Plasma cannons are a broad kind of heavy plasma weaponry commonly used by the Covenant empire and its remnants. Plasma cannons are typically heavy ordnance, mounted aboard vehicles, aircraft, and starships - or used as a mounted stationary weapon in various forms of crew-served and automated turret system.
Overview
Plasma cannons
Can be "overclocked".[1]
Classifications
In the classification systems developed by the Office of Naval Intelligence for cataloguing Covenant materiel recovered during the Human-Covenant War, plasma cannons are generally designated as Directed Energy Cannons. When catalogued in ONI records, the plasma cannon classes roughly correspond with the following:
- Class-1 directed energy cannons[2] - Light plasma cannons
- Class-2 directed energy cannons[3] - Medium plasma cannons[4]
- Class-3 directed energy cannons - Heavy plasma cannons
- Class-4 directed energy cannons - Ultra-heavy plasma cannons
Light plasma cannons
Light plasma cannons, or Class-1 Directed Energy Cannons, typically take the form of rapid-fire and infantry-portable weapon systems.[2][5] These are the most common manifestation of plasma cannon, and are intended for use as a defensive weapon operated by personnel at chokepoints. They maintain an internal plasma generator that can power the weapon for an extended period before requiring a recharge - detaching the turret from its base mounting results in a security override being activated that limits the power generation capabilities.[6] In Covenant lexicon, these weapons may also be known as Sweeping Turrets.[6]
Although their use as infantry-carried and operated weapons is the most common application, light plasma cannons are often mounted as a secondary weapon among heavy vehicles and dropships to serve as a light weapon for fending off infantry attacks and potential borders.[6]
| Weapon | UNSC classification | Deployment(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Shepsu-pattern plasma cannon | Type-42 Directed Energy Support Weapon[2] | Deployable turret |
| Pek-pattern plasma cannon | Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon[7] Type-26 Directed Energy Weapon Emplacement (When mounted aboard a Type-26 Wraith)[8][9] |
Deployable turret Vehicle-mounted
|
| Shea'p-pattern plasma cannon | Type-58 Directed Energy Support Weapon[5] | Deployable turret Vehicle-mounted
|
 Spectre light plasma cannon[4][11] |
T-46 Directed Energy Weapon/Mounted[12] | Mounted aboard the Wuzum-pattern Spectre |
 Scout Revenant light plasma cannon |
N/A | Mounted aboard the Phelent-pattern Revenant[4] |
 Prowler light plasma cannon[13] |
N/A | Mounted aboard the Qavardu Workshop Prowler[4] |
Medium plasma cannons
Medium plasma cannons, or Class-2 Directed Energy Cannons,[3] generally tend to be plasma cannons mounted on the vehicular fleet of the Covenant - both ground and airborne. As their naming suggests, they are generally heavier weapons in nature - though still exhibit broadly similar properties. Medium plasma cannons are, like their light brethren, rapid-fire, automatic weapons in nature though lack the man-portability element that characterises light plasma cannons.
Class-2-equipped vehicles include:
|
|
Heavy plasma cannons
Heavy plasma cannons have never been officially assigned a Class-designation, though given their position they are presumably Class-3 Directed Energy Cannons. Heavy plasma cannons are typically mounted on heavy aircraft, or used in the Covenant's sky striker artillery systems in both ground attack and air-defence roles. Heavy plasma cannons are comparable in scale to starship-scale plasma cannons, with the Hesduron Chwich-pattern Saker taken of starship-grade plasma cannons stripped off aging Vestige hulls and repurposed as ground artillery.[23]
- Chwich-pattern Saker - equipped with a single heavy plasma cannon.[23]
- Kewu Umppi'pa'-pattern citadel turret - equipped with variable numbers of heavy plasma cannons, depending on configuration.[24]
- Upisa'weri-pattern Shrike turret - equipped with twin rapid-fire heavy plasma cannons.[23]
- Brhi Xur-pattern Leech - equipped with one Murien-pattern heavy plasma cannon.[25]
- Spirits[25]
- Dextro Xur-pattern - equipped with one Murien-pattern heavy plasma cannon[26][25][27][28][29][30]
- Taaku Xur-pattern - equipped with one heavy plasma cannon.[25]
- Nuro'k Xur-pattern - equipped with one heavy plasma cannon.[25]
- Gydrozka Workshop Blisterback - 2x heavy plasma cannons[31]
- Barug'qel Workshop Trespasser - 6x twin heavy plasma cannons
- Eklon'Dal Workshop Lich - 1x heavy plasma cannon
- Ogoro Workshop Tronto - equipped 1x quad heavy plasma cannon.[25]
- Seraphs
- Kai-pattern - equipped with four Tevaas Mu-pattern heavy plasma cannons.[32][33]
- Morsam-pattern - equipped with four Gle'mahn-pattern heavy plasma cannons.[32]
Ultra-heavy plasma cannons
Ultra-heavy plasma cannons, or Class-4 Directed Energy Cannons,[34] are the heaviest classification of plasma cannon used in planetary warfare, and operate on a scale comparable to the plasma cannons mounted aboard full warships. They are most commonly seen used as part of anti-aircraft weapon systems designed for warding off warships from a given ground installation. The sole known exception to this is the ultra-heavy plasma cannon found on the Deutoros-pattern Scarab, which instead operates as an automatic rapid-fire plasma cannon used for shooting down nearby hostile aircraft, and to a limited extent in ground attack missions.[35]
- Skar'wa-pattern Mantis - 1x ultra-heavy plasma cannon[23]
- Cheru-pattern Tyrant - 1x ultra-heavy plasma cannon[23]
- Sumda'te-pattern Scarab - 1x ultra-heavy plasma cannon[10]
- Deutoros-pattern Scarab - 1x ultra-heavy plasma cannon[10]
The main ultra-heavy cannon on a Mantis firing during the Battle of Voi.
The main ultra-heavy cannon on the Tyrant firing during the Battle at Szurdok Ridge.
![The main cannon on the dorsal surface of the Sumda'te-pattern Scarab is rated as an ultra-heavy plasma cannon, and is considered analogous to that found on the Mantis AA platform.[34]](https://halo.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/d/d9/Enc22_T36Scarab.png/152px-Enc22_T36Scarab.png)
The main cannon on the dorsal surface of the Sumda'te-pattern Scarab is rated as an ultra-heavy plasma cannon, and is considered analogous to that found on the Mantis AA platform.[34]
An automatic, rapid-fire ultra-heavy plasma cannon atop the Deutoros-pattern Scarab.
![The main cannon on the dorsal surface of the Sumda'te-pattern Scarab is rated as an ultra-heavy plasma cannon, and is considered analogous to that found on the Mantis AA platform.[34]](/File:Enc22_T36Scarab.png)
Other classifications
- Charged plasma cannon = light focus beam (Enc22 Locust)[10]
- Explosive plasma cannon (Reach AA Shade)
Sources
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 475
- ^ a b c Halo Waypoint, Plasma Cannon (Retrieved on Nov 1, 2011) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Ghost (Retrieved on Oct 28, 2011) [archive]
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 272
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Plasma Cannon (Retrieved on Jan 25, 2016) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 300-301
- ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 94
- ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 117
- ^ a b c Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 228
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 278-279
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 184
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Spectre (Retrieved on Nov 27, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 150
- ^ a b Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEnc22 - ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 116
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEnc22HeavyArmour - ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEnc22Occupation - ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 302
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 282-283
- ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 119
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEnc22Banshee - ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 289
- ^ a b c d e Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 304-305
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 301
- ^ a b c d e f Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 281
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 74-75
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Spirit (Retrieved on Jul 12, 2012) [local archive] [external archive]
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 187
- ^ Bungie.net, Spirit (Retrieved on Feb 7, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Halo: Reach, Manual - Page 9
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 466-467
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 288-289
- ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 58-59
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Scarab (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Halo Legends, timestamp Origins
Notes
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide pages 9 and 206 erroneously describes the Wraith and anti-air Wraith's armament as consisting of a medium plasma cannon. All subsequent sources have ignored this.