M95 Lance

Were you looking for the M97 Lance, the larger, exoatmospheric missile battery?

The M95 Lance Guided Missile Weapon System is a human-made surface-to-air missile battery predominantly employed by the United Nations Space Command.

Design details
The M95 Lance is one of the most prominent of the dozens of variants in the Lance SAM launcher series created by Misriah Armory, alongside the larger M97 model mounted on UNSC starships. The system can be mounted on the same shared emplacement base as the M71 Scythe rotary cannon, and consists of a rotating mount which holds a launcher containing six 85mm M4510 ASGM-7 surface-to-air missiles. The Lance is a fully-automated system and can be linked into the UNSC battle network to coordinate with other Lances in the region to coordinate fire, overwhelm specific targets and share oversight of a region. When in operation, the M95 is considered to have extraordinary range and accuracy, and is capable of being used to target aircraft and even warships well beyond the reach of more conventional anti-air weapons - even capable of conducting over-the-horizon attacks against targets out of visible range.

Unlike its M97 Lance sister model which is designed for both atmospheric and space warfare use, the M95 Lance is a predominantly ground warfare weapon - though it does fire the same munitions.

Operational history
The M95 Lance model entered service in 2415. It continued to stay popular in UNSC armouries throughout the Insurrection and all the way into the later stages of the Human-Covenant War. In August 2552, during the Siege of New Alexandria, two M95 Lance missile batteries were used by SPARTAN-B312 to cripple a Covenant holding station over the city, thus allowing three Egret Spaceliners to evacuate the city. In October 2559, M95 Lance batteries were used by the Viery Militia during Operation: WOLFE.

Production notes
This weapon emplacement was originally referred to as the "M950 Lance" on Halo Waypoint. It was later renamed to the M95 in a mention in Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, something which was later reinforced in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition).

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach