M52B body armor

Front and rear views of the M52B armor.

The M52B Body Armor is an armored protective vest worn by members of the UNSC Marine Corps. It is a key component of some versions of the Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform. It is usually worn with the CH252 helmet for greater ballistic protection. Nicknames for the body armor include BA, BO, Gear, and Shell.

Design

The M52B body armor is a designation encompassing at least two configurations of general-use protective torso-wear primarily utilised by the UNSC Marine Corps.

The first version of the M52B body armour is found pictured and labelled on crates which are commonly encountered throughout UNSC staging areas and combat zones during the Battle of Earth, including the Crow's Nest base near Voi. It was utilised by Marines in 2552 during the earlier stages of the Battle of New Mombasa, and consists of a higher chestplate/backplate assembly and supplemental abdominal plate that maximises torso coverage, both of which are often heavily affixed with stowage pouches. The chestplate fits entirely over the shoulders, lacking the very prominent shoulder-buckles seen in some UNSC chestplates such as the second version.

The second version of the M52B body armour features a heavy chestplate with a layered surface and characteristic buckles securing it to the shoulder, integrated into a thick vest with a black-coloured soft-material exterior which covers the entire torso and runs partially down the upper-arms. The arm coverage extends only over the outwards-facing portion of the arm, is strapped over the underside, and features integrated pauldron assemblies. Below the pauldrons, two small shapes of with the same texture as the other hard armor portions extrude from the soft material, textured by a number of circular cut-outs. Below the chestplate on the abdomen and This version of M52B was used by Sergeant "Ghost" and his unit some time prior to its continued usage in the Algolis Invasion, as well as heavily during the latter-stages of the Battle of Earth.

Performance-wise, the M52B armor is lightweight and durable, capable of sustaining surprising amounts of damage before buckling. The first version has been observed receiving a close-range burst of 7.62x51mm-fire from an MA5 series assault rifle and preventing lethal penetration until the final shot went high and ricocheted off the characteristic buckles before penetrating shallowly into the wearer's shoulder.

Gallery

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  A Marine wearing full battle dress with the M52B.

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  The M52B body armor as it appears in Halo 2.

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  Concept art for the M52B as it appears in Halo 3.

List of appearances

• Halo 2 (First appearance)
• Halo: Uprising
• Halo: Landfall
  • Halo: Arms Race
  • Halo: Combat
  • Halo: Last One Standing
• Halo 3
• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • The Mona Lisa
  • The Return motion comic
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo Legends
  • Origins
  • Homecoming
  • Prototype
• Halo: Initiation