Zo'op-pattern Weevil

The Zo'op-pattern Sky Striker, or more commonly known as the Weevil, is a Covenant artillery piece. The Weevil was the most common mortar artillery used by the Covenant during their war against humanity.

Overview
The Weevil was employed by the Covenant as a form of heavy fire support during combat. It was typically deployed by a dropship and guarded by a light security force to protect it from enemy attacks. The Weevil was capable of providing fire support for Covenant forces over large segments of enemy territory. Weevil emplacements could be controlled manually if tethered to a command console, but was most often directed from a remote base or ship, allowing fire coordination with an entire network of guns. Oftentimes, Weevil emplacements were littered with extra plasma batteries and surrounded by fortifications erected by support crews.

Operational history
The Weevil was the most often-used form of mortar artillery deployed by the Covenant during their genocidal campaign against humanity. During the opening stages of the Battle for Earth on October 20, 2552, Covenant forces stationed several Weevil emplacements along the beaches of Old Mombasa, protecting them with ground forces including Sangheili-piloted Ghosts, Kig-Yar snipers in watchtowers and groups of infantry. During their push towards the Solemn Penance's landing zone in New Mombasa, Spartan John-117 and several UNSC marines encountered these defences, and after a struggle, managed to eliminate all of the Covenant forces on the beaches, preventing the Weevil emplacements from being used.

Production notes
The Weevil was first seen (albeit unidentified) in the Halo 2 E3 demo, in which it is much larger than the version in the final game. In the demo, a Weevil emplaced on top of a building in New Mombasa is used against UNSC forces in the city. The weapon fires orbs of plasma that travel in a parabolic arc, much like the Wraith's plasma mortar. Early in the demo, the artillery piece is encountered by the Master Chief and a group of marines. Sergeant Banks calls in an air strike to destroy the weapon shortly after its introduction. Contrary to its significant role in the demo, the scaled-down version of the weapon that appears in the retail version of the game is never seen in use.

A Weevil cannon was intended to be included in the now-cut campaign level "alphamoon". In the level, the cannon would have been featured as a defensive installment deployed by the heretics, with the player tasked with destroying the guns so reinforcements could land.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Halo: Divine Wind