Rampart point defense gun
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The Rampart point-defense network is a line of point-defense guns heavily utilised by the warships of the CMA Navy and UNSC Navy. They are one of the most commonly-utilised point-defence weapons in naval service, with multiple models in service.[1]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
Ramparts are 50mm coilguns used for the purposes of point-defence. Due to the sheer speed that space warfare takes place at, targeting inbound missiles and space fighters is impossible for a human operator.[2] As such, Ramparts are generally fully-automated and controlled by a ship's artificial intelligence - though control can be surrendered to manual operation if deemed necessary.[3]
A single Rampart turret consists of twin-[4] or quad-mounted 50mm[1] rapid-fire coilguns and a targeting scanner.[5] Some models may be additionally fitted with a boxy armoured housing surrounding the gun mechanisms, while other models lack the housing entirely.
Point defense guns such as these are used for the engagement of incoming threats, including the warding off of strikecraft and the disruption of plasma torpedoes;[2] each emplacement actively switches between sub-caliber armor-piercing sabots or proximity detonation fragmentation shells based on a threat-analysis of its current target in order to maximise effectiveness.[5]
Models[edit]
M800 Rampart[edit]
The M800 Rampart point defense gun is a kinetic point-defense gun utilized by the UNSC Navy. The refitted Phoenix-class support ship UNSC Spirit of Fire is armed with forty of these turrets.[6]
M870 Rampart[edit]
M870s are most commonly mounted on lighter vessels of the UNSC Navy and CMA Navy, particularly corvettes and frigates. They also see some use on destroyers and carriers, with no known usage on cruisers and supercarriers. They are primarily employed on the warships constructed between the late-24th century and early 26th century, with their earliest known usage being on the Mako-class corvette, launched in 2388.[7] They seem to have been mostly succeeded aboard larger and more modern ships by the M910 Rampart model, which began to see service aboard the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser in 2493[8]
Despite this, the M870 did see constant usage as a common fixture in the Human-Covenant War of the early-mid 26th century, and a handful of post-war era vessels have made use of it.
- Stations
- Refit station - 7x M870 Ramparts[9]
- Carriers
- Epoch-class heavy carrier - 12x M870 Ramparts[10][11]
- Orion-class assault carrier - 12x M870 Ramparts[11]
- Poseidon-class light carrier - 20x M870 Ramparts[11]
- Destroyers
- Able-class heavy destroyer 2525 refit - 8x M870 Ramparts[12]
- Hillsborough-class heavy destroyer - 7x M870 Ramparts[13]
- Halberd-class light destroyer - 4x M870 Ramparts[13][14]
- Frigates
- Charon-class light frigate - 4x M870 Ramparts[15][16]
- Mulsanne-class light frigate - 12x M870 Ramparts[16]
- Paris-class heavy frigate - 12x M870 Ramparts[16]
- Stalwart-class light frigate - 6x M870 Ramparts[16][17]
- Strident-class heavy frigate - 6x M870 Ramparts[16][5]
- Corvettes
- Gladius-class heavy corvette - 6x M870 Ramparts[2][7]
- Mako-class corvette - 2x M870 Ramparts[7]
- Scholte-class missile corvette - 4x M870 Ramparts[18]
- Prowlers
- Razor-class prowler - 2x M870 Ramparts[7]
M910 Rampart[edit]
The M910 Rampart is a heavier alternative in the Rampart series of point-defense guns, primarily outfitted on the heavy warships of the UNSC; cruisers and battleships. It was in service as early as 2493 aboard the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser and was later a standard installment on successor cruiser classes - with the notable exception of the Marathon-class heavy cruiser. The foremost exception to the trend of M910s installed on large combatants is the usage of the M910 aboard the Point Blank-class prowler, a stealth warship class often itself nicknamed a "stealth cruiser".
For smaller combatants and carriers, the M870 Rampart is often used in a similar role. On at least the Halcyon-class light cruiser, the M910 Ra