Suspa Al-pattern Individual Assault Carapace
| Suspa Al-pattern Assault Carapace | |
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| Production information | |
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Manufacturer: |
Tertiary Assembly Forges[1] |
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Product line: |
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| Technical specifications | |
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Length: |
5.9 meters (19 ft)[1] |
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Mass: |
500 kilograms (1,100 lb)[1] |
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Engine(s): |
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Armament: |
None[1] |
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Crew: |
1 Warrior[1] |
| Usage | |
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In service: |
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Role(s): |
Transport[1] |
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Affiliation: |
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The Suspa Al-pattern Individual Assault Carapace ("fire seed") is a type of insertion pod employed by the Covenant.[1]
OverviewEdit
Design detailsEdit
The Suspa Al is a single-occupant design of insertion pod, hosting only a single Sangheili warrior. The pod is a teardrop-shaped design, with the bottom of the pod serving as an armor-piercing ram capable of punching through the fortified hull of a warship or deep into an armored bunker to deliver their payload deep into the heart of an enemy area. The pod's occupant sits in a shock couch, cocooned in a series of crushing gravitic webs. All of the pod's life-support and safety systems are optimised for use by Sangheili warriors, and the pod's controls give the occupant a great degree of freedom in how the pod maneuvers during a drop, as opposed to the drop pods employed by the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.[1]
When landing, the pod's door explodes off the front of the craft to allow the warrior to swiftly exit and engage the enemy. The door contains inertial compensation stasis generators, which mitigate the risk of the occupant being killed or injured during transit and pre-impact deceleration.[1]
Operational historyEdit
During the empire's height, the Suspa Al design pattern was rarely employed, as artisans allied with the Covenant's Zealot orders jealously guarded the secrets of their construction. Only the most pious of commanders were granted the honour of requisitioning their use, and only their use in battle guaranteed replacements.[1] Many of the Sangheili troops selected for such orbital drops were themselves taken from the Zealot order, or otherwise aspired for membership in their chapterhouses.[1]
Following the collapse of the Covenant, the usage of the Suspa Al remains largely similar to how they were employed during the empire's reign, though the Zealots are now divided in loyalty amongst a large number of successor factions, and exercise less discretion in judging the worthy.[1]
Production notesEdit
- Main article: Cut Halo: Reach vehicles
The Suspa Al pattern of drop pod was concepted by Steve Chon and modelled by Kayl Myers for Halo: Reach.[2][3] The drop pod was featured in the reveal trailer shown at E3 2010, though was cut from the final game and replaced with the Yado-pattern Intrusion Carapace.
In the demo, the drop pods are used by the Covenant troops attacking the Sabre Program Launch/Research Range at Farkas Lake in an early build of the level "Long Night of Solace". The design seen in the final game is notably sleeker and rounder, effectively rendering the original E3 model cut content.
The Suspa Al made its first official in-game debut in the mission artwork for the Halo: Spartan Assault level Assault on CF-32, which features a Suspa Al in the background traced from one of Kayl Myers' original Halo: Reach renders. The later 2017 release of Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo featured a high-resolution double-page spread focusing on the Suspa Al pattern, with a great deal of information provided about its usage by the Covenant empire.[1] This feature brought the drop pod back into Halo canon.
GalleryEdit
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
Concept art for this drop pod.
Renders of Suspa Al in Halo: Reach.
Renders of the Suspa Al's high-poly model.
The wireframe view for the Suspa Al's in-game model.
A Suspa Al in the opening of the Long Night of Solace level, in the E3 trailer.
A Suspa Al in the Assault on CF-32 artwork for Halo: Spartan Assault. The pod can be seen on the right, and is a trace of the original render prior.
List of appearancesEdit
- Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer (First appearance)
- Halo: Spartan Assault
SourcesEdit
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