Kerel-pattern assault carrier: Difference between revisions

These ships possess an expansive hangar bay, capable of transporting large numbers of [[Seraph]] fighters, [[Phantom]] dropships, boarding craft, and large fleets of [[Ghosts]] and [[Wraiths]], along with one to two Scarabs and - later - the UNSC Frigates ''[[Forward Unto Dawn]]'' and ''Aegis Fate'' would dock inside the vessel's launch bay, which shows the vastness of the ships.<ref name="Floodgate">'''[[Halo 3]]''', level ''[[Floodgate (Level)|Floodgate]]''</ref>

Assault Carriers are also used as [[Flagship]]s, leading [[Covenant Fleet]]s into battle. Though designed for planetary combat, they also excel at ship-to-ship combat, possessing multiple [[pulse laser]] batteries, [[plasma torpedo]] launchers and at least one [[energy projector]].<ref name="Cairo">'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[Cairo Station (Level)|Cairo Station]]''</ref>

Assault Carriers are larger than {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s and standard [[Covenant Carrier|Carriers]], and are more rare and heavily armed than either of them. They are armed with at least two [[Energy Projector]]s<ref name="Cairo"/><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', level ''[[Coastal Highway (Level)|Coastal Highway]]''</ref>, as well as plasma torpedo launchers<ref>'''Halo 3''', level ''[[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> and pulse-lasers.<ref>'''Halo 3''', level ''[[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]]''</ref> They also possess [[gravity lifts]],<ref name="Metropolis">'''Halo 2''', level ''[[Metropolis (Level)|Metropolis]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', level ''[[Uplift Reserve (Level)|Uplift Reserve]]''</ref> used for ferrying supplies, personnel, and vehicles from the ship and to the planet's surface. From their name, and actions in Halo 2, it would appear that an Assault Carrier is designed to fight through an enemy world's defenses and head right into the planet's atmosphere and drop off troops.

As some of the larger ships in the Covenant Fleets are often used as fleet flagships, it is necessary for them to be heavily armed. Assault Carriers possess  [[energy projector]]s which are powerful enough to cut through UNSC capital ships<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page ''??''</ref><ref name="Cairo"/> on its ventral and dorsal surfaces. They also possess multiple pulse-laser turrets<ref name="Ark">''Halo 3'', level ''[[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]]''</ref> used for intercepting enemy missiles and fighters, and plasma torpedoes for engaging in ship-to-ship combat and assaulting planetary defenses.

Assault Carriers are also equipped with at least one gravity lift, capable of dispatching troops, personnel, vehicles and equipment to the surface of a planet rather quickly. They also possess a large main hangar, capable of carrying multiple [[Seraph]]s<ref name="Metropolis"/> and [[Banshee]] fighter crafts, [[Phantom]] dropships and boarding crafts, or a UNSC Frigate.<ref name="Ark"/> In addition, Assault Carriers possess the ability to launch [[Covenant Drop Pod|Drop Pods]], tactically delivering Sangheili warriors into areas without resorting to bulky and obvious dropships.<ref name="Floodgate"/> These ships also carry the dreaded [[Scarab]] walkers in their holds for quick deployment. Thanks to these innovations, a single Assault Carrier can easily launch large-scale invasions quickly and effectively.

 

Assault Carriers, like the vast majority of other [[Covenant]] ships, are characterized by their bulbous, whale-like front, sleek silhouette and pale white/blue hull. However, they also tend to be characterized by their unique swollen and bulbous "hooked" bow section that is frequently characterized to be similar to the head of a whale and would (theoretically) be a massive weakness as the ship could be blown in half comparatively easily. Rather than possessing multiple smaller hangar bays, like smaller cruisers, Assault Carriers use a single, gargantuan hangar bay for storage of fighters, dropships, boarding craft and small capital ships, at least 500 meters long, 320 meters wide and 120 meters high. In ''Halo 3'', however, there is a second hangar bay visible, near the stern of the cruiser, above the main engines. For propulsion, Assault Carriers rely on large [[deuterium]]-[[tritium]] fusion reactors, housed in cavernous chambers,<ref name="Cairo"/> which power the ship's vital systems, as well as the three aft-mounted plasma drives that propel the ship, capable of operating in a vacuum or in an atmospheric environment. They also employ non-reactive gravity drives for standard maneuvering and hovering above the surface of a planet, resisting its gravity.

*In an earlier plan of ''[[Halo 2]]'', there was supposed to be a level where the [[Master Chief]] boards an Assault Carrier and destroys it from the inside called [[Covenant ship]] This level was also supposed to be the real introduction of Miranda Keyes. <ref>'''Halo 3''' - ''[[Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition]]'', confirmed by Joseph Staten in commentary</ref>