M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon: Difference between revisions

"Tungsten" round<ref name="tungsten"/>

<br>[[S1 canister shell]]

The M512 cannon is designated to to have a smooth-bore high-velocity construction.<ref>[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]], page 164</ref> Smooth-bore indicates that the barrel of the gun lacks rifling, and high-velocity indicates that the cannon is engineered for the firing of ammunition with a notably high muzzle velocity. The cannon is typically mounted in the un-manned turret of an M808-series Scorpion tank and fed via autoloader.  

The M512 cannon is compatible with at least two varieties of ammunition. The first is a projectile which includes tungsten in its construction, and was utilised by [[Marine]] [[M808C Scorpion|M808C]] tank units attached to the [[Forward Unto Dawn]] during the [[Battle of the Ark]].<ref name="tungsten">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''</ref>  

 

 

Due to the in-game performance this round appears to have when compared to the ammunition in other Halo games, it appears that this tungsten projectile is the primary variant of ammunition utilised by all scorpion tanks seen across all Halo games, with the exception of the [[M820 Scorpion]] in [[Halo 5 Guardians]] which utilises the different [[M990 electrothermal-chemical smoothbore cannon|M990 electrothermal-chemical smoothbore cannon.]] Due to the use of tungsten in its construction, it is possible that this ammunition is some form of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy_penetrator kinetic energy penetrator] round - this is supported by the fact that the M512 cannon is smooth-bore, which is more suited for such ammunition<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoothbore Smoothbore - Wikipedia]</ref>. The counter-points to this are twofold. Firstly, the Marine who refers to the M512 cannon as firing tungsten ammunition states; "how does 90 millimetres '''of''' tungsten strike you?" - realistically, the tungsten penetrator of such a round would encapsulate far less than the diameter of the full round itself, though this could be disregarded as simply inaccurate speaking on his part for the sake of emphasis. The second counter-point is that the round exhibits powerful explosive properties in-game, which a kinetic energy penetrator typically would not. This could be explained as a full-gameplay concession and thus non-canon, a partial-gameplay concession with the Scorpion's turret selecting rounds with explosive properties to engage un-armored targets with only the explosive effect on enemy armored vehicles being non-canon, or as a follow-on explosive charge working alongside the sabot or penetrator to give it more tactical flexibility and lethality.  

Another type of ammunition employed is the [[S1 canister shell]], which provides the Scorpion tank with a powerful method of engaging large numbers of lightly-armoured targets, being especially lethal against the infantry. The S1 is also effective at breaching walls and damaging structures or other vehicles.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]''', ''page 42''</ref>  

The M512 cannon can effectively destroy most light vehicles with only one shot. Even heavy vehicles like the Covenant [[Type-26 Wraith]] can only withstand two to three rounds before being destroyed. Because of its high area-of-effect and high velocity it is a very useful anti infantry weapon as well, able to kill even the toughest infantry like the [[Mgalekgolo]] in just one shot. Shots from a 90mm Cannon are also very effective at destroying walls or structures if enough shots are fired at it. The cannon also has very little recoil, which may be attributed to an added muzzle brake or its design.

The M512 cannon is unable to fire on anything too close to the cannon or the Scorpion's chassis, as the cannon cannot traverse that close. The cannon's high area-of-effect means that precision kills are next to impossible - friendly infantry or vehicles near the target are likely to feel the force of the blast as much as the intended target. The M512 cannon must be reloaded after every shot and takes between three and four seconds which may give the enemy enough time to react against the tank. In addition, the smoke trail the round leaves behind when fired can compromise the tank's location, making it easier for enemies with anti-armor weaponry to locate the Scorpion in multiplayer.