Fuel rod cannon

Were you looking for the closely related shoulder-mounted Fuel Rod Gun or for the Hunter's variant?

The Class-2 Projectile Cannon, commonly referred to as the Fuel Rod Cannon or Flak Cannon, is a Covenant vehicle-mounted energy projectile weapon. The fuel rod cannon is a larger and more powerful version of the Type-33 LAAW, with anti-vehicle and anti-air applications. It is the used in a variety of vehicles, including Banshees, Anti-Air Wraiths and a variant of the Shade Turret.

Design
This weapon functions in a similar fashion to the man-portable Type-33 LAAW, but the bolts fired by the cannon are larger and more damaging. Although visually identical to the rounds fired by the Fuel Rod Gun, the bolts launched by the cannon are sometimes equipped with targeting technology, as those fired by the Banshee can home in on moving vehicles. The Banshee's version of the weapon can only fire one shot before having to reload, but makes up for this with its virtually unlimited ammunition.

The Mgalekgolo's fuel rod assault cannon uses similar technology, as it fires bolts of green incendiary fluid.

Usage
Banshees are equipped with a single Fuel Rod Cannon for attacking hardened ground-targets, while Anti-Air Wraiths are fitted with two pods of three. Fuel Rod Shades are equipped with a single Class-2 Projectile Cannon.

The Class-2 Projectile Cannon is a powerful weapon, and vehicles equipped with them are not to be taken lightly. Banshees often use the weapon to soften a target before finishing it with its Class-2 Energy Guns. These are especially lethal to light vehicles, such as a Ghost or Mongoose, which will be sent flying by the explosion. The projectiles are slow and have a noticeable arc, and can usually be easily avoided by distant targets. However, the tracking technology used on some cannons makes it difficult for vehicles to avoid their bolts.

The Fuel Rod Cannon is included in Halo Wars, functioning as the Anti-Vehicle upgrade for the Covenant Turret.

Trivia

 * In Halo 3, on Heroic or Legendary, if an Anti-Air Wraith gets a direct hit on the player, it will kill him/her instantly. However, it is rather rare for an Anti-Air Wraith to attack ground targets.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo 3: ODST, T-33 LAAWs or Fuel Rod Guns are referred to as Fuel Rod Cannons.
 * The term "fuel rod" is technically incorrect when referring to the weapon's ammunition, and originates from the projectiles' resemblance to how nuclear fuel rods are commonly depicted in popular culture.

Related pages

 * Assault Cannon
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery