Type-25 Chopper

"I never thought I’d see somethin’ that could tear up a Warthog so completely short of an eight-oh-eight just by runnin’ into it—are Choppers put together out of old battleships or something?"

- Anonymous UNSC Serviceman

The Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle, commonly known as the Brute Chopper or simply Chopper by UNSC personnel, is a Covenant ground assault vehicle used exclusively by the Jiralhanae.

Background
Ironically, the first prototype of the Brute Chopper was built in 2525 by a Huragok named Lighter Than Some, as a well-intentioned peace offering towards the human population of Harvest. The pacifistic Huragok built them in imitation of the colonists' mechanized JOTUN plows, intending them to be used in the same way as their human-made counterparts.

These vehicles were built from parts taken from a damaged Spirit dropship, which the Huragok had been ordered to repair. The Jiralhanae, oblivious to the Huragok's peaceful intentions, instantly took a liking to the vehicles and decided to outfit them with pairs of Spikers for battle. As time progressed, the armament mounted on the vehicle was replaced with four 35mm autocannons, and the replacement of blades with grinding wheels.

Overview
The Brute Chopper is a heavily-armored, one-man assault vehicle, kept aloft by a repulsor array on its rear seating and propelled by a massive pair of wheels in the front. The Chopper is designed for a variety of roles, from reconnaissance to anti-armor assaults. Its powerful 35mm autocannons can take down most light ground vehicles with ease, and the large blades on the front can instantly destroy any light armored vehicle by ramming into it. It is capable of short bursts of increased speed up to 120 kph, thanks to a pair of booster vents located on either side of the wheel.

Design
The Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle is both heavily armored and surprisingly fast. In the front is a massive cyclical engine, which drives the vehicle's wheels and other propulsion systems. Directly connected to it at the back is a small, exposed cockpit that provides the rider little protection. The only defense is offered by the sheer bulk of the wheels, which are large enough to protect a pilot from frontal fire. The wheels are protected by bladed cowlings, which can withstand high-speed collisions with other vehicles. The blades on the wheel are strong enough to take down and cut through any vehicle with the boost except large ones like the Wraith, Scorpion tank, and Elephant. Even if it does not destroy the vehicle, a boosted impact may inflict severe damage.

When activated, the vehicle moves around by the use of two massive wheels on the front of the vehicle. To turn, the whole frontal portion of the vehicle rotates to the left or right. However, the pilot's seat is kept aloft by anti-gravity technology similar to that of the Ghost.

Advantages
The Chopper is frequently described as an "anti-anything" vehicle; its powerful autocannons can destroy most vehicles (except for heavily armored targets) with relative ease, and their projectiles explode with enough force to send targets reeling. The Chopper's heavily armored chassis and boost ability allow it to ram and obliterate other vehicles of equal size or smaller, including other Choppers. A correctly timed boost will destroy most vehicles with a single hit.

The Chopper is also compact enough to fit through tight spaces, including most doors.

Disadvantages
Choppers lack the ability to strafe; they can only turn while moving forward or backward. Other factors, like a wide turn radius add to their overall relative lack of maneuverability, as compared with Ghosts and even Warthogs, among others. The rounds of the cannons fly at a relatively slow velocity and have a tendency to arc; at longer ranges it is necessary to lead targets and aim high to compensate. The auto-cannons shoot nearly straight out of the front of the vehicle, so it can become difficult to destroy more maneuverable vehicle targets or fast moving opponents. Chopper drivers are extremely vulnerable from the back, which offers almost no shielding from enemy fire. The lack of maneuverability and low speed make the Chopper a hard vehicle to drive for inexperienced players. The boost function on a Chopper is also limited in the amount of time it can be used, and requires a rest period before it can be used again. Lastly, the Chopper has a very slow reverse speed, making it difficult to retreat.

A disadvantage which does not appear in-game is the vehicle's travel range. The Chopper can drive a total of 271km (169 miles) before it needs to refuel, which is just over a third of the range of the Warthog and Scorpion, and close to a quarter of the range of a Ghost.

Campaign

 * As in all vehicular engagements in Halo 3, going bumper to bumper against a Chopper is not to be taken lightly. The heavy guns on this vehicle will rip through all light-armored vehicles with ease. On higher difficulties, the Chopper's cannon will kill Marine passengers very quickly. Therefore, your best bet in nearly any light vehicle is to stay behind or beside it since the Warthog and Prowler turrets can turn 360 degrees and all angles.
 * If you are playing on a mission like Tsavo Highway,where there are multiple choppers, you get in one and if you boost at the right time while one is boosting at you, you can "splatter" it and not be harmed.
 * Choppers are the strongest vehicle for ramming other light vehicles, including Warthogs and Ghosts. If you manage to get a direct head-on hit on any light vehicle, it will be destroyed instantly.

Multiplayer

 * Since it has a decent agility, it should be fairly easy to get splatters with when playing online. It is also near impossible to flip a Chopper, so you should rarely be flipped upside down, even while taking hard corners.
 * As intimidating as the Chopper's massive bulk is, it is actually a fairly narrow vehicle. This allows the Chopper to navigate small spaces, and even venture inside of buildings in multiplayer mode. The Chopper also is far more durable than the other light/medium Covenant ground vehicles. A plasma grenade to a fairly undamaged Chopper will typically not result in the destruction of the vehicle; however, the lack of armor for the driver's seat counters this, making it important to keep the massive grinding wheels between you and the enemy.
 * Following behind the Chopper and shooting out the driver is an effective strategy, since they are less maneuverable than other vehicles and will take a much longer time to turn around and return fire.
 * The Chopper's autocannon attack is stronger than the attack of the Ghost's plasma cannon, but its firing rate is slower than the Ghost. This can be offset by double firing, which is performed by pulling the trigger multiple times, as if it were a semi-automatic weapon.
 * The only major drawback is an exposed seat in the back, which only allows protection in the front, as well as taking some time to perform a complete turn around.

Halo Wars
The Chopper makes an appearance in Halo Wars as a unique unit for the Brute Army Commander, replacing the Ghost. It also has three upgrades:
 * "Auto Cannons" - Equips all Choppers with a pair of autocannons.
 * "Stabilizers" - Increases the autocannons' damage and accuracy.
 * "Ramming Targe" - Greatly increases ramming damage and vehicle armor.

UNSC remarks

 * “D’ya think they’re compensating for something? I mean, look at the size of the damn thing—it’s bigger than my first apartment.”
 * “It doesn’t have the room to accommodate a single passenger—and what do they do with their gear? Lash it on to the fenders?”
 * “They don’t have a lot in the way of places you can stow your gear—it’s basically a huge engine with a little bucket tied to it for you to stick your ass in. And big golf delta blades bolted to it, can’t forget about the blades.”
 * “All the markings are hand-painted. Well, at least they were on all the ones I’ve seen close up. I think the Type-25 is more of a status symbol for the Brutes—or maybe a mount—than it is a just another piece of equipment.”
 * “Yeah, N’tho ‘Sraom basically confirmed that—said the riders held specific ranks outside the Covenant military hierarchy structure—that they’re more of a traditional unit like Cossacks or something.”
 * “They’re not very fast, but they’re like zombies—every time you turn around there they are breathing down your neck! Don’t help that they’re built like tanks, either.”
 * “With that big damn motor you’d think they’d really fly, wouldn’t you? I wonder if the Covenant romeo echo mike foxtrots slapped a governor on ‘em like our do with the warthog?”
 * "Whatever kind of engine those Kongs put in there, it's heavy! You actually gotta pull the entire front end to one side to turn it!

Trivia

 * Because of observation of earlier Halo 3 builds, the Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle was first misidentified as a "Brute Ghost" (mentioned in the December 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly ) or the "Mauler". At the time, the vehicle appeared to be similar in color and sound to the Covenant Ghost. However, the wings were folded up and the result was a much thicker, tube-like vehicle, giving some the idea that this was different from the original Ghost. They were proved correct by the unveiling of the Chopper, which in its final iteration bears little resemblance to a Ghost.
 * The heavy armor of the front of the Chopper allows it to take massive damage, even allowing the driver to survive grenade sticks with Plasma Grenades, as long as the driver's shields recharge to full power and withstand the attack. Without full shields the driver will die in the explosion.
 * Commentary found on the Legendary Edition disk relates how the Bungie team tried to make the Chopper analogous to a human motorcycle, a vehicle for tough guys, in this case the tough ape-like Jiralhanae.
 * Choppers are a good vehicle to destroy for the We're in for some Chop achievement by destroying it with a trip mine.
 * The Chopper, the Locust, the Prowler, and the Scarab are the only Covenant vehicles not named after some sort of apparition. Brute vehicles and weapons, however, seem to have their own nomenclature system: being named after predatory or otherwise vicious acts, e.g. chopping, and mauling and so on.
 * In Halo Wars, the Choppers begin with no weapons, just like the Warthog. It can be upgraded to be able to use its autocannons. It can be further upgraded to where it has an extra layer of armor on the front wheel, lessening damage when the Chopper rams an enemy unit.

List of appearances

 * ''Halo 3
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * ''Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Escalation