OF92 Booster Frame

The Open Frame 92/Extra-Vehicular Activity, or Booster Frame is an experimental starfighter in service with the UNSC Navy, developed by ONI as a prototype. They were specifically assigned for Extra-Vehicular Activity and Special Operations roles, dropped from hooks within the hangars of specialized UNSC ships. The ship itself has no sealed cockpit, so a pressurized suit must be worn in order to operate the vehicle.

Design details
The Booster Frame is a heavily-armed, open-frame incursive vehicle specifically intended for deep-space use and close-quarters environments. Its weapon loadout is designed primarily for "Disrupt/Overwhelm/Adapt" - a technique employed to deal with the twin problems of field-effect shielding and armor plating. When used in concert, the combination of EMP, explosive and projectile force can make surgical incisions in large-scale, otherwise impenetrable defenses.

It was specifically engineered for use by augmented SPARTAN-II units and is only usefully operable in zero/low-G and zero/low-atmosphere environments. It has no aerodynamic properties beyond its basic mass and thrust quotient. Booster Frames are deployed directly into vacuum through a specialized hydraulic winch system which extends from a ventral bay on a select number of modified UNSC warships and undisclosed ONI special service vehicles. The Booster Frame is also protected, at least partially, by energy shields.

Weapons
The Booster Frame is extremely heavily armed, leading to its classification as ammunition rather than a vehicle. In addition to the weaponry, the Booster Frame is equipped with chaff launchers to disrupt Plasma Torpedoes. Scanning devices can also be launched from the Booster Frames onto starship hulls, to scan for possible signal transmitters.


 * 1 M92 Principle Gauss Cannon - a powerful Magnetic Accelerator Weapon that runs along the length of the Booster Frame. As a drawback, it requires a long time to recharge.


 * 12 MITV Pods - contained in the Booster Frame's "wings". These pods contain numerous small missiles, capable of inflicting heavy damage upon Covenant shields and starship hulls alike.


 * 2 80mm ball-mounted rotary cannons - mounted on the undersides of the Booster Frame's "wings".


 * 1 M41 ELAAGat - Extended Light Anti-Aircraft Gun firing gas-jacketed armor piercing depleted uranium rounds. Contained within the rear part of the frame, this turret is capable of being operated by another soldier who can stand at the back and provide covering fire for the pilot. The turret is a variation of the M41 Vulcan Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, designed to be operable in vacuum. It fires shells with pressurized atmospheric contents to ensure an explosive percussion in a vacuum or other challenging environment.

Development history
OF92/EVA was developed by the Office of Naval Intelligence in conjunction with Naval Special Operations and the University of Songnam. As evidenced by its open cockpit design, it was developed alongside the MJOLNIR project and in tandem with the research done on EVA, or "extra-vehicular activity" technology following the Summa Deep Space Incident. As with many ONI projects, both the analysis and eventual materiel response were heavily classified. Because their overall cost clashes with their expendable nature, ONI and the UNSC have no plans for widespread application or production. In fact, it is technically classified by the Naval shipping and logistics organization as Aircraft Ammunition rather than Aircraft.

There are only two officially recorded missions where the Booster Frame's use has been logged. Five were used by SPARTAN-II Commandos in an assault on a Covenant fleet, in an attempt to board a ship and recover a "package," shown to perform extremely well against Covenant Seraphs.

Trivia

 * The Open Frame 92 Booster Frame bears thorough resemblance to the non-Halo mecha "Gundam Dendrobium Orchis", serial number RX-78GP03, designed by Hajime Katoki. The Booster Frame, designed by Shinji Aramaki of Casio, might have created the booster frame in this mecha design as a tribute to Katoki. Its weapon systems, including the slot-fired system of micro-missile pods, and the large main cannon, are all similar.
 * In the Halo Legends developer commentary for The Package Frank O'Connor states of the Booster Frames: "The canon is that these are weapons designed exactly for this mission and they're literally cobbled together from bits of other equipment and missile and weapon systems."

List of appearances

 * Halo Legends
 * The Package