Canon

M810 Helix point defense gun

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

M810 Helix point defense gun[1]
Production overview

Manufacturer:

UNSC

Type:

Point-defense gun/autocannon

Specifications

Operation:

Computer/AI operated

Rate of fire:

Rapid

Service history

In service:

 

The M810 Helix point defense gun, also known as AAA Helix gun or Helix System, is a United Nations Space Command starship-mounted point defense weapon.[2] This autocannon can be found affixed to human capital ships during the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War as late as the Battle of Psi Serpentis in 2543.[2]

Overview

The Helix is a point-system employed for shooting down inbound threats such as strikecraft and missiles. They are described as being "spun up and hot", indicating that they are rotary cannons.[2] As with most UNSC point-defence, they are likely automatically operated by an artificial intelligence.

Usage

Helix PDGs are primarily employed on the larger warships of the UNSC Navy, with their earliest known usage in 2473, with the introduction of the Epoch-class heavy carrier into service. They were employed on a handful of cruisers in the early 26th century, though have since yet to see any reintroduction on the newer fleets of the post-war era.

On at least the Halcyon-class light cruiser, the Helix can be interchangeably fitted with the M910 Rampart PDG.[3] It is unknown whether this capability extends to the rest of the fleet - if so, the Helix may be additionally capable of being employed on the warships listed here.

Carriers
Cruisers
Destroyers

List of appearances

Notes

  1. ^ The short story The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole describes the UNSC Everest as being equipped with Helix PDGs, though the Valiant entry in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) does not mention these weapons for the ship class. It may be that the loadout of the standard Valiants versus the Everest's command refit brought with it a new suite of point-defense guns. Alternatively, as with the Halcyon-class, these weapons may simply be interchangeable with the listed stat of 50x M910 Ramparts.

Sources