Plasma torpedo: Difference between revisions

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
(+merge)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Era|HCW}}
{{Era|HCW}}
{{Ratings}}
{{references}}
{{Mergefrom|Plasma torpedo}}
{{Disambig header|the starship weapon|other uses|Plasma turret (disambiguation)}}
{{Disambig header|the starship weapon|other uses|Plasma turret (disambiguation)}}
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
[[File:Corvette plasma cannons.jpg|280px|thumb|Three of ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'''s plasma turrets, one of which is firing.]]
{{Weapon Infobox
| image=[[File:Corvette plasma cannons.jpg|280px]]<br>Three of ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'''s plasma turrets, one of which is firing.
| name=Plasma turret
| manufacturer=
| model=
| type=
| cost=
| size=
| damage per hit=
| magazine=
| maxammo=
| fire=
| ammotype=Magnetically-contained superheated plasma
| operation=Plasma bolt guided by shaped magnetic fields
| rate of fire=
| velocity=
| accuracy=High
| range=High
| era=[[The Great War era]]
| counterpart=
| counterwep=
| affiliation=[[Covenant Empire]]
| mpguide=
}}
{{quote|The Covenant cruiser came about to face them. Its plasma turrets glowed like angry red eyes.|Description<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 228''</ref>}}


{{quote|The Covenant cruiser came about to face them. Its plasma turrets glowed like angry red eyes.|Description<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 228''</ref>}}
The '''plasma turret''' is a weapon used by most [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] [[warship]]s. It fires magnetically guided bolts of [[plasma]], referred to as '''plasma torpedoes''', and can strike at almost any range.<ref name="FS">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 78''</ref> Along with the [[pulse laser turret]] and [[energy projector]], it is one of their primary ship-to-ship weapons. Upon contact, a plasma torpedo causes severe damage to the target, boiling armor or overloading [[Energy shielding|shields]]. The weapon can be used in conjunction with pulse laser turrets and energy projectors to decimate entire [[UNSC fleet]]s, and can be used in ground assaults as well.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign levels ''[[ONI: Sword Base]]'' and ''[[Exodus]]''</ref>


The '''plasma turret''' is a weapon used by most [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] ships.<ref name="FS">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 78''</ref> Along with the [[pulse laser turret]] and [[energy projector]], it is one of their primary ship-to-ship weapons.
==Description==
The turret itself is antenna-like in appearance and is often located along the sides of the ship. The beam is red, purple, or blue and short with a ball-like head and a trail. The turrets, from afar, usually appear as short spikes on the sides, the upper sides, and the bow of the vessel.


==Overview==
The size and power of the plasma turret depends on the vessel; the plasma turrets mounted on smaller ships such as [[Covenant corvette|corvettes]] are less powerful than those on larger vessels such as [[CCS-class Battlecruiser|battlecruisers]]. In addition, the plasma turrets mounted on corvettes only appear to be able to fire their torpedoes in a straight line,<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''</ref> while the tracking systems on larger warships are far more sophisticated.
The plasma turret fires magnetically contained bolts of plasma, referred to as [[plasma torpedo]]es, and can strike at almost any range.<ref name="FS"/> The torpedoes can be fired either guided or unguided, depending on the situation. Upon contact it causes severe damage to the target. The weapon can be used in conjunction with pulse laser turrets and energy projectors to decimate entire UNSC fleets, and can be used in ground assaults as well.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign levels ''[[ONI: Sword Base]]'' and ''[[Exodus]]''</ref>


The turret itself is antenna-like in appearance and is only known to be located along the sides of the ship. The beam is red, purple, or blue and short with a ball-like head. The turrets, from afar, usually appear as short spikes on the sides, the upper sides, and the bow of the vessel. The size and power of the plasma turret depends on the vessel; the plasma turrets mounted on smaller ships such as [[Covenant corvette|corvettes]] are less powerful than those on larger vessels such as [[CCS-class Battlecruiser|battlecruisers]].
==Operation==
Plasma is heated in a pinched magnetic field by energy supplied from the ship's [[pinch fusion reactor]]s. The atoms that are on an appropriate trajectory between the Covenant starship and its target are then herded towards the mouth of the turret by magnetic pulses. Magnetic coils shape and guide the plasma, acting as a sophisticated focusing lens. When the weapon charges, a ball of superheated plasma forms in front of the turret, then after about 3 seconds, it fires outward at its target.


==Operation==
The torpedo is guided towards its target by a long-reaching magnetic field projected by the emitter. They are extraordinarily accurate; one of the only ways for UNSC ships to even temporarily avoid them is to use [[emergency thruster]]s to "dodge" incoming torpedoes at the last moment. Upon impact, the torpedo penetrates the target starship, burning through internal decks and structures, thus causing heavy damage on the target.
Before the weapon fires, it first has to charge. When the weapon charges, a ball of superheated plasma forms in front of the turret, then after about 3 seconds, it fires outward at its target.
 
Inside the turret, gas is superheated by the ship's reactor to produce the charge of plasma. Magnetic coils shape and guide the plasma, acting as a sophisticated focusing lens. When the plasma charge impacts its target, it super heats the material which boils through [[Energy Shield|shields]] and melts through armor.
The attacking ship must lower a section of its shield in order to fire the torpedo, otherwise it would detonate inside the protective barrier. [[John-117]] used this weakness to temporarily blind a Covenant cruiser with a Longsword and to penetrate the shields of the [[Covenant supercarrier]] ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''.
 
The magnetic coils used in a MAC gun can be used to shape and guide the plasma fired by a plasma turret; this was seen before the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus]], when the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}'s magnetic coils were used to guide plasma generated by the ''Ascendant Justice'''s plasma turrets. Yet, when this happens the plasma is far denser than it would be if fired normally.
 
==Tactics==
Volleys of plasma torpedoes are frequently the first attacks launched by [[Covenant fleet]]s when engaging enemy forces at long range. They often decimate enemy ranks upon impact. They emit visible radiation, giving them an amber color but volleys are visually akin to solar flares due to the sheer number of torpedoes launched. It has been said a single volley can destroy a ship from bow to stern.
 
Occasionally, plasma torpedoes can miss their target and fail to reacquire them if the target is moving towards the launcher at an oblique angle and high speed, such as the offensive maneuver conducted by John-117 to evade the fire of the Covenant ships at Alpha Halo during the [[Skirmish over Threshold]], or also if the movement of the craft is erratic such as the way Keyes evaded the torpedoes during the [[Keyes Loop]] by detonating the ship's emergency thrusters seconds before impact. Even though they are considered very accurate against capital ships and space stations, they can frequently be evaded by smaller craft, such as [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican dropships]] and [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longswords]].
 
==Trivia==
*If the firing ship is destroyed, all plasma torpedoes guided by its magnetic fields are detonated prematurely or fly about aimlessly. However, during the [[Fall of Reach]], fired torpedoes destroyed UNSC [[orbital defense platform]]s even after their firers had been destroyed.
*Captain Keyes once said ''"that couldn't have been a plasma torpedo or we would be free-floating molecules..."'' implying that even a single, well placed, plasma torpedo can destroy a [[UNSC]] vessel, even one as strong and stable as the ''[[Pillar of Autumn]]'', though it could have been due to the fact that the ''Pillar of Autumn'' had already taken extensive damage during the Fall of Reach.
*The novels describe plasma torpedoes as being red, while in the games, they are blue.


The magnetic coils used in a MAC gun can be used to shape and guide the plasma fired by a Plasma Turret; this was seen before the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus]], when the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}'s magnetic coils were used to guide plasma generated by the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'''s plasma turrets. Yet, when this happens the plasma is far denser than it would be if fired normally.
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="150" orientation="landscape">
<gallery widths="150">
File:Corvette plasma canonss interior.jpg|The controls of the [[Ardent Prayer]]'s Plasma turrets.
File:Corvette plasma canonss interior.jpg|The controls of the ''Ardent Prayer'''s plasma turrets.
File:Reach 468930 Full.jpg| A view of the Plasma turrets on the [[Ardent Prayer]].
File:Reach 468930 Full.jpg| A view of the Plasma turrets on the ''Ardent Prayer''.
File:Plasma_torpedoes_fired.jpg|Two plasma torpedoes fired by a corvette's plasma turrets.
File:Plasma_torpedoes_fired.jpg|Two plasma torpedoes fired by a corvette's plasma turrets.
File:Torpedo.jpg|Plasma torpedoes impacting the {{UNSCship|Pillar of Autumn}}.
File:AC Fire.jpg|The [[Assault Carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' firing a plasma torpedo.
File:ArabiaVostok.png|The [[UNSC frigate|frigate]]s [[CMA Arabia|''Arabia'']] and [[CMA Vostok|''Vostok'']] being severed instantly by plasma torpedoes.
File:Plasma Torpedo.png|A plasma torpedo about to impact an evacuating [[Unidentified civilian transport craft|civilian transport]] during the [[Fall of Reach]].
</gallery>
</gallery>
==List of appearances==
{{Appearances|Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo 2|Halo 3|Halo Wars|Halo: Reach|Halo: The Fall of Reach|Halo: The Flood|Halo: First Strike|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|}}
==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
<references/>
Retrieved from "https://www.halopedia.org/Plasma_torpedo"