M145D Rhino

Rhino

The Rhino is a UNSC tank in Halo Wars. Not much information has been released about it yet but that it is weaker than the Scorpion (according to the E3 '07 demo). It has been theorized to be a large and heavy tank due to the nature of its name. It's primary armament is a prototype plasma cannon, used for breaking through covenant shields.

Appearance
The Rhino seems to be a similar looking tank to the Scorpion, with several differences. While it has a similar bogey set up for its tracks, it has six track sets. It's also greater in size, has a more robust gun turret, and an even more unconventional track layout. The tracks are in similar places to the Scorpion, but then there are two sets behind the vehicle, possibly providing support for the large gun in front. There are also two stabilizers that deploy from the rear of the vehicle during long range bombardment.

Stats

 * Air Damage: 0
 * Vehicle Damage: 19
 * Infantry Damage: 15
 * Structure Damage: 42
 * Defense: 36

Speculation


The Rhino is meant to be a building destroyer, similar to the Destroyer class from Ensembles previous game and the second to last of the Ensemble games altogether, Age of Mythology: The Titans. It's power is weaker than that of the Scorpion or the super powered Grizzly, but its base defense is stronger than the Scorpion. A group of these tanks is powerful enough to take out other enemy Heavy armour, but should be more of a fire support role alongside a large UNSC force, than a small group of these taking on a large Covenant army, but once fought into a Covenant base, a small group of these tanks could critically damage the Covenants chances of winning, or could take the base out altogether (with the right amount of Infantry and Air Support supporting them). It's not known whether or not if the Rhino has a Y button special ability, but it is probable that it does, since it has already been shown a large number of different UNSC units having one themselves (the Marines grenade ability for example). The Rhino may be a faction-specific unit, like the Cyclops, only usable by one of the UNSC's leaders. Failing that, it may be a campaign-only unit that didn't make it into multiplayer, but still plays a significant part of the campaign plot.

Trivia

 * Though appearing in several screenshots of the pre-Alpha test version of Halo Wars, later screenshots failed to show any sign of the unit, leading some to believe it had been cut from the game like the Cougar. It later returned in screenshots, and the presence of the Rhino Hugger Achievement for the game has confirmed its presence.
 * Curiously it isn't shown and listed in the game manual recently released.
 * There is a tank of the same name in Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2.

Related Links

 * Scorpion Tank - The UNSC Marine Corps and Army Main Battle Tank.
 * Wraith - Covenant equivalent of the Scorpion/Rhino.
 * Rhino stats in gameplay video