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AV-14 Hornet

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AV-14 Hornet
H2A AV-14Hornet.png
Production information

Manufacturer:

Misriah Armory[1]

Model:

AV-14

Technical specifications

Length:

9.6 metres (31 ft)[1]

Width:

8.7 metres (29 ft)[1]

Height:

4.45 metres (14.6 ft)[2]

Engine(s):

Turbofan/turbojet engine

Armament:

Crew:

One pilot

Usage

In service:

Insurrection
Human-Covenant War
Post-Covenant War conflicts

Role(s):

Close air support,[3] light troop transport, light anti-vehicle/personnel

Affiliation:

Colonial Military Authority[4]
United Nations Space Command

 

The AV-14 Hornet, more formally known as the AV-14 Attack VTOL, is a United Nations Space Command airborne assault vehicle.

OverviewEdit

Design detailsEdit

The AV-14 is a vertical take off and landing vehicle (VTOL) that has been in service since the Insurrection,[5] at least as early as 2524.[6][7] It serves as the UNSC's primary assault, search and reconnaissance, and close air support aircraft. The Hornet is an atmospheric craft and as such cannot be deployed by orbital vessels unless a ship rated for atmospheric entry can deliver it to the battlefield. It is easier for the Hornet to be deployed from an air base located on the surface than from a ship.

The AV-14 Hornet consists of a one-man cockpit and a rear section, extending approximately one meter backward. Variant models feature a tandem seating configuration, presumably allowing a second passenger to operate the aircraft's weaponry or navigation systems.[8] At the top of this rear section are a set of wings with what appear to be advanced turbofan engines mounted on gimbals at the ends, providing the Hornet's main source of propulsion. The front of the Hornet contains a target acquisition and designation system which includes cameras and sensors. On each side of the cockpit is a jump-seat extending backward that doubles as a landing skid. These skids allow up to four passengers.[9]

Although the AV-14 Hornet primarily serves as an attack craft, the Hornet can be reconfigured for a number of other roles. For example, some AV-14s are configured as dedicated troop transports. These Hornets lack the Class-2 Guided Munitions Launch System equipped by the standard model in order to improve airspeed.[10]

ArmamentsEdit

The AV-14 Hornet is armed with both anti-infantry and anti-vehicle weapon systems. The AV-14 Hornet can be configured with one of two anti-infantry systems. The first configuration contains two triple-barreled, fire-linked rotary cannons. These are located on either side above the cockpit on the leading edges of the wing. The guns fire synchronously, and can be elevated and depressed to a small degree, without affecting the flight pattern of the Hornet. The second is a single, nose-mounted GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon that fires .50 BMG ammunition.[7][11][12] The anti-vehicle system is composed of two Class-2 Guided Munition Launch Systems that are mounted on the ventral surface of the aircraft's landing skids. When triggered, each pod fires a single missile. Like the LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod, the Class-2 GMLS is capable of achieving a target lock. In addition the Hornet can be armed with two chaff pods to counter radar-guided missiles. These are copper nickel-coated glass fibers or silver-coated nylon fibers having lengths equal to half of the anticipated radar wavelength.[12]

UsageEdit

The AV-14 Hornet is known for its efficiency in combat situations; its multi-purpose role allows the vehicle to take on a wide array of missions and can perform without any major problems. In its role as an attack craft the AV-14 is very effective at hunting down and destroying armor with relative ease; the homing Class-2 GMLS can take down the toughest Covenant armor in only a few strikes, making it the UNSC's prime choice for hunting down tanks, aside from the AV-22 Sparrowhawk. Its ability to engage infantry also makes the AV-14 both an offensive and defensive aircraft; the triple-barreled rotary cannons can destroy heavily armored and heavily shielded targets with little effort, and its ability to place itself in a stationary position to lay down cover fire while a larger craft retrieves fellow infantry also allows it to perform its role as a support craft. The firepower of the craft is a major asset when escorting other aircraft which could be susceptible to ground fire into dangerous territory. Its role as a support craft is further bolstered by its ability to easily insert small strike teams into combat situations.

While the AV-14 Hornet has a wide variety of roles and advantages, its greatest weakness is its light armor — making it susceptible to anything larger than small arms fire.[6] Although the Hornet is rather nimble, it lacks the maneuverability of the D77-TC Pelican and the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, which can occasionally be a liability in combat conditions. Infantry atop of vehicles landing skids are also at risk of taking enemy fire, as they have no protection at all, which is why the AV-14 Hornet is often used to insert small strike teams, but not to extract them, in combat operations.[7][13] The risk of casualties from anti-aircraft fire mandates the use of more heavily armored aircraft like the D77-TC Pelican or the UH-144 Falcon for extraction.

VariantsEdit

  • 2531 Hornet: Deployed by the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire during the Harvest campaign through to the Battle of Trove, this variation has a large rotary cannon built into the nose of the aircraft, rather than the two guns on later models.[12]
  • AV-14B Attack VTOL: Modified by the crew of UNSC Spirit of Fire for deployment against the Banished, this model is used for combat reconnaissance and surprise attacks on high-priority targets. The AV-14B is armed with medium autocannons that are effective against all targets, and are particularly adept at taking out light vehicles. It features a modified airframe that is considerably blockier in shape than the base model.[14]
  • NMPD Hornet: An air support variant of AV-14 utilised by the New Mombasa Police Department. This variant is painted in black and white livery, and has blue and red lights.[15]
  • Transport Hornet: A transport-orientated variant of the Hornet. This variant has the missile pods removed and a white paint coating.

  • 2531 Hornet

  • AV-14B Hornet

  • NMPD Hornet

  • A transport Hornet (left) and a regular AV-14 (right).

GameplayEdit

Main article: Hornet

The Hornet is a drivable vehicle in two games including Halo 3 and Halo 2: Anniversary. They are also units in Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2.

TriviaEdit

  See our gameplay information related to AV-14 Hornet on its gameplay page.
  Browse more images in this article's gallery page.
  • A hornet is an insect, in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming atmospheric vehicles after real animals with the exceptions of the GA-TL1 Longsword, B-65 Shortsword, F-41 Broadsword, and FSS-1000 Sabre, which are named after bladed weapons and are capable of space flight.
  • The Hornet bears a slight resemblance to its namesake insect with the "wings" growing slightly wider towards the end (like a real hornet's wing) and with the personnel jump seats mimicking the long back legs that often trail behind the posterior of the insect.
  • In Halo Wars, when the "Wingmen" upgrade is unlocked for the Hornet, the Marines sit on the wings instead of stand as they do in Halo 3, due to the scaling of the two units. Such scaling differences are common in real-time strategy games.

GalleryEdit

  • A flight of Hornets deploy ODSTs into the occupied city of Cleveland on Earth in 2552 in Halo: Uprising.

  • An early Hornet concept for Halo 3, with a gunner being placed on the back. This idea was later abandoned.

  • The AV-14 Hornet in Halo 3.

  • Turnaround reference of the AV-14 Attack VTOL as seen in Halo 3.

  • View of an unoccupied AV-14 Hornet in Halo 3.

  • View of an AV-14 Hornet with guns pointed downward.

  • View of an AV-14 Hornet with Guns pointed upward.

  • A Hornet and a Pelican.

  • The snow-camouflaged Hornet on the map Avalanche.

  • Concept art of the Hornet for Halo Wars.

  • Hornet with a chin-mounted gun in Halo Wars.

  • A Hornet on Harvest.

  • A Hornet with two Marine passengers.

  • A Hornet with chaff pods.

  • Tandem-seater variant of the AV-14 Hornet as seen in Halo Legends: Homecoming.

  • A Hornet in the background of Skyline in Halo 4.

  • Close-up view of the AV-14 Hornet in Halo 4.

  • Concept art of the Halo 4 Hornet.

  • Concept art of the Halo 4 Hornet.

  • A cutout of a Hornet in Spartan Assault.

  • A squadron of Hornets pursue Covenant forces during the Battle of Draetheus V.

  • Render of the Hornet model in Halo 2: Anniversary.

  • Side render of the Hornet model.

  • A Hornet flying towards a city in Halo: Spartan Strike.

  • In-game model of the Hornet in Halo: Spartan Strike.

  • An AV-14B Hornet in the Halo Wars 2 Open Beta.

  • A Trooper AV-14B Hornet in the Halo Wars 2 - Blitz Beta.

  • Blitz card of a Trooper AV-14B in Halo Wars 2.

  • Title card art from a cut Halo Wars 2 mission featuring AV-14B Hornets and an AC-220 Vulture.

  • The Hornet's guns retracted on Halo 2: Anniversary.

  • The Hornet's guns deployed on Halo 2: Anniversary.

List of appearancesEdit

SourcesEdit

  1. ^ a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 96
  2. ^ Halo 3, 3D model data
  3. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update: 3/14/08
  4. ^ Halo: Last Light
  5. ^ Halo Legends, Origins
  6. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 248
  7. ^ a b c Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Dirt", page 113
  8. ^ Halo Legends, Homecoming
  9. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 9
  10. ^ Halo 3, multiplayer level, Avalanche
  11. ^ Halo Wars
  12. ^ a b c Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide, page 45
  13. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 20
  14. ^ Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder: The Art of War(s)
  15. ^ Megabloks - Police Air Support Hornet

Human aerospace craft
Ground-support craft
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Bomber/Interceptors GA-TL1 Longsword (C708 • C709 • C712 • C718)
Troop transports Pelican (D75 • D77 • D78 • D79 • Other variants) • D102 Owl • SLEIPNIR
Logistical transports Condor (D80 • D81 • Other variants) • D20 Heron • D82 Darter • D96 Albatross
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Shuttlecraft
Lifeboat classes (Class-3 • Class-5) • Command shuttle • RLT-85 Emergency Shuttlepod • SKT-series (SKT-9 • SKT-13 • SKT-21 • SKT-29) • Lacewing-II • Queen Bee • Shuttle pod
Human Entry Vehicle (HEV) M7650 • M8823
SOIEV M8900 • M9407
Other Equipment pod • Long Range Stealth • Escape pod
Other

Hornet variants
AV-14 variants
AV-14B variants

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