Spade

Spade

Production information
Manufacturer:	TurboGen
Product line:	TurboGen all-terrain transport series
Technical specifications
Length:	6.2 meters (20 ft)^[1]
Width:	3.1 meters (10 ft)^[1]
Engine(s):	M96 compound energy methane engine^[1]
Crew:	One driver One passenger

The Spade is a civilian flatbed truck manufactured by TurboGen. The latest installment in TurboGen's line of all-terrain transport vehicles, the Spade is a versatile, rugged, and rather affordable vehicle, making it very popular among colonial settlers.^[1]

Overview[edit]

The Spade is primarily used among heavy-industry workers and farmers who operate in rugged environments; the vehicle is named after the Spadehorn, a bovid indigenous to Reach, which belies the truck's use among farmers.^[1] It is also used by civilians on Tribute.^[2]

As its name suggests, the Spade features an independent-wheel drive system, giving it the ability to traverse difficult terrain with relative ease. It is powered by an M96 compound energy methane engine, which is capable of powering the truck for long periods of time in physically demanding locales. The Spade's flatbed can carry large quantities of supplies, and a tow cable is mounted to the front grille, adding to the vehicle's utility. The Spade is available in a wide variety of colors.^[1]

The Spade is designed for operations on rugged colonial worlds that possess only minimal infrastructure. The Spade and its sibling frontier trucks share parts – and handling characteristics – with the ubiquitous M12 Warthog, which meant that many recruits were already proficient with basic vehicle maintenance and off-road driving skills before they ever arrive at UNSC boot camp.^[3]

Trivia[edit]

The Spade was known as the "Pioneer" in early concept art.
In-game, the Spade uses the Warthog's entity tags. If the player approaches Jorge-052 while he is riding the vehicle, the message "Hold X to ride in Warthog" will appear instead of the vehicle's own tag. In addition, in the meta-game stats, Halo Waypoint stats, and on Bungie.net, kills with the Spade appear as Warthog kills.
The logo on the hood is similar to that of the Dodge Ram, with the horns modified to look like spades. This logo depicts the vehicle's animal namesake, the Spadehorn.
Like most civilian vehicles, and unlike the Warthog and the Mongoose, the Spade's horn can be sounded continuously.
The vehicle, along with the unidentified civilian transport craft, made an appearance in the Halo 4 multiplayer map Landfall.^[2]
The Spade is much larger in Halo 4 than in Halo Reach, and it cannot be driven.^{[citation needed]}