| UNSC Antaeus | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||
| Ship history | |||||||||||||||
|
Unified Earth Government | ||||||||||||||
|
Name: |
Antaeus | ||||||||||||||
|
Operator: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Manufacturer: |
Watershed Division (refit)[1] | ||||||||||||||
|
Commissioned: |
|||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
UNSC Antaeus is a specialised refit heavy-lift dropfreighter in the service of the United Nations Space Command. The freighter was formally refit by the Watershed Division and introduced into service in 2552.[1]
Overview
Design details
Antaeus consists of a modified heavy-lift dropfreighter similar in nature to the D96-TCE Albatross or D20 Heron dropships. The vessel has been modified to include an upgraded fusion plant and four energy shield generators salvaged from a captured Covenant deployment spire, with the ship serving as an R&D platform with which Watershed Division could test the reverse-engineering and integration of enemy capital-scale shield generators into UNSC technology.[1]
Development history
UNSC Antaeus was built in the Special Assembly Plant Concord shipyards on the outskirts of Sol system. The ship was operational by 2551, though was not formally commissioned into service until the following year. During the Battle for Earth in October-November 2552, Antaeus was placed on standby though remained docked at the Special Assembly Plant. The UNSC conducted a number of simulations to test the ship's utility in ground campaigns, though ultimately elected to prioritise the completion of the then-under construction UNSC Infinity over producing more shield ships.[1]
Production notes
Antaeus was initially concepted as one of many vehicles intended for, and cut from, Halo 2. The ship was concepted by Eddie Smith and intended for use in the Milestone 1 Defensive level - one of several gameplay prototypes intended to test new game systems and features. In the scenario, the ship appears as an objective the player must defend while it casts an energy shield around the defensive zone.[2] The ship was later canonised in a 2024 issue of Canon Fodder.[1]
A reuse of the ship's concept art later appeared in the first issue of the comic Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp in a non-canon easter egg capacity.[3][1]
Gallery
|
Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
Halo 2 concept art for the ship.
Halo 2 concept art for the ship.
Halo 2 concept art for the ship.
Halo 2 concept art for the ship.
Halo 2 concept art for the ship.
The ship's easter egg appearance in the Fall of Reach comic.
List of appearances
- Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp (Easter egg-only)