Project HAYABUSA

The Hayabusa Armor is a type of United Nations Space Command powered armor, developed independently from the MJOLNIR Project. It is compatible with SPARTAN-II super soldiers.

Development and History
The Hayabusa is a powered battle armor system, similar to the standard MJOLNIR Mark VI, except stemming from Project HAYABUSA as opposed to Project MJOLNIR. It was developed by RKD, an Earth-based "think tank" in the year 2536, 6 years before the Mark V entered production. It was presented to the UNSC Ordnance Committee as an answer to the self-contained powered armor problem. Advanced materials are used in the production of the Hayabusa armor reducing the weight of the current generation armor by nearly a third (at that time).

Helmet Characteristics
The helmet features 7 angular spikes, or spokes, one to each side and the face plate is fused into a single piece and contour. The spikes are another 7 reference. The top rear guard of the helmet is pointed, revealing the protruding spike. The bottom rear, around the neck forms a sort of neck guard, like that of a samurai helmet. The 7 spikes are always silver-white regardless of armor color. Oddly, the helmet seems to be a mere add on, rather than an actual helmet. Clips can be seen on the side of the helmet.

Shoulder Characteristics
Its shoulders are replaced by three metal plates arranged in an overlapping fashion similar to the armor of a Japanese samurai, also known as the "sode".

Chest Characteristics
The Chest armor features a thick, round "collar" piece protecting the neck, as well as an angular strip of armor that appears to be "strapped" down over the chest, featuring a small delta in the center. The Hayabusa chest piece is great for hiding the neck so it will not appear abnormally long.

How To Unlock

 * Head: Obtain all 13 Halo 3 Skulls.


 * Shoulders: Obtain 9 Halo 3 Skulls.


 * Chest: Obtain 5 Halo 3 Skulls.

Trivia

 * The Hayabusa armor is the only armor that has built in white areas. This can be frustrating because some people would not want white on their armor, purely for cosmetic problems. Or, it could be very helpful if a player is going for an all white look for a free-for-all Slayer match on a snow-themed map using the coloring as camouflage. Such an advantage is only possible in a free-for-all match, however, as team colors will override the rest of the armor's color.
 * The Hayabusa helmet can be a problem for players who want to avoid snipers, or for hiding in general, as a player wearing normal helmet could avoid snipers by crouching behind a rock, while a player using the Hayabusa helmet, might have the white peak on top of the helmet showing clearly, giving away their position.
 * The Hayabusa armor bears a resemblance to feudal-era samurai. The armor is named after Ryu Hayabusa, protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden series and DOA Combatant. The helmet is almost an exact copy of the "ninja of the future" costume in Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox. Bungie may have put Hayabusa armor as a way of saying thanks to Team Ninja for putting Nicole-458 into Dead or Alive 4. Team Ninja, the developers of the Ninja Gaiden series and Dead or Alive series, are also mentioned in the credits for Halo 3.
 * "Hayabusa" is Japanese for Peregrine Falcon.
 * McFarlane produced a Hayabusa Spartan Soldier with different colors and with interchangeable armor pieces, as well as a Katana that can be wielded in the soldier's hands, unlike in the game. The Katana could be obtained only through the Halo Points program.