Canon

Fury tactical nuclear weapon

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

This article is about the nuclear weapon. For the Storm rifle, see Fury (Storm rifle).
Fury Tactical Nuclear Weapon
HReach-FuryMFDDTacNuke.png
Production overview

Manufacturer:

Misriah Armory

Type:

Medium Fusion Destructive Device

Specifications

Length:

30.5 centimeters (12 inches)

Ammunition type:

Fissile Material

Yield:

Around 1 megaton

Effective range:

1.3 km blast radius

Service history

In service:

Human-Covenant War

 

The Fury tactical nuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon used by the United Nations Space Command. Designated as a Medium Fusion Destructive Device, it has a yield of slightly less than a megaton[1] and was manufactured by Misriah Armory.[2]

Background[edit]

The Fury tactical nuclear weapon is a battlefield nuclear weapon used by the UNSC, and has been described as the closest equivalent in the UNSC arsenal to "a nuclear grenade". It is the size and shape of an over-inflated football. Its yield has been stated to be slightly less than one megaton. The nuclear blast has been described as extremely clean,[3] and in a planet with an atmosphere, left a crater sixty meters deep and 400 meters wide. Its heat flash could incinerate everything within two kilometers of the nuke,[4] while the conflagration zone fell just short of eight kilometers.[5] The Fury is relatively effective at destroying anything from a Covenant base to a Covenant cruiser, although the Fury would have to be inserted into the ship prior to detonation.

Operational history[edit]

Human-Covenant War[edit]

Main article: Operation: SILENT STORM

In 2526 during the Battle of Seoba, a one-megaton Fury in the engineering compartment acted as the self-destruct device for the prowler UNSC Starry Night. Activated by Linda-058, the explosion destroyed both the prowler and the Covenant ship attempting to capture it.[6]

Later, during the attack on the Covenant world of Zhoist, the Spartans and the Black Daggers working with them armed themselves with one Fury per team along with their other nuclear ordnance. After reaching a Covenant space elevator, Lieutenant Small Bear planted Blue Team's Fury near the elevator on a forty minute timer on John-117's command.[7] Blue Team and some of Third Platoon managed to reach a transit tube in time at the elevator's terminus in the Ring of Mighty Abundance. When the Fury detonated, the shockwave traveled up the gravity lift tens of thousands of kilometers to the Ring, though it was much reduced in power when it arrived.[8] Green Team also planted a Fury by the space elevator they used and the detonation of both destroyed two of the Ten Cities of Edification on Zhoist.[9]

During the Battle of Netherop, the UNSC Night Watch's self-destruct Fury was activated by Lieutenant Commander Amalea Petrov after it had crash-landed on Netherop. Though the UNSC forces were able to reach safety, two Castoffs that got too close to the ship were vaporized.[5] Another warhead would be used for later detonating the ONI salvage ship UNSC Phyllis Wheatley.[10]

An MFDD was used by Noble Team to destroy the Ket-pattern battlecruiser Sanctity of Purification during the Battle of Fumirole during the Human-Covenant War. The attack was carried out by Thom-A293, who infiltrated the warship's internal hangar bay where he deployed the weapon, completely destroying the vessel and all hands aboard at the cost of his own life.[11]

Fall of Reach[edit]

Main article: Fall of Reach

During the attack on Reach, Spartans Frederic-104, Kelly-087, and Joshua-029, operating as Alpha Red Team, destroyed a Covenant cruiser by capturing a trio of Banshees and throwing a Fury into its gravity lift. This tactic used the Covenant cruiser's own shield to buffer most of the electromagnetic pulse given off by the warhead and essentially prevented damage to the nearby generators powering Reach's orbital MAC guns. Another reason for this tactic was that the Fury's explosion rebounded upon itself inside the cruiser, absolutely gutting the vessel and protecting the three Spartans flying away. Kelly-087 remarked that "It'll also turn that ship into the biggest fragmentation grenade in history".[12]

By destroying the Covenant cruiser, they halted an initial invasion force in the area, killing over ten thousand Covenant troops, though Joshua was killed during the operation.[13]

Trivia[edit]

  • The first visual appearance of the Fury MFDD in the Deliver Hope trailer was designed by Bungie's veteran concept artist Isaac Hannaford.[2] The concept art of the Fury shows framework attached to the underside of the device, while the prop in the trailer has this framework removed. This was for the purpose of making the prop easier to carry around during acting.[2]
  • In Greek and Roman mythology, a Fury, also called an Erinyes, is a winged chthonic deity of vengeance.

Gallery[edit]

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Halo: First Strike, chapter 3
  2. ^ a b c Bungie Weekly Update 08.27.10
  3. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 20
  4. ^ Halo: Oblivion, Chapter 7
  5. ^ a b Halo: Oblivion, Chapter 8
  6. ^ Halo: Silent Storm, chapter 15
  7. ^ Halo: Silent Storm, chapter 25
  8. ^ Halo: Silent Storm, pages 347-353
  9. ^ Halo: Silent Storm, Epilogue
  10. ^ Halo: Oblivion
  11. ^ Halo: Reach: Deliver Hope trailer
  12. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 25
  13. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 31