M808B3 Tarantula

The M808B3 Tarantula is a a modified variant of the M808B Scorpion main battle tank.

Design details
The M808B3 Tarantula retains the chassis of the standard M808B Scorpion, but is fitted with twin Scimitar 40x178mm hypervelocity rocket pods instead of the M512 90mm Smooth Bore High Velocity Cannon. The 2540 Tarantula hybrid design features rocket pods with a total of twelve tubes capable of launching direct-fire heavy rockets compatible with the M41 SPNKr or fire-and-forget guided missiles.

Usage
M808B3 Tarantulas saw service early in the Human-Covenant War. Due to their rigid maneuverability, low mobility, and ineffectiveness against Covenant forces, most models were re-equipped as regular M808Bs. The design was resurrected in 2540 by Misriah Armory to test the potential use of older Scorpion hulls for heavy tank destroyers and multiple-launch rocket systems.

Production notes
The idea of a missile-equipped Scorpion first emerged during the development of Halo 2. A model for such a vehicle was created though never implemented in the game. Like several other vehicles cut from the game such as the Sun Devil Scorpion, the Tarantula was preserved in Halo canon in the 2009 Halo Encyclopedia. The original Halo 2 model for the Tarantula was more recently restored by the Digsite asset restoration project, and is currently being worked on for inclusion alongside the Sun Devil as an asset in Halo: Combat Evolved for modders to use.