M808B Scorpion Main Battle Tank

M808 Scorpion MBT "This here is 66 tons of straight-up, HE-spewin', deevine intervention!"

- Avery J. Johnson

The M808 Scorpion Main Battle Tank,  commonly shortened to simply the Scorpion, is a UNSC tank.

Background
The M808 Scorpion has a short-to-medium-range coaxial machine gun and an extremely powerful main cannon. It can seat a driver, a gunner (Spartans do not require a gunner because of their neural implants, but it is unknown how Covenant Elites pilot it) and four passengers. While the main cannon can only shoot one round every few seconds, the machine gun has unlimited ammo and can fire even when the cannon is reloading. The Scorpion has a blind spot around it because the turret is mounted far back and elevated on a pedestal.

The tank houses an interesting track assembly, made of four bogies, or tread assemblies, with two on each flank of the vehicle, front-to-back. This makes the Scorpion a rather broad target and presumably easy to spot from the air.

Compared to modern tanks it appears as more of a light tank, being substantially smaller than modern tanks. it uses a smaller crew of two to three, a rather unconventional layout, (where the gun turret does not house a gunner and/or tank commander) and the cupola on Halo 3 is somewhat unconventionally placed. It's 90mm gun seems small compared to modern tanks that use the 120mm gun and is more likely to be seen on a light tank or a heavy armoured car. However due to more advanced technology it could be just as, if not more so, effective than a 120mm gun. Alternatively, the 90mm cannon could be the "light" variant of the M808, while a 105mm cannon can be mounted for greater offensive power, which would be more in keeping with Main Battle Tank armaments. Its light and crew-efficient design could be down to the requirements of a tank to be used by the UNSC Marines as a heavy tank would prove useless in their mobile warfare style and be difficult to drop close or into combat zones.

Halo: Combat Evolved
This version features the standard cannon and machine gun found on all Scorpion Tanks. However, the main cannon requires four seconds to reload, leaving the tank highly vulnerable to enemy fire. The machine gun is also very inaccurate, reliably hitting only the closest enemies. However, the Scorpion tank is fairly fast and maneuverable, not to mention heavy. Thus, it is an effective assault transport. For balance during multiplayer, the closed roof is replaced with a roll cage with the driver elevated a bit, so that the tank driver would be easier to kill, as the UNSC vehicles in Halo: Combat Evolved were indestructible.

One feature unique to this version is the ability to ride on one of the four tread covers in multiplayer. Riding this way is similar to riding in the passenger seat of the Warthog but riders are much more vulnerable. Also, the tank is only drivable in Campaign for a short segment of Assault on the Control Room and appears in the cutscene of the Pillar of Autumn.

Halo 2
The Scorpion Tank had a massive overhaul in Halo 2. The most noticeable differences are the way the tank drives, the slightly downgraded main cannon, and the removal of the antennas. Instead of driving in the direction the turret is facing, the body and the turret are controlled independently by the left and right thumbstick, respectively. This means that you are able to drive in one direction and shoot in another. The main cannon's reload time has been noticeably shortened and the machine gun is now much more accurate. However, the Scorpion's speed has been reduced to balance gameplay.

The option to ride on the tread covers has been removed in Halo 2. However, you can still stand on the tread covers in front of the cannon. It could be a good transport and if the tank is hijacked, the one standing on it can get it back for their team. AI characters, such as Marines, can still sit and ride on the canopy, however.

The tank is impervious to sniper rifle fire in Halo 2 when it is not damaged, but if the canopy takes enough damage, it will fall off, exposing the driver's head.

During the Halo 2 Campaign, the first level you get to operate a Scorpion tank is on Metropolis, where Sergeant Johnson drops off the tank to go over the bridge. Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved, the Scorpion is available in three levels, Metropolis, Delta Halo, and Quarantine Zone.

Halo 3
The Scorpion Tank's controls are the same as Halo 2, with the exception or the Left Trigger, which doesn't fire the secondary machine gun. The speed of the vehicle has been adjusted to the point at which is about as fast as its first iteration in Halo. It takes a few seconds to get up to full speed, though.

Like the new Wraith, the Scorpion will have a secondary position for a turret gunner. This makes the tank more realistic, as tanks from WWII-modern era have machine gun turrets stationed on them. The machine gun turret will make boarding much harder, but the gunner will be highly exposed to enemy fire. It is safe to assume that the gunner will make an inviting target for snipers, so being in the turret is very risky. The addition of this turret will make the co-op mode more enjoyable, as the second person no longer has to use the Warthog that usually comes with the Scorpion. Appearance wise, like almost all other vehicles in Halo 3, the scorpion has changed slightly. There is more detail and seems more like the tank in Halo:combat evolved. The antennas which once adorned the turret have now returned. In the Cinema Paradiso video documentary it seems the that the tank is faster than it was in Halo 2 but slower than it was in Halo 1.

Countermeasures

 * Use a rocket launcher:this will usually take 2-3 shots.
 * Board it: approach with caution and don't let it see you.
 * Snipe the driver
 * Use another scorpion: it works better to get the first shot, but it is possible to destroy another Scorpion tank even if you didn't make the first shot, but firing the machine gun helps quite a bit

Multiplayer Use
The Scorpion is the most powerful vehicle in multiplayer. It will usually be used for a huge assault, and many other players can hide behind it. It is not recommended to use it if there are multiple rocket launchers available, as you are an easy target. The Scorpion is very useful against all other vehicles and players on foot. One popular tactic is for a sniper to team up with a Scorpion. The sniper acts as a "spotter", scoping out long range targets that the Scorpion cannot easily see, effectively acting as mobile artillery.This is a common tactic that was used in previous wars and still used in present day.

Character Compatibility

 * Spartans
 * Elites (Halo 2. Also can ride as passengers in Halo 2)
 * Flood Combat Form (Halo 2)
 * Marines (can only ride as passengers in Halo: Combat Evolved, but can also drive in Halo 2)

Halo Wars Stats

 * Air Damage: 22
 * Vehicle Damage: 93
 * Infantry Damage: 40
 * Structure Damage: 51
 * Defence: 34

Known Scorpion Tanks

 * 12-9F5
 * 957-A3
 * UE8-14
 * TB-SB-1
 * HJ3-213

Trivia

 * On the Turret of the Tank, there is a tiny Scorpion Image. See picture to right.
 * On the backside of the Turret, there are three pipes that look like the number 117, the Master Chief's designation.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the Scorpion Tank is specifically cited in the manuals for each respective game as firing 90mm HE shells. Halo: The Flood claims that there are variants that fire 105mm shells.
 * Underneath the turret of the Scorpion, there is a Jack-O-Lantern drawn in blood. This can be found by destroying the turret, then standing on the upside-down turret.
 * The Scorpion tank resembles an actual Scorpion with the front bogies being the pincers, the rear bogies being the legs and the cannon being the tail and its stinger. However, it can also refer to the British light tank FV101 Scorpion used in the British Army in 1973.

Related Articles

 * Wraith - The Covenant equivalent of the Scorpion MBT
 * Rhino - The UNSC's heavy tank