Canon

Shua'ee-pattern Locust

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

This article is about the Covenant quadrupedal excavator nicknamed the "Locust". For the Spartan armor of a similar name, see LOCUS-class Mjolnir.
Shua'ee-pattern Light Excavator
LocustHW.png
Production information

Manufacturer:

Assembly Forges[1][2]

Product line:

Excavator tier-1[3]

Model:

Locust

Technical specifications

Length:

5.8 meters (19 ft)[1][2]

Width:

12 meters (39 ft)[1][2]

Height:

6.8 meters (22.2 ft)[2]

Mass:

29.5 metric tons (29.0 LT; 32.5 ST)[2]

Engine(s):

Quadrupedal leg assembly

Other system(s):

Energy shielding

Armament:

1 light focus beam (charged plasma cannon)[4][5][6][1][2]

Crew:

1 pilot[1][2]

Usage

In service:

Role(s):

  • Excavation/ terrestrial mining platform
  • Siegeworks/ anti-fortification platform

Affiliation:

 

"Destroy those Locusts wherever you find them. They're building killers!"
— Sergeant John Forge[7]

The Shua'ee-pattern Light Excavator[2] (UNSC Type classification: Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform, T-30 LE/AFP)[1] or colloquially the Locust, is a quadrupedal Covenant vehicle used for mining and combat purposes. They are the lightest vehicles of the excavator class of mining/combat walkers in the Covenant.[8]

Among UNSC forces, Locusts have acquired a number of nicknames including the "Building Killer" and "Little Bug".[5][6]

Overview[edit]

Two Deutoros-pattern Scarab and two Shua'ee-pattern Locusts firing their focus cannons at UNSC units on the Halo Wars Skirmish map Chasm.
Locusts and Scarabs fighting together.

Design details[edit]

The Locust is a relatively small quadrupedal walker, featuring four fully-articulated legs capable of traversing most terrain - [2] including climbing up and over sheer cliffs.[9] The centre of the leg assembly contains a single rotating turret based on the canopy of the Banshee ground support flyer,[5][6] which houses the vehicle's primary armament. The turret has a full 360 degree rotation capability, allowing the vehicle to aim at anything it can see. The cockpit is capable of seating one Sangheili or Jiralhanae pilot[10][1][2] - unlike both the larger excavator models (such as Scarabs) and other Locust models used by the Banished, which utilise a lekgolo colony to drive the vehicle.

The vehicle was originally designed purely as an excavation tool - intended for use in mining resources and unearthing Forerunner reliquaries. Consequently, they are lightly-armoured[5][6] and susceptible to being easily damaged in combat. During the Human-Covenant War, they were upgraded to see the inclusion of an energy shield module to better-protect the vehicle after it was pressed into combat operations against humanity.[1] The Locust can be upgraded with a Shield Amplifier, which further-upgrades the shields to have a faster recharge time.[5][6]

Armament[edit]

The Locust's primary armament is a single light focus cannon, alternatively termed a "charged plasma cannon" [2] - rated as equivalent to a heavy plasma cannon.[1] The weapon can be upgraded with an Overdrive module - allowing the vehicle to divert power from its shields to increase the power output of the cannon.[5][6]

Operational history[edit]

Human-Covenant War[edit]

In February 2531 Locusts were used by Covenant forces on Arcadia and Trove in long-range artillery roles against UNSC forces.[9][7][11]

In 2548, at least six Locusts were used by the Covenant forces on Meridian to excavate a Forerunner artifact buried underneath the town of Brume-sur-Mer.[12][13][14][15]

In 2552, several Locusts were used for excavation operations at Menachite