ZAV-48 Frostraven

"Someone need cryo support?"

- A Frostraven pilot.

The ZAV-48 Frostraven is a theoretical aircraft design created by the Smart AI Serina.

Design details
The ZAV-48 is a conjectural design built upon the airframe of the versatile EV-44 Nightingale helicopter, leveraging the Nightingale's design platform's ability for operations-specific variations. Unlike the EV-44, the Frostraven incorporates four rotors rather than two.

Armaments
Like the craft as a whole, the Frostraven's weapons are theoretical designs considered by Serina and later, Isabel, for testing purposes. These include a single chin-mounted vacuum energy extractor nicknamed the "cryoray", used to freeze targets into an immobile state. Mounted on each of the helicopter's two frontal wings are pylons containing racks of four "shockwave" seismic missiles each (for a total of eight). These missiles are used to produce large shockwaves on impact and detonation, with the intent of shattering frozen targets.

Development history
The design was created by Serina, the artificial intelligence for, during the vessel's years drifting through space following the destruction of the shield world Trove. During the voyage, Serina continued research into vacuum energy cryotechnology originally started by Ellen Anders and produced a number of speculative designs leveraging the use of this hypothetical technology. Such examples include the Frostraven and others such as the Cryo Troopers, cryo mine, M88 "Cryo" Bison variant, and so forth.

Despite Serina's eventual end-of-life termination, she left her notes aboard Spirit of Fire to inform future potential research - something that was later picked up for review and integration by Isabel during the Second Ark Conflict in 2559. Ultimately, Anders has yet to show an interest in the Frostraven project or its sister designs, instead choosing to focus her own research on the potential of Forerunner systems.

Halo Wars 2
Frosthaven Upgrade: Heavy Cryo Projector The Frostraven is a unit unique to Serina. In order to unlock Frostravens, the player must spend a leader point on the passive leader power simply dubbed "Frostraven", Frostravens will then be available for purchasing at the player's firebase. The Frostraven's only upgrade improves its Cryo Projector to freeze enemies faster. The Frostraven's ability fires a Seismic Missile which instantly kills frozen units. Frostravens perform poorly against infantry, vehicles, aircraft, and structures, as it is a support unit. In Blitz, the Frostraven costs 70 energy, and the Seismic Missile is replaced with a Shockwave Missile which deals damage, freezes enemies, and also shatters frozen enemies.
 * Info: Support Unit, Freezes enemies, Deals very little damage, Can fire a Seismic Missile
 * Tier: 1
 * Cost:, ,
 * Info: Weapon Upgrade, Improves the Cryo Projector, chilling enemies faster
 * Tier: 2
 * Cost: ,

Production notes
The in-game filename for the Frostraven's Phoenix Log image (viewable in the log above) is named, suggesting that while in-development, the Frostraven was intended to be named the Pegasus. The Frostraven is also the subject of several pieces of cut content - within the Halo Wars 2 game files can be found a Flood-infected variant of the vehicle that goes unused in the final game - presumably intended for use in Awakening the Nightmare's Terminus Firefight.

Additionally, an unused variant of the Halo Wars 2: Custom Warpaint found in the game files shows an unused camouflage skin for the Frostraven.

Trivia
The Frostraven's role is similar to the Allied Cryocopter from Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3. In Red Alert 3, the Allied Cryocopter similarly-served as an aircraft that utilizses cryo technology to freeze enemies and shatter them into pieces.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars 2