Fuel rod gun
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
- "Those things are scary as hell. Ya hear that weird “whump” sound and even if ya see it comin' you're transfixed, these big green blobs flying at you throwin’ off sparks!"
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[2]
The fuel rod gun is a shoulder-fired explosives launcher,[3][1] formerly used by the Covenant military as a support weapon,[2] and continued to be in service with its splinter factions.[4][5] It is also sometimes called the flak cannon[6] or fuel rod cannon,[5][7] though the latter term is usually reserved for vehicle-mounted weapons based on the same technology. Other nicknames for the fuel rod gun includes Farg, the Thud Gun, and the Shine Box.[8]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
- "They’re pretty tricky to handle—first off you gotta get over the fact that there is this glowing, green explosive whatever right next to your head; and it’s not like you can requisition any more ammo for the damn thing—but you can lay down a whole lotta hurt in a very short amount of time I’ll tell you that."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[2]
The shoulder-mounted fuel rod gun is a self-loading[7] and recoil-operated weapon that fires 38mm explosive fuel rods.[2][3][5] The ammunition is loaded on the top aft section of the fuel rod gun, and can hold up to five ballistic projectiles before needing to be reloaded. Its ammunition is placed one on top of the other to form a clip and then is loaded into the weapon; it is unknown what exactly holds the rods together. When the trigger is pulled, the weapon ejects the projectile with a large flash.[7]
The fuel rod gun is extremely powerful; as such, the Covenant went to great lengths to ensure it does not fall into enemy hands. For much of the Human-Covenant War, the prevalent model of the fuel rod gun—the Zasqi-pattern—was equipped with a set of crucial security interlocks that act as a fail-safe that activates under certain conditions,[3][8] either by the user dropping the weapon without first engaging a safety, or if the weapon runs out of ammunition and is not reloaded after a certain amount of time.[9] When the fail-safe activates, any remaining ammunitions within the chamber are detonated by the weapon's breach-pin.[3][10] By late 2552, models without the failsafe became more commonplace, preventing the weapon from being self-destroyed.[8][2]
The weapon's energetic component has been the subject of nearly three decades of intense human study.[4] The Merchants of Qikost, the fuel rod gun's manufacturer in the post-war period,[5][11] were only able to replicate its manufacture using prehistoric Forerunner machinery that occasionally requires Huragok maintenance and has proved nearly impossible to study. Both Misriah Armory and Materials Group have acquired the aforementioned Forerunner machinery, but are reluctant to produce potentially dangerous feedstock isotopes.[4]
The design of the fuel rod gun is uniquely ornamental; it is typically covered by thick gold plates that make up the body of the weapon.[3]
Ammunition[edit]
- Main article: Fuel rod
- "It’s so weird. I don’t know who first called it a fuel rod gun, but it’s kinda funny. I suppose the projectile is reminiscent of how you might expect to see a nuclear fuel rod depicted in a GA cartoon—all glowing green and throwing off sparks."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[2]
The weapon fires radioactive projectiles colloquially termed as "fuel rods", specifically those of the Class-2 designation.[3] Due to the devastating effects these projectiles have on their targets,[8] the name was initially only given to communicate the weapon's stunning effects, but was later formalized.[10] The Class-2 caseless projectiles are compressed canisters of incendiary gel approximately 38mm in diameter,[3] which move in a parabolic arc and explode upon impact.[7]
When the weapon is fired, the radioactive chemical in fuel rods is ignited and launched from its containment shell, exploding on impact or after the projectile's cycles have expelled sufficient gas to achieve environmental equilibrium.[10] Depending on the quality and instability of the fuel rods being used, the weapon's effective range and blast radius varies widely.[7] Regardless, their impact triggers a violent detonation capable of punching holes into enemy armor and fortifications, while turning enemy infantry into a smoldering crater.[1]
History[edit]
- "I catch a glimpse of green out of the corner of my eye and then there’s this huge "whoomf" and the 'Hog goes end over end burning with Gaz still at the wheel. I was riding shotty with the M41 so I just unlatched and pushed off when we started going up into the air and there went the 'Hog and Gaz and all our gear cart-wheeling into the ravine."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[2]
The fuel rod gun's design lineage originated from ancient Sangheili flak cannons used during the War of Beginnings. In the earliest years of the Covenant, the fuel rod gun was a fixture of Covenant infantry.[1] The fuel rod gun was first encountered by UNSC personnel in 2531,