M808B2 Sun Devil

The M808B2 Air Defense System, also known as the M808B2 "Sun Devil", is a a modified variant of the M808B Scorpion main battle tank, ostensibly used for anti-aircraft roles.

Design details
The Sun Devil is an air defense turret paired with a modified M808B Scorpion tank hull, designated the M808B2. The M808B2 features a full-rotation turret fitted with two pairs of twin-linked 40mm autocannons and a target acquisition radar assembly. Some variants of the M808B2 Sun Devil also feature a secondary turreted M247T machine gun that requires a separate operator. The Sun Devil's threat tracking and targeting systems make it extremely effective at attacking Covenant aircraft such as the Banshee.

Usage
When the vehicle entered service with the UNSC, the M808B2 Sun Devil was intended to provide close-range air-defense for tank groupings. While ostensibly an anti-aircraft vehicle, the M808B2 Sun Devil was used in anti-personnel role throughout the Insurrection, and proved to be very effective in clearing Covenant light infantry from contested points during the Human-Covenant War.

Insurrection
During the height of the Insurrection, the Sun Devil was closely associated with UNSC Marine Corps peacekeeping operations. As the Sun Devil began to be used as an anti-personnel role, it became a feared symbol of UNSC brutality and started to be prominently featured in insurrectionist propaganda, a practice that has persisted even into the post-war era.

Human-Covenant War
After the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, most M808B2 Sun Devils were transferred to the UNSC Army, where it proved to be highly effective against relatively slow-moving Banshees, especially fielded alongside M41 SPNKr- and STMPr-equipped infantry.

Production notes
The concept of an anti-air Scorpion was first considered in early preproduction for Halo 2—with early design documentation referencing the idea of an anti-air Scorpion. The model for the Sun Devil was developed to some extent—albeit cut from the game at an early stage of the game's development. This model was developed at such an early stage of the game that the engine and asset were based on the Halo: Combat Evolved variation of the Scorpion—as such, in the Digsite asset restoration project the Sun Devil is being restored as an asset for modders to use in Halo: Combat Evolved rather than Halo 2. The Sun Devil had no known gameplay iteration in Halo 2 and no tag data has been found for the vehicle—as such, all gameplay data being developed for the Combat Evolved Sun Devil is original content developed by the Digsite team.

The vehicle was first brought into the Halo universe with the release of the Halo Encyclopedia—which may have based the description on the intended Halo 2 vehicle similar to the Warthog variants similarly-cut from the game. The vehicle was first-realized in visual form with the 2016 release of Halo: Ground Command.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Ground Command