M808B2 Sun Devil
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The M808B2 Air Defense System, also known as the M808B2 "Sun Devil", is a a modified variant of the M808B Scorpion main battle tank, ostensibly used for anti-aircraft roles.[2][5][4]
OverviewEdit
Design detailsEdit
- Main article: M808B Scorpion
The Sun Devil is an air defense turret paired with a modified M808B Scorpion tank hull, designated the M808B2.[2] The M808B2 features a full-rotation turret fitted with two pairs of twin-linked 40mm autocannons and a target acquisition radar assembly.[2][5][6][7][Note 1] Some variants of the M808B2 Sun Devil also feature a secondary turreted M247T machine gun that requires a separate operator.[1] The Sun Devil's threat tracking and targeting systems make it extremely effective at attacking Covenant aircraft such as the Banshee.[2][8]
UsageEdit
When the vehicle entered service with the UNSC, the M808B2 Sun Devil was intended to provide close-range air-defense for tank groupings.[2] While ostensibly an anti-aircraft vehicle, the M808B2 Sun Devil was used in anti-personnel role throughout the Insurrection,[3][4][5] and proved to be very effective in clearing Covenant light infantry from contested points during the Human-Covenant War.[3][4]
Operational historyEdit
InsurrectionEdit
During the height of the Insurrection, the Sun Devil was closely associated with UNSC Marine Corps peacekeeping operations. As the Sun Devil began to be used as an anti-personnel role, it became a feared symbol of UNSC brutality and started to be prominently featured in insurrectionist propaganda, a practice that has persisted even into the post-war era.[2]
Human-Covenant WarEdit
After the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, most M808B2 Sun Devils were transferred to the UNSC Army, where it proved to be highly effective against relatively slow-moving Banshees, especially fielded alongside M41 SPNKr- and STMPr-equipped infantry.[2]
Production notesEdit
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
The concept of an anti-air Scorpion was first considered in early preproduction for Halo 2—with early design documentation referencing the idea of an anti-air Scorpion.[9] The model for the Sun Devil was developed to some extent—albeit cut from the game at an early stage of the game's development. This model was developed at such an early stage of the game that the engine and asset were based on the Halo: Combat Evolved variation of the Scorpion—as such, in the Digsite asset restoration project the Sun Devil is being restored as an asset for modders to use in Halo: Combat Evolved rather than Halo 2. The Sun Devil had no known gameplay iteration in Halo 2 and no tag data has been found for the vehicle—as such, all gameplay data being developed for the Combat Evolved Sun Devil is original content developed by the Digsite team.[10]
The vehicle was first brought into the Halo universe with the release of the Halo Encyclopedia—which may have based the description on the intended Halo 2 vehicle similar to the Warthog variants similarly-cut from the game.[6] The vehicle was first-realized in visual form with the 2016 release of Halo: Ground Command.[1]
GalleryEdit
The Sun Devil model used in Halo: Ground Command.
The original Halo 2 Sun Devil model, restored into Halo: Combat Evolved by the Digsite project.
Another screenshot of the restored Sun Devil model.
List of appearancesEdit
- Halo: Ground Command (First appearance)
NotesEdit
- ^ a b The Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) entry for the Sun Devil lists it as having four twin-linked cannons, while its entries both on Halo Waypoint and in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) list it as having two. Given that the model produced for Ground Command displays four cannons, this articles interprets the Halo Waypoint and 2022 Encyclopedia entries as meaning that it features two pairs of twin-linked cannons.
SourcesEdit
- ^ a b c d Halo: Ground Command: Sun Devil model
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Digsite Dissection (Retrieved on Jul 29, 2023) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo Waypoint, Blitz Coverage (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
- ^ a b c d Halo Waypoint, Scorpion (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 140
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 238
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 248
- ^ Halo: Ground Command: Sun Devil stat card
- ^ Halo 2: Artifacts, Episode 4 - The Cutting Room Floor: 13:25
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Digsite Discoveries (Retrieved on Jul 17, 2023) [archive]
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