M19 SSM Rocket Launcher

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The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher is a heavy ordnance weapon used by UNSC forces in the Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 eras to combat armored vehicles.

Summary
The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, alternatively called the Jackhammer, Pain, and SPNKr a reference to the rocket launcher in the Marathon (Video Game Series). The M19 is a heavy ordnance weapon of the UNSC arsenal used in Halo: Combat Evolved. It fires a 102mm Shaped-Charge High-Explosive Surface to Surface Missile, as shown on Ammo Box in Halo Graphic Novel. The launcher sports a 2x scope and can fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy, although it falls in altitude and moves at a very slow rate if fired from a long distance.

The weapon consists of two disposable barrels and the weapon unit, allowing two consecutive shots. When reloading, the spent barrels are discarded and a new pair inserted. With this mechanism, a Marine can greatly reduce the weight he carries without throwing the weapon away, and reduced production costs as only the barrels are thrown away. A Spartan wielding one is also very effective, since their augmentations have given them the ability to wield both a Rocket Launcher and a small sidearm at the same time, though this is only seen in a cinematic in the Halo 2 level Delta Halo, and cannot be done during actual gameplay.

Advantages
The Rocket Launcher spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area. It is capable of taking out entire groups of targets at any range and can kill both the passengers and crew of nearly any vehicle (with the exception of the Scorpion Tank or Wraith which takes two to three hits) with one direct hit. It is very useful for killing Hunters, which are often the most difficult enemies to kill. For an anti-tank weapon it is capable of inflicting mass damage to tanks and wraiths because of its ability to quickly launch two consecutive shots, so it is effective in close range assaults against tanks. It was originally possible to kill someone with a single running or jumping version of the Rocket Launcher's melee attack. This has since been corrected. Also in Halo 2 and 3 it has a nice propulsion alternative for the "grenade jump" if done correctly. With the Rocket Launcher you do not have to have perfect aim as the blast's splash damage may be enough to kill them. The lock-on feature in Halo 2 makes aiming much easier and makes killing vehicles almost a guarantee. This feature was deleted in Halo 3 since the Missile Pod has the lock-on feature in a package that Bungie considers to be more balanced gameplay-wise. The rocket launcher is also very hard to dodge.

Disadvantages
A number of factors balance the rocket launcher's sheer power: The rocket, though powerful, is implemented in-game as an anti-vehicle weapon, not designed for engaging dismounted infantry. Thus its reload time is quite slow, as it takes about three to five seconds for the M19 to be fully reloaded. The rockets leave a trail of black smoke in their wake, giving away the operator's position and necessitating a fire-and-displace strategy of engagement. Ammunition is often limited or unavailable, and the player can carry a maximum of 10 rockets. the biggest disadvantage to a player is the blast range of a rocket, if fired too close the splash damage can severely injure or kill its operator if fired carelessly into surrounding terrain or at an enemy. The rocket travels slowly enough to be dodged, and trying to hit moving vehicles from long range will require very precise timing and a predictable opponent. In Halo 2, this is not an issue due to the homing missiles.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

 * Maximum ammo 8 rockets instead of 10.
 * Different firing sound effect.
 * Faster reload.
 * Faster melee.
 * Locks on to vehicles.
 * Ammunition indicated in scope when zoomed in.
 * HUD ammo indicator illustration changed.
 * Less firepower & splash damage.

Effective Against
Regularly most enemies, vehicles, and even particularly heavier vehicles such as the Wraith and Scorpion can be succumbed by one shot; one accurate shot can kill a Scorpion's driver in Halo: Combat Evolved. Two quick shots to the front or close up on the flank will destroy it. A Wraith may take two hits to the front before getting destroyed. Sometimes, it will take three, but in certain instances it will take one hit in the back to destroy it if the shot hits the exact weak spot. However, against enemy vehicles on their flanks and at medium ranges it is arguably useless and ineffective over the map, unless in flat terrain and using extreme leading. It performs poorly against Ghosts and Warthogs due to their high speed and agility. If fired at an oncoming vehicle at medium range it can usually be avoided. It can also be used with deadly efficiency in some of the indoor multiplayer levels if the player can predict the rockets impact point and where the target will be at that given time. This is easier than it sounds due to the "splash" radius of the rocket.

Influences
On the side of the M19 the labeling on the launcher and the rectangular cases that contain rocket ammunition has the words SPNKr. The M19 SSM is essentially a Halo Universe copy of the SPNKR-X17/18 SSM Launcher (Lazyboy) from the Marathon (Video Game Series). The the word "SPNKr" is a short abbreviation of the word Spanker and the line serves as an inside joke for both fans and Bungie of their former series. The joke is believed to simply refer to how you would simply get spanked when hit by the rocket. Alternatively the Marathon launcher was nicknamed the lazyboy as a possible joke to how if a player was too lazy to aim his weapon, all he had to do was fire a rocket at somebody.

Trivia

 * This version of the Rocket Launcher has a TEST button that, when pressed, spins the barrels around. This animation only happens when the player is idle.
 * A Halo 3 Rocket Launcher missile case game holder was released and sold by EB Games and GameStop to coincide with the release of Halo 3.
 * In the novel Halo: The Flood, Hunters can actually deflect rockets (that is, redirect it). This is highly improbable, as the rocket explodes the moment it comes in contact with anything, unless it is hit at its side. So a possible explanation is that the Hunters mentioned timed it perfectly and gave it a swift hit at the rocket's side. John-117 performed a similar feat with the help of Cortana during a test on Reach.
 * In Halo 2, if a player drives a vehicle to the top of the hill in a given map, and another player stands a certain distance away, locks on, drags the aiming reticule away to a certain point, and releases, the rocket will actually fly around the vehicle in a perfect circle until something gets in the way or the hill player moves. Furthermore, if the player in the vehicle gets out, the rocket will stop homing on to the vehicle and fly off at a random circular trajectory. This glitch is also seen in Halo 3 with the missile pod.
 * While your shields are upgraded to Overshield status, aim at the ground, jump, and fire a rocket at your jumps peak to be given a moderate jump boost. This is because the explosive shock wave of the rocket launcher causes you to fly a little, but is also only possible because during the short (around 2.5 second) that your overshields charge, you are temporarily invincible.
 * Strangely, in Halo: CE, it is the only weapon which Marines cannot pick up even if you bump-possess them. This is because they do not have the animation for it.
 * If you seat yourself as a passenger in an enemy's Warthog in Halo 2, and have the Rocket Launcher with you, you can lock onto to the vehicle as long as the driver is not on your team. It takes one to two shots to kill you both, although the gunner can survive.
 * The only known image of a Marine wielding the Rocket Launcher in the "Combat Evolved"-era is on the concept cover for Halo: The Flood in the lower left-hand corner.
 * Strangely, the M19 is written as "M41 SSR MAV/AV" in-game. This is wrong, as it is actually an M19 SSM.
 * With the help of the sputnik skull, a rocket launcher melee in Halo 2 will instantly kill anyone, if falling down from a jump, without shields besides hunters and some shielded enemies. This also goes for the master chief's shields as hitting your co op team mate will instantly kill him. Although an Ultra Elite's shields are too strong and can withstand it.

Related Pages

 * M19-B SAM Missile Launcher
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW
 * Fuel Rod Gun