Semi-Powered Infiltration armor

The Semi-Powered Infiltration armor (SPI armor) is a UNSC combat armor system designed with an emphasis on stealth through the use of special photoreactive panels. Although early versions of the SPI system were tested by Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, the armor was most prominently issued to the Spartan-III supersoldiers. With over 2000 units of SPI armor manufactured during the Human-Covenant War, the SPI armor had been mostly phased out of use by Spartan-IIIs by 2558, although the photoreactive plating technology has seen limited but successful use in several special operations ODST units. The SPI armor was developed by the Watershed Division, with Ruk Ariaustin as design lead.

Overview
Described as "part legionnaire mail, part tactical body armor, and part chameleon", the SPI armor features photoreactive panels that mimic the surrounding textures, effectively being the UNSC equivalent to the Covenant's active camouflage systems. The SPI armor features a full body armor with an enclosed helmet and heads-up display. The undersuit is equipped with a cushioning layer of liquid nanocrystal that provides more ballistic protection than three centimeters of Kevlar diamond weave, without the bulk. The hardened armor plates, though advanced compared to standard UNSC infantry armor, can only take a few glancing blows before failing.

Though more advanced than the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers' body armor, the SPI armor is less powerful than the MJOLNIR armor originally issued to the SPARTAN-IIs. Its main benefit is that it is drastically cheaper to produce than Mjolnir. It is also not as bulky or as heavy as the Mjolnir armor, making it easier to handle and transport. The SPI suit does not significantly enhance the user's physical performance (i.e. strength, speed, agility), and unlike Mjolnir, it can be worn by any individual and does not require special neurological, skeletal or muscular augmentation; for example, the unaugmented instructors for the Spartan-IIIs often wore SPI armor. It is also made of a less durable, less dense alloy than Mjolnir armor: Kelly-087 dented a Spartan-III's chest plate with her fist when first encountering the Spartan-IIIs.

The SPI armor lacks an energy shielding system, making the user far more vulnerable to enemy fire and was a major contributor to the high fatality rate of the Spartan-IIIs. The exception to this limitation could be found in the Spartan-III Headhunters: their experimental armor was equipped with energy shields, due to their elite nature and value. However, power must be drawn from the energy shields to recharge the suit's active camouflage module.

Mark I
The Mark I was the first, experimental iteration of the SPI system used by the Spartan-IIIs of Alpha Company. The featured photoreactive panels gave the Spartans of Alpha Company a rough equivalent to active camouflage. The camouflage patterns, however, shifted irregularly and imperfectly, which made the photoreactive panels inferior compared to the Covenant's active camouflage technologies.

Mark II
The Mark II was an improvement of the SPI Mark I, first used by the drill instructors of Beta Company, and then by the Spartans of Beta and Gamma Companies. The armor sports new photoreactive coating to boost its camouflaging properties. Although the new photoreactive coating can mimic a wide range of electromagnetic radiation, it is still sensitive to overload, making the wearer vulnerable for several seconds after a flashbang or plasma hit while the panels reset.

The armor was proposed by Kurt Ambrose in 2537 for Alpha Company, but the request was denied because the armor was over budget. After Alpha Company's Pyrrhic victory in Operation: PROMETHEUS, the Mark II was approved for mass production. After the augmentation of Gamma Company, small adjustments were installed into the Mark II SPI armor, including experimental refits to the ballistic gel layers, upgraded software suites, and other functions, slated to be introduced to the systems prior to Gamma Company's deployment in 2552. One minor improvement is that the armor is now hermetically sealed and contains an internal oxygen supply.

Armor components

 * Helmet: The SPI helmet features a large, bulbous faceplate somewhat similar to that of the MJOLNIR EVA variant. The visor is normally gold-mirrored in color and can be depolarized. The helmet supports a heads-up display with features similar to that of the MJOLNIR system, including TACMAP, TEAMBIO and TEAMCOM interfaces, a motion tracker, as well as team status lights. The visor suite features an automatic magnification and image enhancement system controlled by the wearer's eye movements. For example, if the wearer squints while looking at a particular spot the system will automatically zoom in. Both the image enhancement and the visor's internal polarization can also be controlled manually. The helmet possesses tactical lights and a defogging vent to remove internal moisture.


 * Techsuit: The bodysuit of the SPI system is composed of a layered mesh of ballistic liquid nanocrystal that is significantly more effective than traditional body armor materials such as Kevlar whilst being less bulky. The techsuit's leggings and sleeves can be removed independently.


 * Photoreactive panels: The outer shell of the SPI armor comprises a series of lightweight laminate plates with a photoreactive coating. While matte gray when inert, the photoreactive panels act as active camouflage when active, effectively blending the wearer with their environment. The coating also renders the wearer nearly invisible to infrared and passive light-gathering systems. Since the photoreactive plates take time to recover after explosions such as a flashbang grenade and plasma hits, the wearer is visible until the plates recover. With the exception of the Headhunters' suits, the SPI armor does not feature energy field-based active camouflage systems like those of the Covenant.


 * Rift-class gauntlets: The SPI suit is equipped with shock-resistant and force-amplifying gauntlets.


 * Tactile bracers: The bracer armor pieces around the boots grant slight improvements to speed and dexterity with negligible shielding reduction.


 * Environmental controls: The suit possesses rudimentary environmental regulation system to maintain a comfortable temperature for the wearer. However, the system is not designed for extended use and it will become increasingly uncomfortable to wear if used continuously over long periods of time. As of 2552, the Mark II SPI armor is also fully sealed and contains an internal oxygen supply. The armor also has an efficient cooling system and is significantly difficult to detect even with thermal scanners.


 * Biofoam injection ports: Like MJOLNIR, the SPI armor has dedicated ports allowing the quick injection of biofoam or other battlefield pharmaceuticals.


 * Data socket: The SPI armor's gauntlet features a data port to which small electronic devices such as data pads can be connected.

Production note
The SPI armor is referred to as "PR" twice in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. No context or explanation is provided for this alternate designation, although it is possible that the suit was known as "PR" (likely an acronym for "PhotoReactive") in an earlier revision of the novel's manuscript and that the presence of the two mentions in the final book is an editing oversight.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Headhunters
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: Last Light