LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod

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Template:Weapon The LAU-65D/SGM-151,^[1] also known as the Missile Pod, is a portable United Nations Space Command infantry weapon. It is a missile-launching weapon, and holds up to eight small, highly explosive missiles when released from its tripod. The Missile Pod is capable of locking onto vehicle or turret position targets. ^[2]

Operation

The mounted version of the Missile Pod can be seen in the Campaign level The Storm in Halo 3, and again in NMPD HQ in Halo 3: ODST. When mounted, it has an infinite amount of ammo. The Missile Pod can carry eight rounds when detached, which are less powerful than the Rocket Launcher, but it can fire continuously without the need for reloading. In its mounted form, the Missile Pod is used by Marines as a rocket-powered mortar by firing its missiles vertically into the sky. This allows the missiles to hit targets from above, inflicting maximum damage and leaving less time for the target to avoid the strike; however, in its mounted form, it can't hit targets on the ground up close easily (it will just fire up into the air and do no damage).

Once the missile is fired, it will travel about five meters before becoming self-propelled. This, along with the pod's ability to maintain a lock even when there's an obstacle (such as a small hill in Valhalla) between the pod and the target, means the wielder can fire at an upward angle, giving the missile enough vertical clearance to fly over the hill and into the target.

It is also effective against foot-bound stationary targets (such as an enemy sniper); the missile's high speed means that even if the target hears the missile, he or she may not be able to react in time. This is most effective at short and medium range, mostly because it is harder to see an enemy at long ranges, much less determining if one is moving. One of the best anti-vehicle tactics is to lock on, aim up in the air, and fire; however, its low ammo capacity when unmounted means it should be used sparingly. Also, on Valhalla, a possible tactic is to carry the missile pod into the Man Cannon while firing at an enemy. The enemy will most likely not see you and will die confused, leaving you able to repeat the trick.

Tactics

Campaign

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Due to its dearth in the campaign (it only appears on the level The Storm), not many tactics have appeared to support its usage in campaign. If picked up on during that level, it can be used to take down the Scarab on it fairly easily, as its lock-on will automatically target its joints and the enemies on board. Presumably, an ambitious player could carry it to the anti-aircraft gun, but an accidental usage could waste all of its ammunition.

Multiplayer

The Missile Pod can be a weak weapon against infantry. It typically takes a direct missile hit to kill an opponent with one shot. Quite unlike the Rocket Launcher, its splash damage is confined to a smaller area, making it challenging to use in a one-on-one mid-range fight. The pod is extremely deadly against vehicles, however.

It causes the wielder to fall victim to the high maneuverability of a Ghost, as the wielder is slow due to its' weight. On Valhalla, it is capable of destroying Banshees, Mongooses, Warthogs, and turrets. On Construct, the missile pod becomes a powerful infantry weapon because the map's architecture allows for quick kills, making it especially useful for killing the sword wielders or campers at the Gravity Lifts.

It is noteworthy to use in a Big Team Slayer match next, as a few short missiles can take out a central threat, such as a Scorpion, Banshee, or Wraith antagonizing your opponents and getting kills for you and your team.

Using the missile pod against infantry can be deadly but must be a direct hit. When playing an objective game (capture the flag or bomb) bring the missile pod into a room and camp by the flag or bomb area. You can get many kills this way.

Trivia

On Heroic difficulty, it takes eight rounds of the LAU-65D/SGM-151 to destroy a Phantom; however, it only takes four missiles to the rear section to destroy it because the engines will go critical, which will end up destroying the rest.
If you give the Missile Pod to the Arbiter during single player campaign by killing him and dropping the pod at his feet, he'll be able to lock onto infantry with the Missile Pod.
The LAU-65D/SGM-151's missile is considerably stronger than the M41's ordnance.
The maximum magazine size of a Missile Pod can be changed in Forge. However, this has no effect on the weapon's actual ammo capacity, which is always 8. Similarly, you can't spawn missile pods mounted on turrets, probably for game balancing reasons, since a missile pod with infinite ammo is a tremendous defensive advantage.
The Missile Pod can be used to do the Halo 2 "Ring of Rockets" trick.
Too Close To The Sun is a Halo 3 multiplayer achievement. It is awarded for destroying a Banshee in either campaign or a ranked multiplayer playlist with a Spartan Laser or Missile Pod. Unlocking this achievement will give you the Scout Body for Spartan Armor Customization. It is represented by a red ten-pointed star with a brown-winged white star.
In Multiplayer, if a vehicle is locked onto by a Missile Pod, the driver, gunner, or passenger, should hear a droning/buzzing/beeping noise from their HUD as a warning to get out of the vehicle.
Although it is a weapon, the Missile Pod acts more like a vehicle, and is classed as one in the game code. This is likely because turrets are vehicles, and the portable (detached) Missile Pod could be classified as a vehicle which you "enter", with the strings edited to display "pick up" instead of "drive/operate/ride". The latter, however, is unlikely since you could "exit" it by pressing Y or melee, or any other action that would make you drop a dual-wielded weapon, since support weapons have nearly the same mechanics (not tactics) with dual-wielding weapons, with the exception of the fact that you have two weapons when dual-wielding, and that your maneuverability is not affected when dual-wielding.