Qavardu Workshop Prowler

Were you looking for the human spacecraft, the prowler?

The Qavardu Workshop Light War-Sled, informally known among UNSC personnel as the Brute Prowler, is a Jiralhanae ground vehicle in service with the Covenant.

Design details
Measuring 23.3 ft in length and 13.8 ft in width, the Prowler is a vehicle designed and built by the Jiralhanae. Like the other primary Jiralhanae mainstay vehicle - the Barukaza Workshop Chopper - the Prowler is primarily composed of a large and bulky front section, with the driver seated in the rear. The frontal bulk of the Prowler shields the driver from enemy fire from the front, though the unarmored sides and back leave the driver exposed to enemy fire. The front section of the Prowler is equipped with a single pintle-mounted light plasma cannon, with the operator inset into the vehicle in a manner akin to gunners on some specific Wraith variants. The plasma cannon is of little practical utility, with drivers instead preferring to use the maw of spikes on the vehicle's front to charge enemy lines and perform ramming attacks instead. The sides of the Prowler are kitted out with two "sleds", capable of supporting a passenger each - allowing the Prowler to serve in a limited capacity as a troop transport.

When driving, the Prowler is capable of reaching a top speed of 58 mph thanks to the aforementioned "sleds" - in actuality dual suspension tracks that use Covenant anti-gravity technology with the original Jiralhanae design.

Development history
The Prowler is a Jiralhanae-native design, originating from the Qavardu War-Forges on Doisac and later improved though modern-era production models manufactured by the Sacred Promissory. These Covenant improvements marry Covenant technology to the original Jiralhanae design. The design's particular origins remain unclear, though some have suggested that the original Prowlers may have originated as arctic fast-attack vehicles (FAVs) or maritime patrol boats.

Curiously, the Prowler bears an extremely heavy resemblance to another Jiralhanae vehicle; the Eklon'Dal Workshop Marauder. While it is unknown if there is any definitive link between the two craft, the resemblance is extremely notable with the Marauder having been constructed and use since prior to the nuclear wars that devasted the Jiralhanae homeworld long ago.

Usage
The Prowler is one of the Jiralhanae's traditional war-sleds, employed for raids, reconnaissance and traditional infantry support. The Prowler's swift and rugged design is considered ideal for Jiralhanae hunting packs.

Operational history
The Prowler was first developed by the Jiralhanae as a traditional war-sled for hunting packs on Doisac. These initial design templates were created by the Qavardu war-forges.

The Prowler was one of a number of armaments and vehicles manufactured and modified by the Sacred Promissory for the Jiralhanae close to the end of the Human-Covenant War, in preparation for the Jiralhanae takeover of the Covenant armed forces. It was first in the final months of the war, seeing use primarily during the Battle of Installation 00. It was later employed by the forces under the command of Hekabe during Carrow Conflict following the war's end. More recently, it has been employed in the stockpiles of the Banished, with Castor considering their deployment during Operation: WOLFE in 2559.

In-game information
The Prowler appears only in Halo 3. It was intended to appear in the now-cancelled Halo Online.

Campaign
The Prowler is a light recon vehicle, much like the Warthog. It only appears in Campaign mode on the levels The Ark and The Covenant. It has moderate infantry support capabilities, as well as being able to transport four soldiers rapidly across a battlefield. With two Prowlers, an entire team of eight can travel together. A Prowler loaded with a gunner and two riders with heavy weapons is a force to be reckoned with.

Multiplayer

 * The Prowler does not appear on any Halo 3 map by default, but can be added in Forge on certain maps. In Matchmaking, the Prowler appears on alternate Sandtrap map variants Sand Tarp and "Sandtrap Heavy", as well as on the Avalanche variant "Avalanche Heavy".
 * Prowlers can be very useful in CTF games, because it can carry four people. The driver could drive to the flag's area possibly splattering a defender or two; the gunner could provide cover fire while the two passengers go in to get the flag. One passenger could cover the flag carrier while they make their way back to the Prowler for a quick getaway.
 * Prowlers are an excellent way of splattering if used correctly. The large front end of the Prowler can be used to block enemy fire, giving the driver a clear run at their victim. The large area of the Prowler can also compensate for the slower speed, in that at its top speed it is quite easy for the driver to splatter people and hard for others to avoid

Production notes
During the development of Halo 3, the Prowler was concepted and designed under the name of the "Mauler". The Mauler name was later applied to a shotgun-pistol instead. This name was erroneously referred to in Robert McLees' fictional reports on the M6/R Spartan Laser in the marketing for Halo 3, in which a Marine of E2-BAG/1/7 refers to his Spartan Laser punching a whole through two Jiralhanae and severely damaging the vehicle they had just dismounted.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Ground Command
 * Halo: Envoy
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach