Special Operations Unggoy

Special Operations Grunt, abbreviated as Spec Ops Grunt, is a Covenant Unggoy (Grunt) rank.

Role
Ones of such rank are a type of special forces unit of the Covenant. Grunts are generally deployed in standard infantry roles and have in the past been referred to as cannon-fodder. However, the Grunts can be trained for specialized roles and provide excellent support in SpecOps teams. Generally tougher, smarter and certainly more aggressive than their infantry counterparts, SpecOps Grunts are always deployed with Elite team leaders and specialized equipment. These resilient, loyal and dangerous operatives are not to be underestimated under any circumstances.

Rank
Special Operations Grunts are denoted by their signature jet-black armor, which matches the black armor of their Elite commanders. In Halo 2, sometimes they are even equipped with Active Camouflage. SpecOps Grunts are the only Covenant caste, other than the Elites, who have the distinction of using this technology.

They are only called in during special combat situations, and hold a unique amount of respect for a member of their race. They are highly trained and only commanded by the skilled Special Operations Elites.

Combat


SpecOps Grunts almost never panic during combat, as Minor and Major Grunts do. They often wield Plasma Pistols, Needlers, Fuel Rod Guns, and Plasma Grenades. The biggest concern of facing a SpecOps Grunt, however, is that a SpecOps Elite is more than likely nearby. SpecOps Grunts are not to be underestimated, though.

They are the physical equivalant of Ultra Grunts.

They usually move in teams of two or three, with one SpecOps grunt wielding a Fuel Rod Gun while the others cover him with Plasma Pistols and Needlers., in which case it is best to target one holding a Fuel Rod Gun as his teammates may be killed when it explodes. These Grunts are faster and sometimes it takes multiple headshots or melee attacks to kill them.

Halo: Combat Evolved
SpecOps Grunts make their first appearance in the Halo: Combat Evolved level Keyes, when a SpecOps team is called in to deal with the Flood attack on the Truth and Reconciliation. Their teams make it all the way to the command center of the vessel, and eventually, the highly trained special forces manage to band together with the crew of the ship to eliminate the Flood, before they are attacked by Major Antonio Silva's ODSTs. The SpecOps Grunts also appear in the level The Maw, where they are also dispatched to the crashed UNSC Pillar of Autumn to eliminate the Flood from it.

Halo Graphic Novel
A team of SpecOps Grunts under Rtas 'Vadumee and Kusovai were sent to the Infinite Succor to deal with the Flood infestation. The Grunts brought in heavy weapons, such as Fuel Rod Guns, but it seems they were all eventually infected by the Flood, and all were killed when the ship was destroyed.

Halo 2
SpecOps Grunts are seen in the Halo 2 levels The Arbiter and The Oracle as allies to the player, helping to put down the Heretic rebellion, the Grunts are far superior to the Heretic Grunts they fight. The only level where they are encountered as enemies is Gravemind, where they are attempting to control the Flood outbreak on High Charity.

Trivia

 * SpecOps Grunts were made into an Action Figure by Joyride Studios, the Halo s3 SpecOps Grunt, which were cloaked in Active Camo and were to scale with the SpecOps Elite action figure. These were the only Grunt figures in the Halo 2 collection except the unreleased Heretic Grunt figure.
 * Every SpecOps Grunt in Halo: Combat Evolved had either a Needler or a Fuel Rod Gun. The only exception to this was an Easter Egg: the "Thirsty Grunt" who had a Plasma Pistol, the standard weapon of all other ranks of Grunts. He does not fight, however.