M41 SPNKr

The M41 rocket launcher, formally known as the Medium Anti-Vehicle / Assault Weapon, Bore 102mm, M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Launcher, and commonly known as the Jackhammer or the SPNKR, is a heavy ordnance weapon used by the UNSC Defense Force. It is manufactured by Misriah Armory.

Design details
The M41 SSR has been in service with the UNSCDF for decades, as early as the Insurrection. It fires M19 102mm high-explosive shaped charge missiles. The weapon uses a unique system for loading and firing: rather than using a traditional magazine or single-shot system, it is fed by a pair of detachable barrels, each of which holds a single rocket. When one of the rockets is fired, the other is cycled into place; when both have been fired, the operator removes the barrel unit and inserts another. This allows the operator to quickly reload while in combat and greatly reduces the weight he carries without throwing the weapon away, as with some disposable rocket launchers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

The launcher has a 2x scope and can fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy, although the rockets' altitude decreases over long distances. The weapon possesses great firepower and, in many cases, is able to destroy even a Covenant Wraith tank with a single missile. Many M41s and their M19 rockets are equipped with target tracking systems; these systems allow the operator to "home" on a target, which often guarantees that the target will be struck, even if it attempts evasive maneuvers. Some launchers are capable of tracking both ground-based and airborne targets, while others are capable of tracking only aircraft. Some M41s lack any form of tracking technology, requiring the operator to "dumb fire" the weapon without targeting assistance.

Some M41s feature a smart-linked sight, a trigger guard, and an ergonomic thumbhole stock, adding the impression of greater bulk. However, other versions lack these design features, possessing only a pistol grip and no trigger guard, resulting in a more skeletal overall appearance.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

 * The weapon has a different firing sound effect.
 * The weapon's melee attack and reload speeds are faster.
 * Holding the right trigger allows the player to home on vehicles, gun turrets, and Sentinel Enforcers in the campaign.
 * Ammunition is indicated in the scope when zoomed in.
 * The HUD ammunition indicator illustration is changed.
 * The weapon's firepower and splash damage are decreased.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST

 * The weapon's missiles travel faster.
 * The tubing has a metallic silver color rather than a synthetic black finish.
 * It lacks the homing feature from Halo 2.
 * It has a different firing sound effect.
 * The weapon's melee attack and reload speeds are further decreased.
 * The HUD ammunition indicator is again changed.

Changes from Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach

 * The grips of the weapon are enclosed in a thumbhole design.
 * It can now lock on to aircraft, but not other types of vehicles.
 * It has slightly different firing and rocket detonation sounds.
 * Rockets travel noticeably faster.
 * Splash damage is increased.
 * Rockets are mildly affected by gravity.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

 * Rockets' travel speed increased.
 * The sound of the weapon firing has been, akin to the "tube" sound of a grenade launcher.
 * The weapon no longer has an audible indicator to verify that a lock has been achieved.
 * The rocket now leaves a noticeable vapor trail when fired.

Campaign

 * No matter in what game, the M41 Rocket Launcher is always the best choice for passengers on any vehicle looking to wield heavy firepower. The M6 Spartan Laser and Plasma Launcher take too long to charge, while the Fuel Rod Gun projectiles are too slow. However, the Rocket Launcher is still very slow to fire, and missing while on the move is remarkably easy, so it is sometimes advisable to take a less powerful "spray and pray" weapon instead.
 * A Gauss Hog with a Rocket Launcher-wielding passenger is an absolutely lethal vehicle. Stay mobile, letting your gunner and passanger take potshots at the enemy before retreating out of range of any return fire.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo: Reach, the Rocket Launcher has the ability to lock on to enemy vehicles, and this plays a vital role when facing fast moving vehicles such as Banshees or Ghosts. In Reach, though the rockets will only lock onto aircraft when used by the player, it will also lock onto ground vehicles and even infantry when used by an AI ally.
 * In Halo 3: ODST, AI characters' accuracy seems to have improved for gameplay balance. Give them the Rocket Launcher to strengthen one's allies and their firepower.
 * In Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, the M41 Rocket Launcher loses its tracking ability, so it is not recommended to fight aerial vehicles. Use it against enemy vehicles, provided that they are close, and large groups of infantry. It is also, unsurprisingly, devastating against Hunters.
 * In Halo: Reach campaign level The Pillar of Autumn, it is better to save the M41 Rocket Launcher until one reaches the battle under the in the ship breaking yards. While the Sangheili will dodge the projectiles, predict where they would move to next and fire at that position. Even if the rocket doesn't hit them, use splash damage to lower their energy shielding. Once your almost out of ammo, give the weapon to an AI.
 * In Halo: Reach, the M41 Rocket Launcher can be used to get the "Lucky Me" achievement with relative ease. The best missions to do this on is Exodus, just after aquiring the jetpack to take the executive landing pad with the Bullfrogs. Grab the launcher wielded by the ODST just after you get out of the elevator, jetpack across to the other side and fire while in mid-air against the many Covenant troops milling around below you.

Multiplayer

 * In Halo 2, the M41 Rocket Launcher has a long range for locking on enemy vehicles. Whenever an opposing player commandeers a Banshee, use the Rocket Launcher to take it down.
 * This also works in Halo Reach and Halo 4 (as the lock-on ability was removed in Halo 3). However, be wary that a good Banshee pilot can, and will, throw their aircraft around the sky in an attempt to break the lock or avoid the rocket. Make sure that you have a solid lock and (if possible) they are engaged in other combat with your team before firing.
 * Falcons in Halo Reach are much less troubling (as they can't preform evasive maneuvers like a Banshee can), but have their own problem; if timed correctly by the pilot, a rocket can and will fly straight through the open passenger bay in the center of the Falcon and keep on going. This is not a common occurrence however,and applying the same tactic as above should ensure that the Falcon will fall.
 * Never aim directly at an enemy player on foot with a rocket launcher. The small, fleet tendencies of an enemy soldier makes it nearly impossible to score a direct hit. Instead, aim for their feet, and perhaps a little bit a head of where they are. Players near the rocket's splash radius can be killed, and if they aren't killed, keep a secondary weapon (preferably a precision one) to finish them off with a quick headshot.
 * Despite the obvious intended use of a rocket launcher (that being anti-vehicle combat), the rocket launcher is not actually as effective against vehicles at it would at first seem. The sheer maneuverability of most light vehicles means that they can easily avoid a slow-moving rockets at anything other than near-point blank range, and heavy vehicles can shrug off entire magazines worth of rocket hits (assuming you get close enough to accurately fire without being killed by said vehicles). Save your ammunition for infantry, or for use against stationary vehicles (such as a Warthog awaiting an objective carrier, or any vehicle hit with the EMP pulse of a Plasma Pistol).

Trivia

 * The weapon was identified as the M19 SSM rocket launcher in the game manuals of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 as well as in the Art of Halo 3. It was also referred to in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx as the M19 missile launcher. It was established in Halo: The Essential Visual Guide that M19 SSM refers to the rocket ammunition while the launcher itself is designated as the M41.
 * The M41 SSR is aesthetically similar to the SPNKR-XP surface-to-surface missile launcher from Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity. This weapon is also the source of the M41's "SPNKr" moniker.
 * On the last level of Halo 3: ODST there are four rocket launchers with 1000 rockets each for use in Vidmaster Challenge: Deja Vu. These only appear on the Legendary difficulty when the Iron Skull is activated. If any player boards a Warthog, these rocket launchers will not spawn.
 * If the player uses Emile-A239's voice in Firefight, he will occasionally say "Someone's gonna pay!" when he readies a rocket launcher. This is a reference to the level If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Someone Pay from Marathon 2: Durandal, which, in turn, was named after the Bruce Cockburn song If I Had a Rocket Launcher.

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: Last One Standing
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Helljumper
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Dirt
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata
 * Halo 2 Anniversary