M12 Chaingun Warthog

"Somebody order a Warthog?"

— Carol Rawley drops off an M12 Chaingun Warthog during the Battle of Installation 04.^[1]

The M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV), known colloquially as the Chaingun Warthog^[2] or simply Warthog, is one of many weaponized configurations of the UNSC's ubiquitous Warthog platform. Models fielded during the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War featured a turret-mounted M41 Vulcan or M46 Vulcan,^[3] while some more modern post-war variants are armed with an M343A2 chaingun.^[4]

Design details

Main articles: M12 Warthog, M12B Warthog

Removing the turret of a Warthog to create dedicated scout or other weaponised variants of Warthog is a simple process, and has allowed the UNSC to employ many combat configurations of the vehicle with different weapons for different roles.^[5] Warthogs equipped with Light Anti-Aircraft chainguns are designated as Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicles. The Light Reconnaissance Vehicle is the most common variant of the Warthog seen on the battlefield^[6], designed to eliminate lightly armored personnel and low-flying aircraft.

Chaingun Warthogs have been employed on both the M12 Warthog and M12B Warthog chassis types, all unified with the presence of a 12.7x99mm chaingun of some variety. M12 Warthogs and their derivatives such as the M864 Arctic^[7] and Fireball^[8] Warthogs typically employed the M41 Vulcan, a triple-barreled, electric-powered, linkless belt-fed machine gun capable of firing 500 penetrating rounds per minute.^[9]

M12B variants of LRV, introduced in 2552, serve the same basic function as their forebears, though have upgraded armament to suit their upgraded chassis. M12B Chaingun Warthogs typically employ the M46 Vulcan chaingun, though some introduced by late 2558 employ the M343A2 chaingun. The M12B has seen considerable evolution in the LRV design, with ONI-branded Chaingun Warthogs replacing their typical ammunition with High Explosive Dual Purpose ammunition.^[10] UNSC forces working with the Swords of Sanghelios have additionally produced a unique variant of the Chaingun Warthog, designed to incorporate Energy shielding and Subanese crystal ammunition into the vehicle's design.^[11]

Variants

Theoretically, any Warthog chassis is capable of being fitted with a chaingun mount. The following list summarises all thus-far observed variants seen in an LRV configuration.

M12 Warthog
- Fireball Warthog - Unique Warthog employed by the UNSC Spirit of Fire.
- M864 Arctic Warthog - Warthog variant designed for cold-weather environments.
- Red Team's Warthog - Unique Warthog employed by Red Team on the Etran Harborage.
M12B Warthog
- Arctic variant - an Arctic camouflaged variant of the M12B LRV.^[12]
- Armored Warthog - Up-armored Warthog variant designed by Isabel for combating the Banished on Installation 00. These Warthogs feature larger gun-shields.
- Corp Warthog - 2558 Liang-Dortmund Corporation-branded security LRV.
- Khaki variant - a desert-camouflaged variant of the M12B LRV.^[12]
- ONI Warthog - 2558 ONI security LRV firing high-explosive ammunition.
- Sword Warthog - Experimental 2558 LRV designed by joint UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios efforts. This LRV is equipped with an energy shield and a chaingun that fires Subanese crystal.
- Tundra Warthog - 2558 Warthog variant designed for cold-weather environments.
- Woodland Warthog - 2558 Warthog variant designed for use in forested regions.
- Urban Warthog - 2558 Warthog variant designed for use in urban environments.

Operational history

Chaingun Warthogs performing recon during the Harvest campaign.

As the most common variant of the M12 Force Application Vehicle, the M12 Chaingun Warthog has been in service with the UNSC for over two centuries. They saw use throughout the Insurrection and into the Human-Covenant War.^[6] They would see action in almost every major battle of the war. By 2552, M12B variants of the Chaingun Warthog had entered circulation, though both LRV variants saw action in the battles of Installation 04 and Earth. M12 LRVs would be used by John-117 to escape the destruction of both the downed UNSC Pillar of Autumn and Installation 08.

In the post-war period, the M12 LRV has seen additional use against Covenant remnants, with the vehicle being proliferated among the colonies for use by private corporate entities such as the Liang-Dortmund Corporation for security of their sites against all manner of threat.^[13] The 550 Scuderia StarSpeed M-12R would also see use in rally racing on New Carthage while configured as an LRV.^[14]

Gameplay

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

The Warthog is no longer indestructible.
Handling has been improved overall.
Players in the passenger seat will be in third-person not in first-person.

Changes from Halo 3 and Halo 3:ODST to Halo 4

Overheat was featured as firing continuosly can make the turret overheated.
Improved accuracy.

Halo: Spartan Strike

On Mission A-3, the player can only man the Warthog's gunner seat.
On Mission A-4, A-6 and E-3, the player can fire their weapon from the Warthog, though the gunner seat is inaccessible with reduced rate of fire.

Halo Wars 2

Info: Core Vehicle, Fast moving, Can ram enemies, Good all-round vehicle
Tier: 2
Cost: Population 4, Supplies 250, Power 0

Chaingun Warthogs can be built by all UNSC leaders besides Morgan Kinsano and Avery Johnson at the Garage. Warthogs perform well against infantry and okay against vehicles, aircraft, and structures. They can be upgraded to Gauss Warthogs at Tier 3. In Blitz, Warthogs cost 60 energy while Armored Warthogs cost 80 energy.

Production notes

Initially, the name "M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle" was the name given to the default Warthog platform, with specific names given for Gauss, Troop Transport and Rocket variants. With the release of Halo: Reach, this was amended to clarify that the name of M12 Force Application Vehicle was the name of the overall platform, and the LRV designation is a variant specific to those vehicles mounting chainguns.
- The later introduction of the M12B chassis in Halo 4 further confused this issue, as thus-far no Warthog has been referred to as the M12B LRV.
Several Chaingun Warthog models have been constructed in real-life for various live-action trailers and media. The most famous of these is the Warthog constructed by WETA Workshop for Halo: Landfall, and later reused in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. More recently, a Warthog replica was constructed for display at Halo: Outpost Discovery.

Gallery

Normal Gallery

The various iterations of the M12 LRV as seen in the Halo trilogy and Halo: Reach.
A Halo: Combat Evolved Warthog with the Hot Rod skin in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Wireframe of the LRV variant.
Full-scale Warthog built by WETA Workshop for the Halo: Landfall short films.
Concept art of the Warthog in Halo Wars.
Red Team in a Warthog with a four barreled LAAG.
The Warthog in Halo Wars.
A high-poly render of the Warthog from Halo Wars.
Another view of the high-poly render.
A wireframe view of the Halo Wars Warthog.
The Warthog from early in Halo Wars' development.
Another view of the early Halo Wars Warthog.
An Fireball Warthog on Harvest.
Concept art of the Warthog in Halo Legends: Homecoming.
The RC Warthog Xbox 360 Avatar accessory.
The Warthog in Halo: Reach
The personal Warthog vehicle utilised by General Black.
A Warthog in Halo 4.
A Warthog on Vortex.
A Warthog on Ragnarok.
Halo 4 Infobox.
The Khaki Skin of the Warthog.(Forza 4 Autovista Warthog).
The Arctic Skin of the Warthog.(Forza 4 Autovista Warthog).
John-117 driving a Warthog in Halo 2: Anniversary.
A Warthog in Halo 2: Anniversary.
A Warthog on Stonetown.
A Warthog in Halo: Spartan Strike.
An M12B Chaingun Warthog in Halo 5: Guardians.
A Warthog on Escape from ARC.
HUD of the M12B Warthog.
A Warthog on Raid on Apex 7.
An ONI Warthog, Scout Warthog, and Warthog on Alluvion.
A Warthog model in Halo: Ground Command.
A Warthog in Halo Online.
A Warthog in the Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.
Warthogs in Halo Wars 2.
Blitz card of a Warthog.
Flood infected Warthogs in Terminus Firefight.
A Warthog in Halo: Rise of Atriox.
A Warthog in Halo: Recruit.