M274 Mongoose

Template:Ship

"Speed is the only protection this vehicle provides; it is unarmored, noisy, and prone to roll-over. It demands a level of skill from its operator that is impossible to expect...during combat conditions."

— Anonymous E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman

The M274 Mongoose Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle, commonly known as the Mongoose , is a United Nations Space Command ground reconnaissance vehicle.

Introduction

The M274 Mongoose ULATV is one of the fastest ground vehicles in the arsenal of the UNSC Marine Corps, making it a highly effective vehicle for reconnaissance, rapid transportation, and swift tactical versatility. It is the smaller cousin to the ubiquitous M12 Warthog LRV, and is a small ATV with a driver in the front seat and an optional passenger riding shotgun on a deployable rear section.

The Mongoose's high speed and light mass and armor makes it unwieldy and difficult to control at high speeds and over unstable terrain, making the ULATV vulnerable to destabilization, crashes, and flips. The driver and passenger are also completely exposed, and the Mongoose's design affords neither one of them any vehicular armor, making Mongoose operators extremely vulnerable to fire. Furthermore, the Mongoose does not incorporate any offensive or defensive capabilities, making the Mongoose's sole defensive capability an armed passenger. However, whatever defenses the Mongoose lacks it recompensates in sheer speed. Thus, standard UNSC Marine Corps operating protocol in engagements against Covenant forces place a M41 Rocket Launcher-armed Marine in the passenger position to fire rockets against slow-moving hostile vehicles while the driver uses the Mongoose's superior speed to evade enemy return fire. In a last resort, the Mongoose can run over nearby enemies, although the extremely light mass of the Mongoose makes running over shielded enemies an inefficient proposition.

The Mongoose can be transported by the Pelican Dropship or the Behemoth-class Troop Transport.

Furthermore, the Mongoose is believed to be analogous to the Covenant Type-32 "Ghost" Rapid Assault Vehicle, though the Ghost has a built-in weaponry system and is less agile and maneuverable.

Appearances

Halo 3 Campaign

The M274 Mongoose ULATV is a frontline vehicle of the UNSC Marine Corps, and thus it is commonly featured in Halo 3's campaign.

• The Storm: Four Mongooses with Rocket Launcher-armed Marines were part of a UNSC counteroffensive against the Covenant occupation of Voi in the Battle of Voi in the Second Battle of Earth. SPARTAN-117 led the initial Mongoose assault on a Covenant-held lake bed which featured two Type-52 Anti Aircraft Artillery Wraith tanks that were obstructing the UNSC aerial offensive. After the initial Covenant garrison was eliminated, Kilo 23 arrived with another pair of Mongooses as reinforcements. Not only were Mongooses essential in the destruction of the Covenant AA Wraiths, but after a Covenant Scarab walker attacked Voi, the Mongooses led an offensive to weaken the walker's joints with rockets, while using their superior manueverability to evade enemy fire.

• The Ark: One of the six Pelican Dropships deployed by the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn onto Installation 00 was carrying a Mongoose. It crashed under heavy fire, but later its crashed hulk and the Pelican's surviving crew were recovered by an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper offensive led by SPARTAN-117. It was manned by Marine(s), and Mongoose played a role in the UNSC vehicular offensive.

• The Covenant: The UNSC Marine Corps/Covenant Seperatist assault on the Citadel's island on Installation 00 involved multiple Mongooses to rapidly transverse large amounts of enemy-held terrain. In the strike on the first Barrier Tower, Kilo 23 deployed both a Mongoose and a Warthog to assist SPARTAN-117 and his allied ODSTs and Marines in the assault on the first tower. After the tower was secured, a second Mongoose was deployed by unknown means to aid SPARTAN-117 in his trip from the tower back to the Hornet LZ on the island's beachhead. Later, after the third Barrier Tower had been secured, the UNSC Marine Corps organized a large vehicular force to press forward towards the Citadel, and thus prevent the Prophet of Truth from activating the Halos. The attack force included a Mongoose with a Rocket Launcher-armed passenger Marine.

• Halo: Apparently, the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn deployed another Mongoose ULATV in Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson's trek from the landed frigate to the rebuilt Installation 04's Control Room. It can be found after SPARTAN-117 reaches the initial Warthog by taking the left snowy path, and instead of venturing right towards the rest of the level, taking the first immediate left turn. A Mongoose is secluded by the cliffs on the left hand side, and can be used to transverse the rest of the level.

Behind the Scenes

Involvement in Halo 2

File:Atv.jpg

An early Halo 2 prototype of the vehicle.

The Mongoose modded into Coagulation in Halo 2.

The Mongoose was originally intended to be put into Halo 2, but was eventually cancelled. The Mongoose prototype did not fulfill Bungie's expectations for Halo 2, and although Bungie attempted to add dual coaxial machine-guns to it or an armed passenger, it remained unbalanced and didn't fit into the gameplay. Other Warthog-related vehicles proposed in Halo 2 were also not featured in the final game.

Modding

Modders have been able to insert the Mongoose into Halo 2 and also certain Halo: Custom Edition maps. In Halo: Custom Edition, often many modders, instead of making the driver weaponless, made the driver drive with one hand and fire a weapon with the other, and stand up and throw grenades as well.

Trivia

• Like other UNSC vehicles, the Mongoose closely resembles the animal of its namesake. "Ears" jut out on each side of the front and "eyes" are in the windshield. Its agility, speed, and small size are also characteristic of the real-life Mongoose mammal.

• The mongoose has a yellow instruction sticker on the deployable passengers seat stating maximum weight for the driver and passenger. It is interesting to note that the driver can weigh about 500 kilograms, within weight for an actual Spartan-II soldier. The passenger can also weigh about this much, so carrying around another Spartan-II passenger is canonically possible.

• Fans often refer the mongoose as a mongeese or mongi.

Related Articles

• Type-32 "Ghost" Rapid Assault Vehicle - The Covenant Separatist equivalent of the Mongoose.

• Type-25 "Brute Chopper" Rapid Assault Vehicle - The Covenant Loyalist equivalent of the Mongoose.