Fuel rod cannon

This article is about the vehicle-mounted weapon. For the infantry-portable, shoulder-mounted weapon, see fuel rod gun. For the weapon used by the Mgalekgolo, see Assault cannon.

The fuel rod cannon, sometimes known as plasma flak cannon, is a vehicle-mounted projectile weapon typically used by the Covenant and its remnants on a variety of their vehicles, notably including Skyhunter Wraiths, Banshees, and Seraphs. As its name suggests, the fuel rod cannon fires Class-3 fuel rods, which have a greater range and a capability to track heat signatures when compared to their Class-2 counterparts, which are typically loaded in the infantry-portable fuel rod gun.

The United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence has typically type-classified the Banshee's fuel rod cannon under the designations of Heavy Anti-Armor Weapon/Mounted, Heavy Fuel Rod (Class-3) or Type-26 Heavy Anti-Armor Weapon/Mounted (T-26 HAAW/M). Nicknames for the fuel rod cannon include Big Green Death and Green Death.

Design details
Fuel rod cannons, though sharing many properties with the Mgalekgolo's assault cannon, fire Class-3 fuel rod caseless projectiles, which contain radioactive, highly explosive material encased in a transparent shell. The Class-3 fuel rods fired by the cannon are larger and more destructive than their Class-2 counterparts, which are intended for armor and infantry on short ranges. For long range or anti-air combat, however, the Class-3 fuel rods are more powerful, have a greater range, and are capable of tracking the heat signatures of vehicles. They are marginally weaker than a plasma mortar, but travel at a higher velocity with a higher accuracy. Variants exist within the fuel rod cannon classification: for example, whereas the Banshee employs a forward-firing, semi-automatic single cannon, the employs triple-rack rapid-fire fuel rod cannons that fire a barrage of fuel rods.

Usage

 * Fuel rod cannons
 * 'Ahtulai Workshop Banshee - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * Kaelum Workshop Banshee - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon
 * - 2x fuel rod cannons, as part of an optional modular anti-vehicle upgrade package
 * - 1x fuel rod cannon, on fuel rod variant
 * Spike turret - 1x fuel rod cannon, as part of an optional modular anti-vehicle upgrade package


 * Rapid-fire/heavy fuel rod cannons
 * - 6x rapid-fire fuel rod cannons
 * - 2x rapid-fire fuel rod cannons


 * Novox-pattern fuel rod cannons
 * - 2x Novox-pattern fuel rod cannons
 * - 4x Novox-pattern fuel rod cannons

Production notes

 * In Halo 2, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer, fuel rod guns are erroneously called fuel rod cannons. Similarly, the Phoenix Log entry for Heavy Grunt in Halo Wars 2 also mistakes the for a fuel rod cannon. Furthermore, the Halo Waypoint article for the fuel rod gun incorrectly named the weapon as the fuel rod cannon,, though the article on Wraiths correctly stated that the anti-air Wraith employs fuel rod cannons.
 * According to the Halo 3 manual, the Banshee fires Class-2 fuel rods, though this was later seemingly retconned by Halo Waypoint's article on Banshees.
 * In Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, in a similar case to the fuel rod gun, fuel rods fired from an NPC’s fuel rod cannon have an enhanced lock-on ability, which players are unable to access. However, in Halo: Reach and Halo 5: Guardians, it is possible for the player to use this feature.
 * The fuel rod cannon on Banshees have been nicknamed "Banshee bomb" by the developers and the community.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Landfall
 * Halo: Combat
 * Halo: Last One Standing
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * The Life
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Prototype
 * The Babysitter
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Dirt
 * The Return


 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Remember Reach
 * Deliver Hope
 * Halo: Reach
 * ''Halo: Fall of Reach
 * ''Covenant
 * ''Invasion
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo Wars 2
 * Halo: Oblivion
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol