HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis

The Mantis is a powered exoskeleton/armored fighting vehicle used by the UNSC Marine Corps after the Human-Covenant War.

Design details
Standing roughly twenty feet tall, the Mantis is similar in appearance to the larger Cyclops Mark II. Its spindly legs and tiny "thorax" give the Mantis a passing resemblance to its namesake, as do its heavily weaponized arms. The right arm features a large-caliber rotary cannon, while the left arm bears five rocket pods. The Mantis is also equipped with energy shields.

Service history
The Mantis was first used by the Marines aboard the prowler. In 2557, the carried at least two Mantis vehicles. After Infinity was drawn inside the shield world Requiem, Spartan John-117 used this Mantis against Storm forces in the vicinity of the ship's crash site.

Production notes
Given its turret profile, armament, and dimensions, the Mantis greatly resembles the Gekko biomechanical fighting vehicle from the 2008 video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. A large, port-side, front-facing radar dome is reminiscent of the prototype metal gear REX first introduced in 1998's Metal Gear Solid and reintroduced in Guns of the Patriots. Another vehicle it bears resemblance to is the Goliath from the strategy game 'StarCraft'.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4