UNSC Weaponry

The UNSC have a wide variety of weapons in their arsenal which all have their own strengths, weaknesses and unique capabilities. Though they are not highly effective against shielded foes, they are deadly against non-shielded foes. They are effective on easy and normal to gun down all Covenant. The automatic fire of some of them can take down an Elite extremely quickly on both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. They are also far more effective than most Covenant weapons against the Flood, with some exceptions.
 * See also: Development of UNSC Weapons

Halo: Combat Evolved
Below is a list and small description of all the UNSC weapons that can be used in Halo: Combat Evolved. To find out more about them, click on the weapon.


 * M6D Magnum Sidearm- A small handgun with surprising effectiveness. Its X2 scope allows for easy headshots, and it serves well against Hunters. Performs well against Flood Combat Forms and Carrier Forms, often requiring only 3-5 rounds and ~2 rounds, respectively, to kill.


 * MA5B ICWS Assault Rifle- The most commonly-used human weapon in the game. It can take down an Elite fairly easily on lower difficulty levels, but may require more than one clip for high ranking Elites on Heroic and Legendary. Second-most effective weapon in close combat with the Flood.


 * M90 Shotgun- Can kill an Elite in one shot on Easy and Normal, and it's very effective against them on Heroic and Legendary. Can wipe out a pack of Grunts with 1-3 shots. The most effective close range weapon against the Flood.


 * SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle - Very effective from long distance. Has a X8 scope with a night-vision ability. Usually a one-hit-kill with headshots on all difficulties. Fairly poor from close range and does no damage to the Flood whatsoever.


 * M19 SSM Rocket Launcher- Extremely effective against large groups of enemies and vehicles. Has a X2 scope. Also very effective against the Flood. Useless from close range as it will kill the player as well. On Legendary it takes more than one rocket to kill a major Elite.


 * M9 HE-DP Grenade- Better known as the Frag Grenade, effective against large groups and vehicles like the rocket launcher, but requires a shorter distance to throw. Good against the Flood, but not worth using against single enemies. Elites sometimes dodge them by jumping out of the way.


 * M7057 Defoliant Projector Flamethrower- Only usable in Halo PC multiplayer. Douses enemies in fire, dealing damage and providing cover.

Halo 2
Below is a list and small description of all of the UNSC weapons uses in Halo 2. To find out more about them, click on the weapon.


 * BR55 Battle Rifle- The Battle Rifle was added to replace the MA5B as the main combat rifle. This fires short three-bullet bursts and has a 2x scope. Effective with headshots. Fairly effective against the Flood if you aim for their chest.


 * M9 HE-DP Grenade- Smaller blast radius than in Halo: Combat Evolved. (See Above)


 * M6C Magnum Sidearm- A stripped down version of the Pistol used in Halo: Combat Evolved. Not as effective without a scope but still good with headshots. Fairly ineffective against the Flood without getting dangerously close.


 * M90 Shotgun- Less shot in one blast than Halo: Combat Evolved. Although it has the same M90 designation, it has slight differences from the shotgun from Halo: Combat Evolved. These include a change in the color of the weapon's sights, a slightly darker coloration, and a much shorter effective range.


 * SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle- Rounds are slightly less powerful than Halo: Combat Evolved; also lacks the night vision zoom ability. (See Above)


 * M7 SMG- Very high rate of fire and good when dual wielding. It has a high recoil, meaning the wielder must actively hold it down for increased accuracy. Average against the Flood on its own, better when duel-wielding.


 * M7S Submachine Gun- The M7S is a variant of the M7 Caseless Submachine Gun.


 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher- Fairly similar to the Rocket Launcher in Halo: Combat Evolved. It performs in a similar fashion; its only major change is the ability to lock on to vehicles.

Halo 3
These are the new weapons introduced in Halo 3. As they are still being modified, their exact performance is as of yet unknown. All descriptions are subject to change
 * SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle- A lower rate of fire makes the sniper a little harder to use and it apparently takes more skill to get a headshot than in Halo 2.
 * M6G Magnum Sidearm- The Magnum has gone through many changes. It now has a much slower rate of fire, but dishes out much more damage from a smaller 8 round magazine. Its appearance greatly resembles the M6D Pistol of Halo CE, rather than its Halo 2 predecessor.
 * Spartan Laser- This new weapon is now the primary anti-vehicle weapon, taking the place of the rocket launcher. This is the first UNSC hand-held weapon to fit the technology of the year 2552(the gauss cannon also matches the technology for the time but it can only be used on the warthog), unlike other ballistic weapons. Its main disadvantage is that it takes three seconds to charge and two to cool down, but the shear power of its lasers more than make up for it.
 * Missile Pod- With the Rocket Launcher losing its lock on feature, a new weapon had to take its place to clear the sky of those pesky Banshees. It automatically locks onto vehicles without needing to hold down the trigger. It is classified as a support weapon, because it is large and requires a third person view.
 * MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle- The new Assault Rifle has a thirty-two round magazine and a slower rate of fire. In multiplayer, it has just enough bullets to kill a player before reloading.
 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle- The Battle Rifle has undergone a lot of cosmetic changes. Other than that, no real changes have been made to the Battle Rifle that effect its performance.
 * M7 Caseless Sub Machine Gun- The SMG is not much different from the Halo 2 SMG. The only major difference is that it is now useful when not dual wielded. Its sixty bullet magazine makes it very useful so some will exchange their Assault Rifle for two of these.
 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun Turrets are now detachable and are used as support weapons. They require a third person view and are effective against vehicles and infantry. The disadvantages of detaching it are limited ammo and recoil causing the gun to become unsteady.
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher- The new rocket launcher is no longer a main anti-vehicle weapon because it no longer has a lock on feature. Rockets now move slower, but have a larger blast radius.
 * M90A CAWS Shotgun- The M90A CAWS Shotgun can hold six shells, and does more damage than the Halo 2 Shotgun, but not as powerful as the shotgun from Halo CE for balance reasons.
 * M7057 Defoliant Projector Flamethrower- Has been redesigned and is now a support weapon. Is a lot more powerful and moderatley usefel against any enemy, particularly The Flood. Now has more ammunition/canisters. Support Weapon.

Halo Universe
Below is a list of other UNSC weapons of the Halo Universe that may not appear in any of the Halo games. The HMG-38 was used by UNSC Marines until they became obsolete in 2525. The M6A is a variant of the M6 series sidearm mentioned in a Bungie update on the M6G. The M6B is a variant of the M6 series sidearm mentioned in a Bungie update on the M6G. The M6J is an UNSC Army variant of the M6 Pistol series. The M90A LA is a variant of the DTM Series. The UNSC Army's resident Long-range, anti-material weapon. The MA2B is a cut down version of the standard MA5B. The MA3 is an older variant of the MA5B Assault Rifle. The MA5K is a cut-down variant of the standard MA5B Assault Rifle.
 * HMG-38 Rifle
 * M6A Handgun
 * M6B Handgun
 * M6J Carbine
 * M90A Law Enforcement
 * M99 Stanchion Gauss-rifle
 * MA2B Assault Rifle
 * MA3 Assault Rifle
 * MA5K Carbine