| M651 missile launcher | |
|---|---|
 An M651 mounted on the ventral surface of the AV-14 Hornet. | |
| Production overview | |
|
Type: |
Missile launcher |
| Specifications | |
|
Ammunition type: |
|
|
Feed system: |
Autoloading[2] |
The M651 missile launcher is a heavy aerial-mounted weapon system employed by the United Nations Space Command.[2] They are classed as a Class-2 Guided Munition Launch System in UNSC inventories (compared to Class-1 GMLS' such as the M302 rocket pod).[3] The weapon consists of five individual autoloading launch tubes, capable of firing lock on-capable M5607 ASGM-4 missiles.[1] Two such weapons are ventrally mounted on the underside skiffs of the standard AV-14 Hornet models.[2]
Production notesEdit
In Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, the Hornet's missile launcher is erroneously identified as being on the nose of the aircraft. The Class-2 GMLS caption points at the vehicle's nose-mounted targeting, sensor and camera array.[3]
In Halo 3, the missiles fired by the M651 launchers on the Hornet reuse the model of the M5607 ASGM-4 missile fired from the LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod weapon. Both sets of missiles in-game demonstrate broadly similar gameplay properties for tracking and explosive radius and damage, indicating that the two are intended to be one and the same in Halo canon. In Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer, the Hornet reuses the model for the M19 missile - a surface-to-surface missile fired by the M41 SPNKr rocket launchers. Given that the M19 is much larger and explicitly a surface-to-surface missile, this article assumes the M5607 ASGM-4 to be the correct missile fired by the M651.
GalleryEdit
A closeup look at the M651 in Halo 3.
A Hornet in Halo 3 firing its twin M651s.
An M5607 ASGM-4 missile fired from the Hornet in Halo 3.
Twin M5607 ASGM-4 missiles fired from the Hornet in Halo 3.
In Halo 2: Anniversary, the Hornet fires a reused model of the M19 SSM.
AppearancesEdit
- Halo: Uprising (First appearance)
- Halo 3
- Halo 3: ODST (Halo: The Master Chief Collection-only)
- Halo Legends
- Halo 4 (Background only)
- Halo 2: Anniversary
SourcesEdit
- ^ a b See production notes
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 157
- ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 96