Editing Orbital bombardment

{{Status|Canon}}

'''Orbital bombardment''', or '''ortillery''',{{Ref/Game|H3|Armor customization (Halo 3)|Armory|Detail=[[ODST armor/COMM|ODST/COMM]] Description|Quote=The ensemble for an ODST that wants to reach out and touch someone with artillery and ortillery support.}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFHotDrops|D=28|M=2|Y=2021|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/hot-drops|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Hot Drops}} is the act of bombarding targets on a planetary surface from orbit. 

==Covenant==
{{Main|Glassing}}
While the [[Covenant]] sometimes perform glassing from close range near the surface, the most common practice is to fire lances of magnetically contained [[plasma]] to the planet surface from orbit. As the plasma bolt impacts the ground, the magnetic field collapses and everything in the impact zone is vaporized instantly. Most commonly, this is performed by Covenant warships covering the entire planet in crisscrossing orbits until the entire surface has been destroyed.{{Ref/Novel|FS|Chapter=11|Page=105}}

==UNSC==
While [[human]]ity lacks the ship-borne plasma weapons the Covenant possess, the kinetic energy released by a [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] vessel's [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] round impacting a planetary surface can deal equally devastating damage within a localized radius. Notable instances of MAC strikes include those employed by the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}, {{UNSCShip|Majestic}} and the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}. Judging by its effects, the ''Spirit of Fire's'' MAC is seemingly less powerful or fired on a lower power setting than the MAC guns on most UNSC ships, as the damage done by a MAC round fired at full velocity would be immensely greater,{{Ref/Game|HW}} although the damage done by ''Infinity'' and ''Majestic'' would be consistent with such energy being released.{{Ref/Novel|TTW|Page=308}}

The UNSC may also use [[nuclear weapon]]s as a form of bombardment. While the UNSC often uses nuclear weapons during ground and orbital engagements, the use of such armaments to bombard a planet's surface from orbit is rare. The only widely known instance of this occurring is during the rebellion on the [[Far Isle]] colony in [[2492]].{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Page=183}} It should be noted that both conventional and nuclear bombardments are far less effective at neutralizing a planet than either glassing or the use of a [[NOVA Bomb]].

The UNSC's [[H-165 target locator]] is a [[laser]] pointer that can be used by ground forces to identify targets for small-scale orbital bombardment from an orbiting ship.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyWmnbni02U&feature=player_embedded ''YouTube'': ''Halo Reach Firefight 2.0 Gameplay Footage'']</ref>

On [[2559#October|October 14, 2559]], during the [[Battle of Epsilon Clarion]], [[Veta Lopis]] had the ''Spirit of Fire'' perform an orbital bombardment using [[EMP]] MAC rounds on the Ark's [[Epsilon Clarion]] installation. The bombardment reduced the facility to molten slag while the EMP fried all electronics in the area. The facility's destruction prevented the attempt by the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] and [[Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant]] to fire the [[Halo Array]] while at the same time destroying the [[archeon-class ancilla]] [[Intrepid Eye]].{{Ref/Novel|DW}}

On [[2559#December|December 15, 2559]], the {{UNSCShip|Victory of Samothrace}} launched an orbital strike on the [[Lithos]] in the middle of [[Tyrrhen]] on [[Boundary]] using the ship's SARISSA-class [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] in order to deny the Lithos to the [[Banished]] and [[Sali 'Nyon's Covenant]].{{Ref/Novel|ET|35}} The strike inflicted significant casualties upon both the Banished and the Covenant, eliminating thousands of personnel and assets massed at the site.{{Ref/Novel|ET|44}} In addition, the energy released from the Lithos' destruction vaporized dozens of enemy ships in orbit and severely damaged others who were either cast adrift or sent on a collision course with the planet's surface.{{Ref/Novel|ET|Detail=Adjunct}} The shockwave also caused [[War Chief]] [[Severan]] and [[Sali 'Nyon]]'s Phantoms to crash,{{Ref/Novel|ET|36}} giving Severan the chance to hunt down and kill 'Nyon, although [[Dovo Nesto]] escaped.{{Ref/Novel|ET|40}}

==Forerunner==
The [[Forerunner]]s maintained weapons known as [[glimmerlance]]s for orbital bombardment. These weapons have since been repurposed by the [[Created]], with [[Executor]]s able to use the [[Chimera (armor)|TAG Plugin]] to designate targets for such strikes.{{Ref/Game|HINF|Armor customization (Halo Infinite)|Armor Hall|Detail=TAG Plugin wrist description|Quote=Forearm-mounted target designator for orbital glimmerlances.}}

==Ancient Human==
The [[Ancestors|prehistoric human civilization]] possessed powerful starship-based energy weaponry, and their fleets were capable of sterilizing entire planets.{{Ref/Game|H4|Detail=[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminal 2]]}}

==Improvised weapons==
[[File:HW2 Enduring Salvo.jpg|thumb|Debris from the destruction of ''Enduring Conviction'' is directed onto [[Banished]] forces.]]
In addition to using weapons specifically designed for the task, orbital bombardment can be performed by de-orbiting or dropping asteroids or other objects to a planetary target. Such was the case in the concluding moments of the [[Battle of Metisette]], when the [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] [[Juliana]] de-orbited [[the Rubble]] so that [[Hesiod]]'s moon [[Metisette]] would collide with the Rubble's former asteroid habitats, making them rain down on [[the Redoubt]].{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Page=311}}

In ''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', one of the leader powers granted to [[Jerome-092]] is to direct rubble from the destroyed [[CAS-class assault carrier]], ''[[Enduring Conviction]]'', down onto an enemy force as an improvised orbital strike.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HW Screenshots E3 11.jpg|A MAC round from the ''Spirit of Fire'' impacts the ground.
File:Reach FF Courtyard03.jpg|An orbital strike hitting a {{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}.
File:Covenant Destroyers Glass Harvest.jpg|Covenant {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}s glassing [[Harvest]] from orbit.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Homecoming]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Dirt]]''
**''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Blunt Instruments]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
**''[[The Return]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Data pads]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Empty Throne]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Space weapon|"Space weapon" article on Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Military tactics]]