HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System

Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System

The Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System, known simultaneously as HRUNTING and YGGDRASIL, was an experimental bipedal powered exoskeleton/armored fighting vehicle developed by the Materials Group at Weapons Research Facility T12A on Algolis. It was intended for use by the UNSC Marine Corps.

Overview
Derived from two separate projects, HRUNTING and YGGDRASIL, the Prototype was a development of an earlier version of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, which was designed for use by the SPARTAN-IIs. However, despite its effectiveness, the idea was mainly scrapped, as the user was very vulnerable and it was too complicated for use on the limited number of SPARTAN-IIs. The only known prototype of this exoskeleton suit was destroyed, along with all of its data, due to the enactment of the Cole Protocol during the Battle of Algolis.

HRUNTING and YGGDRASIL would continue to develop subsequent Armor Defense Systems. This work culminated in the Mark IX "Mantis" used by the Marine Corps.

Features
The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL suit was powered by a nuclear fusion reactor. Unlike the more advanced MJOLNIR system, the user did not need to possess physiological augmentation to wear the armor. Though the HUD was rather similar to that of the MJOLNIR, the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL's integrated weapon system and improved target assessment negated the need for a neural interface link. The suit used simple laser and radio technology for communications. Unlike the MJOLNIR, the suit did not recycle fluids. Overall, the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL was much more expensive to manufacture than the MJOLNIR, which meant that it saw very limited production.

Armament
The main strength of the suit lay in its myriad of weapon systems, each integrated directly into the infrastructure of the exoskeleton. The right arm ended in the 850-round, six-barreled T261 Lucifer Arm-Mounted Gatling Gun which possessed an integrated targeting system. A rather large-barreled grenade launcher was mounted on top of the gatling gun with what appeared to be the ammunition belt wrapped around the base. The right shoulder was topped with a tri-barreled LAU-1810/SGM-151 missile launcher that fired heat-seeking missiles. An M149 Magellan Recoilless Rifle was mounted on the left shoulder, which had to be manually aimed by the operator. The suit carried fifty explosive 105mm rounds for the M149, each with a five-meter blast radius.

The suit's left arm ended in a mechanical hand used to both operate weapons and manipulate external objects with ease. Two additional missile tubes were attached to the forearm and were packed the same type of missiles used on the shoulder-mounted cluster. Three Type 18 Magnetic/Bayonet-style Claymores explosives were attached to each thigh, each with enough power to completely engulf a Wraith tank in the blast.

HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL also featured a 300-megaton, lead-tampered nuclear fission self-destruct device which used the components of the suit's fusion reactor. Activating the self-destruct sequence would begin a staggered, codeword-activated countdown. Because such a system violates several military conventions regarding "kamikaze-style" actions, the device's purpose is still officially considered a "security" contingency. The codeword is written on the HUD for the wearer to read before activation.

Equipment
The suit made use of a number of high-tech innovations to operate efficiently in combat. One of these improvements was an integrated jetpack used for powered flight. This jetpack uses a total of four stabilizers and four afterburner thrusters located on the front and back of the suit. Directional control seems to have been provided by shifts in balance by the operator. When not in use, the pack's thrusters folded into slots in the suit to protect from external damage. Another useful addition was the incorporation of the core technology behind the Office of Naval Intelligence's reverse-engineered bubble shields. The dynamic nature of the shield makes it automatically engage when the suit comes under fire. However, the suit lacks the constant, form-fitting energy shields used by the MJOLNIR armor systems.

Trivia

 * Hrunting is a magical sword given to Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name. It had never failed in battle until Beowulf's fight with a Wyrm, a dragon. Yggdrasil is the name of the "world tree" of Norse mythology.
 * Interestingly, the armor's motion sensor uses yellow dots to represent hostile contacts, as opposed to MJOLNIR's motion sensor, which uses red dots for hostiles and yellow for friendly forces.
 * The prototype armor bears some aesthetic similarities to the Mark one exoskeleton developed in 2500. It is possible that some parts of the Mark I exoskeleton were recycled for the prototype armor project.

List of appearances

 * Halo Legends
 * Prototype
 * Halo Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian motion comic
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion