Fuel rod cannon

Were you looking for the closely related shoulder-mounted Fuel Rod Gun or for the Hunter's variant?

The fuel rod cannon is a Covenant vehicle-mounted projectile weapon. The fuel rod cannon is a larger and more powerful version of the Type-33 LAAW, with anti-vehicle and anti-air applications. It is employed by a variety of vehicles, including Banshees, Anti-Air Wraiths and a variant of the T-26 Shade turret.

Design
The weapon fires fuel rods, caseless projectiles which contain radioactive, highly explosive material encased in a transparent shell. The colloquialism "fuel rod", commonly used by the UNSC to refer to the weapon's ammunition, is technically incorrect; it originates from the projectiles' resemblance to how nuclear fuel rods are commonly depicted in popular culture.

This weapon functions in a similar fashion to the man-portable Type-33 LAAW, but the fuel rods fired by the cannon are larger and more damaging. Most fuel rod weapons, including the T33 LAAW, fire ammunition designated as Class-2, which is effective against armor and infantry on short ranges. For anti-air combat, however, the Covenant employ a more effective type of fuel rod, designated as Class-3. Although visually identical to the Class-2 rounds, Class-3 fuel rods are more powerful, have a greater range, and are capable of tracking the heat signatures of vehicles.

Usage
Banshees are equipped with a single fuel rod cannon for attacking hardened ground targets, while Anti-Air Wraiths are fitted with two pods of three. Fuel rod Shades are equipped with a single fuel rod cannon.

The Mgalekgolo's assault cannon uses similar technology, as it fires bolts of green incendiary fluid.

The fuel rod cannon is a powerful weapon, and vehicles equipped with them are not to be taken lightly. Banshees often use the weapon to soften a target before finishing it with its medium plasma cannons. The Banshee's version of the weapon can only fire one shot before having to reload, but makes up for this with its virtually unlimited ammunition. These are especially lethal to light vehicles, such as a Ghost or Mongoose, which will be sent flying by the explosion. The projectiles are slow and have a noticeable arc, and can usually be easily avoided by distant targets. However, the tracking technology used on some cannons makes it difficult for vehicles to avoid their bolts.

The fuel rod cannon is included in Halo Wars, functioning as the Anti-Vehicle upgrade for the Covenant Turret.

Trivia

 * In Halo 3, on Heroic or Legendary, if an Anti-Air Wraith gets a direct hit on the player, it will kill him/her instantly. However, it is rather rare for an Anti-Air Wraith to attack ground targets.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo 3: ODST, T-33 LAAWs or Fuel Rod Guns are referred to as Fuel Rod Cannons.

Related pages

 * Assault cannon
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery