Fuel rod cannon

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The fuel rod cannon is a Covenant vehicle-mounted projectile weapon. It is a larger and more powerful version of the Type-33 fuel rod gun, with anti-vehicle and anti-air applications. It is employed by a variety of vehicles, including Type-26 Banshees, Anti-Air Wraiths and a variant of the Type-26 Shade.

Design details
The weapon fires fuel rods, caseless projectiles which contain radioactive, highly explosive material encased in a transparent shell. The colloquialism "fuel rod", commonly used by the UNSC to refer to the weapon's ammunition, is technically incorrect; it originates from the projectiles' resemblance to how nuclear fuel rods are commonly depicted in popular culture.

This weapon functions in a similar fashion to the man-portable Type-33 fuel rod gun, but the fuel rods fired by the cannon are larger and more damaging. Most fuel rod weapons, including the T-33, fire ammunition designated as Class-2, which is effective against armor and infantry on short ranges. For anti-air combat, however, the Covenant employ a more effective type of fuel rod, designated as Class-3. Although visually identical to the Class-2 rounds, Class-3 fuel rods are more powerful, have a greater range, and are capable of tracking the heat signatures of vehicles.

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 fuel rod cannon. All of these variants fire Class-2 rounds, with Banshees also being capable of firing Class-3 projectiles.

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

Banshees often use the weapon to wipe out groups of infantry, or to soften heavily armored targets before finishing them with its medium plasma cannons. The projectiles are especially lethal to light vehicles, such as a Type-32 Ghost or M274 Mongoose, which will be sent flying by the explosion.

The automated turrets used to defend Covenant bases are sometimes equipped with fuel rod cannons, in order to better defend the base against vehicular assault.

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 3 and Halo 3: ODST in a similar case to the fuel rod gun if an NPC is flying the vehicle and shoots the Banshee Bomb and it will have an even stronger lock-on, but yet again when the player attempts this it will lack said feature, however in Halo: Reach and Halo 5: Guardians it is possible for the player to use this feature.
 * In Halo 2, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 T-33 fuel rod guns are referred to as fuel rod cannons.

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