M820 Scorpion

This article is about the iteration of the Scorpion tank introduced in Halo 5: Guardians. For other uses, see Scorpion (disambiguation).

M820 Scorpion
Production information
Manufacturer:	Chalybs Defense Solutions
Product line:	Scorpion
Model:	M820
Technical specifications
Length:	10.2 meters (33 ft)
Width:	8.5 meters (28 ft)
Height:	5.7 meters (19 ft)
Mass:	31.7 metric tons (31.2 LT; 34.9 ST)
Maximum speed:	128.7 kilometers per hour (80.0 mph)
Armament:	1 M990 electrothermal-chemical smoothbore cannon 1 M247T machine gun One coaxial machine gun
Crew:	One operator, one gunner
Complement:	Up to four passengers
Usage
Year introduced:	2557
In service:	Post-Covenant War conflicts
Role(s):	Anti-armor platform Direct assault and localized defense
Affiliation:	United Nations Space Command

The M820 Main Battle Tank (M820 MBT), commonly known as the Scorpion, is the United Nations Space Command's primary main battle tank, introduced in 2557. Manufactured by Chalybs Defense Solutions, the M820 Scorpion is the successor of the M808 model used throughout the Human-Covenant War.

Overview

Design details

The M820 Main Battle Tank is similar in most respects to its predecessor, the M808 Scorpion—it is a lightly built, highly mobile weapons platform, utilizing four independently operating tracked bogies for high maneuverability on rugged terrain, and features a low hull profile with a highly placed cannon, with a cuppola pintle-mounted crew-serviced machine gun and room on the bogies for limited troop transport. It differs from the M808 in a number of important ways, however, it is significantly lighter than its 66 ton predecessor—at only 35 tons—and can achieve a top speed of 128.7 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour), a significant improvement over the M808's top speed of 96.5 kmph (60 mph). However, it does not exchange mass for armor protection, retaining its survivability. More importantly, the new Scorpion is built from the ground up with new technologies and techniques, lacking the Scorpion's deferred technology revisions and historical compromises.

Armaments

The Scorpion is outfitted with a 150mm M990 electrothermal-chemical smoothbore cannon, breaking legacy ammo compatibility with its M808 predecessor. Instead, the M820 Scorpion's cannon accommodates both planned cannon-launched guided munitions and future advances in energetic propellants. The variant used by Office of Naval Intelligence security forces uses an experimental ammunition, and a variant of the Scorpion currently in skunkworks development by Hannibal Weapon Systems is set to incorporate directed-energy weapons, a laser-firing primary cannon and a Gauss repeater turret. The mainline M820 Scorpion is also armed with a pintle-mounted M247T machine gun, alongside a coaxial machine gun adjacent to the main cannon.

Variants

• Corp Scorpion: An up-armored variant used by Liang Dortmund security forces to defend remote installations.
• Tundra Scorpion: A Scorpion variant featuring tundra camouflage and better armor than the Corp variant.
• Urban Scorpion: A Scorpion variant featuring urban camouflage and better armor than the Corp variant. Used by UNSC Army and UNSC Marine Corps units for deployment against Insurrectionists in urban areas.
• Woodland Scorpion: A Scorpion variant featuring improved off-road maneuverability, simplifies air transport into remote areas and has better armor than the Corp variant.
• ONI Scorpion: The ONI "security" Scorpion features heavier armor than the Urban variant and has an upgraded cannon utilizing experimental ammunition.
• XM820B4 Scorpion: Also known as the Hannibal Scorpion, the XM820B4 is a variant upgraded by Hannibal Weapon Systems, serving as one of the corporation's several test bed tanks, outfitted with heavy armor and a directed-energy weapon.