat in Halo: Reach.
A rough model of the Warthog, used in background battles.
The Halo 4 Warthog in as it appears in Forza Motorsport 4.
View of the driver's seat in the Halo 4 Warthog.
The Warthog's liquid-cooled hydrogen-injected ICE engine.
View of the Warthog's tusk-like tow cable in Halo 4.
A 3D development model of the Warthog in Halo 4.