Ra'aam-pattern burst cannon

Ra'aam-pattern burst cannon
Production overview
Type:	Directed energy weapon emplacement
Specifications
Ammunition type:	Superheated plasma
Rate of fire:	3 rounds/volley
Effective range:	Long range
Service history
In service:	Post-Covenant War conflicts

The Ra'aam-pattern burst cannon is a weapon emplacement used by Jul 'Mdama's Covenant.^[1]^[2]

Overview

Design details

The Ra'am is a Hesduron weapon of Sangheili origins, originally used aboard older warships of the Sangheili. Following the collapse of the Covenant empire, these weapons - alongside their sister-Chwich-pattern Sakers - were stripped from their parent vessels and repurposed by remnant warlords like Jul 'Mdama as ground-based artillery emplacements. In the case of a Ra'aam, it was repurposed as effectively a plasma mortar.^[1]

In its use as a ground weapon, the Ra'aam is a vertically-oriented emplacement, designed to fire directly up into the sky with the plasma projectiles then arcing down toward the ground and designated target in a fashion similar to a plasma mortar. The cannon fires three rounds per volley, which detonate a couple of seconds after impact. Each artillery emplacement relies on two conduits to keep the gun from overloading. If the conduits are destroyed, the artillery would explode upon its next firing. The power sources used for the guns on Requiem were seemingly of Forerunner design and construction, consisting of multiple concentric, spinning spheres with intricate patterning which disintegrated in a manner similar to most Promethean technology upon taking critical damage.^[2]

Operational history

During the Requiem Campaign in 2558, the Covenant used three of these artillery guns to fire on Fireteam Majestic from "Cyclone." Fireteams Crimson and Kodiak were sent in to destroy the artillery. Upon discovering they were shielded, Crimson destroyed the two conduits near each of them. Once the conduits were destroyed, the weapons overloaded and detonated.^[2]