AIE-486H machine gun

The AIE-486H heavy machine gun is a tri-barrelled rotary machine gun manufactured by Misriah Armory in service with the United Nations Space Command.

Design details
The AIE-486H heavy machine gun is a rugged design, consisting of a body housing an electrical motor linked to three rotary barrels. The weapon is equipped with two forward-facing ballistic shields similar in design to those of the M41 Vulcan anti-air gun, and a 200 round magazine just below the rotary assembly connected to the receiver by a munitions belt. The rear of the weapon contains two handles, allowing the weapon to be handled when deployed - typically atop a static tripod mount. The weapon has a large capacity, a high rate-of-fire and a fairly quick reloading process - though it does require a short "spin up" time when firing before reaching its maximum fire rate.

Ammunition
The AIE-486H has ammunition commonality with many other weapons in UNSC and Colonial Military Authority arsenals such as the MA5 series of assault rifles. It fires the M118 7.62x51mm Full Metal Jacket-Armour Piercing used in the MA5 alongside other weapons such as the M392 DMR or M739 SAW - among many others. These armour-piercing rounds make the HMG highly effective in use against Covenant forces - particularly Sangheili troops.

Usage
The AIE-486H is an older design, though fulfils the same combat role as more modern contemporaries such as the M247H machine gun or M49 Vulcan. Its rugged, loud, and formidable battlefield presence has made it a favourite of UNSC Marine Corps units, and has kept it in service in the Marines' primary arsenal. Two such weapons are deployed as a standard defensive armament on the M313 Elephant recovery vehicle, with one commonly equipped in the rear bay of the D77H-TCI Pelican dropship.

Operational history
The AIE-486H is an older design in UNSC arsenals, and was retained for use by the Marine Corps even after the UNSC Army and CMA Marine Corps adopted the M247H machine gun.

AIE-486Hs saw usage from the earliest years of the Human-Covenant War through to its conclusion. They were in service in the hands of Spartan-IIs Alice-130 and Team Omega in 2531, at which time they were used by Spartans operating in the Battle for Arcadia and Battle of Trove. They later saw service in 2547 during the Battle of Skopje, and again in the war's final year. In 2552, they were used by Spartan Joshua-029 during the Fall of Reach and by human defence forces on Earth, including the New Mombasa Police Department and Marine Corps.

Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST
The AIE-486H was introduced in Halo 3 as the replacement for the M247 GPMG featured in Halo 2. It serves as part of the newly-added class of support weapons, and can be used while mounted on a turret stand or detached and carried in mobile form. While mounted, the weapon has an infinite ammunition pool and does not need to reload, though once detached can be carried in a third-person view albeit with a limited ammo pool of 200 rounds.

In Halo 3: ODST, the weapon performs the same as its Halo 3 counterpart, albeit with a slightly faster run speed while detached.

Halo Wars
In Halo Wars, the AIE-486H is the signature weapon of Alice-130 in the game's campaign. In Skirmish, the Chaingun can be unlocked as the first upgrade available for the Spartan infantry unit.

Silver Timeline
A Colonial Military Authority AIE-486H machine gun was used by John-117 in a battle against the Covenant on Madrigal.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * ''Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Dirt
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion
 * Halo Mythos
 * Halo Wars 2
 * Halo: The Television Series
 * Contact
 * Reckoning
 * Allegiance