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MA5B assault rifle

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

Revision as of 10:46, October 17, 2019 by CIA391 (talk | contribs) (Zero source at all. Did digging and it was never confirmed at all)
MA5B assault rifle
A render of the MA5B assault rifle cinematic model made for Halo Wars.
Production overview

Manufacturer:

Misriah Armory

Model series:

MA5 Series

Type:

Bullpup assault rifle

Specifications

Ammunition type:

M118 7.62×51mm Full Metal Jacket Armor Piercing

Feed system:

60 round box magazine

Operation:

Short-stroke, gas-operated, rotating-bolt

Rate of fire:

900 RPM

Effective range:

500 meters[1]

Service history

In service:

Insurrection
Human-Covenant War
Post-Covenant War conflicts

 

The MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System (MA5B ICWS or MA5B assault rifle), is a standard-issue service rifle for the UNSC Marine Corps and the Navy. It is produced by Misriah Armory as part of its MA5 Series.

Overview

Features

It possesses a built-in ammunition indicator and magnetic compass for orientation similar to that of all other MA5 series rifles.[2] It also includes a fire selector that can be set to a three-round burst.[3]

Ammunition

The MA5B Assault Rifle is an air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, select-fire bullpup rifle that fires 60 rounds of 7.62×51mm ammunition. The weapon is able to use M118 Full Metal Jacket Armor-Piercing rounds,[4] and Shredder rounds.[5] It is capable firing both fully automatic and three round bursts,[6] when firing automatically it can fire a spray of fifteen rounds per second.[5] Alternatively, MA5Bs could be loaded with hollow point bullets, which were highly effective against unarmored targets while leaving the surrounding environment intact. They were distinguished by the red paint on their magazines.[3]

Variants

There was a modified variant of the MA5B assault rifle that was adapted for use with a Suppressor.[7] This variant was able to remove the silencer from the weapon.[8]

The MA2B assault rifle and MA5K carbine were cut-down versions of the standard MA5B assault rifle.[9][10]

Service history

In February 2535, the MA5B assault rifle was during the Battle of Jericho VII by Blue team.[5]

In August 2552 the MA5B assault rifle was standard issue to Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.[11]

Gameplay

Advantage

The MA5B in both offensive and suppressive situations remains one of the UNSC's most reliable weapon. When fired in short bursts, or even single shots, there is a significant increase in accuracy, and the rifle's armor penetrating ability makes it key for handling even the toughest of infantry, having the ability to kill an Elite in about 45 rounds in close quarters. The MA5B rifle is effective at killing light armored infantry at close-to-medium range, and the high rate of fire combined with the high ammunition capacity allows its user to spray the whole area with suppressing fire. The MA5B also gives the user an ammo count on its digital readout, as well a compass pointing toward the arbitrary magnetic "north" position. In the hands of someone who can control their trigger finger, the MA5B becomes a deadly weapon in CQB situations.

Disadvantages

The MA5B is not without disadvantages, its main disadvantage being its horrible accuracy when fired at a range of more than forty meters. At that range, enemy infantry may be hit by a few bullets, or not be hit by any bullets at all. The MA5B Assault Rifle performs poorly against energy shields unless firing on full automatic at close range without giving a shielded infantry time to cover. In comparison to modern assault rifles it can be more related to an oversized sub-machine gun, as it is underpowered and lacks the ability to select a fire mode.

Trivia

References

  • The MA5B was heavily inspired by the MA–75B assault rifle from the Marathon series.
  • Robert McLees at Bungie has compared the basic design of the MA5B to that of the Fabrique-Nationale FN F2000. According to The Art of Halo, McLees did not know of the F2000 until after the game was even finished; "I don't know when the images of the FN F2000 appeared, but I didn't see them until three or four months after the game shipped, and I thought 'Oh great. Now everyone's going to think I swiped the design from Fabrique National.' It was surreal to see how close the Halo assault rifle was to its real-life counterpart... and it was all totally by accident."

Miscellaneous

  • There is a second melee animation for the MA5B, in which the user holds the weapon vertically and clubs anyone in front of them with the back end of the weapon. This animation is used in a few Halo Custom Edition maps, but was taken out of the official game. This animation is similar, if not identical, to the melee animation used for the M90 CAWS.
  • In Halo: Combat Evolved and Anniversary, the gas giant Threshold is considered arbitrary north by the MA5B's compass.
  • In the early version of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the MA5B used the MA37 as a placeholder render, before using the MA5C for the final game.

Gallery

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ Halo: Oblivion, page 330
  2. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, MA5B assault rifle model
  3. ^ a b Halo: Silent Storm, Chapter 24
  4. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, M118 Ammo pack
  5. ^ a b c Halo: The Fall of Reach, Prologue
  6. ^ Halo: Silent Storm, Chapter 24
  7. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 20
  8. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 22
  9. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 9
  10. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 20
  11. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 27