MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor: Difference between revisions

In its final phase, the Mjolnir battlesuit weighs half a short ton, or 1,000 pounds,<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 2'', (2001 edition) ''page 3'', (definitive edition) ''page 16'' (2010 edition)</ref> and is a fully neural-linked system. With an on board AI using the human mind for parallel processing, the Spartan/Mjolnir combination is designed to be the most devastating intelligence tool ever created.<ref name="sybex"/><ref name="xbox"/>

Before Dr. Halsey began Project MJOLNIR, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence Materials Group|Materials Group]] had been evaluating the combat potential of powered exoskeletons for at least eleven years, producing three distinct exoskeleton models: the Mark I, the Mark II, and the Mark III.<ref name="ENCY"/> When Dr. Halsey and the Materials Group abandoned the exoskeleton project for MJOLNIR, they ceased using the "Mark" generational naming system, as Halsey intended for MJOLNIR to be a single, continuously upgraded system, and wished to distance herself from the unsuccessful exoskeleton project. However, in [[2535]], the Office of Naval Intelligence mandated that the "Mark" system be used to distinguish different versions of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor as a means of fiscal oversight. Though Halsey disliked the system, she agreed to produce the Mjolnir armor in distinct stages rather than through incremental improvements; the original version of MJOLNIR was thus retroactively named "Mark IV", referencing the long-abandoned exoskeleton project that had preceded MJOLNIR.<ref name="journal2">'''Dr. Halsey's personal journal''' ''January 7, 2535''</ref>

After the end of the Human-Covenant War, the Materials Group developed the second system-wide generation of MJOLNIR, simply designated GEN2, as a response to the SPARTAN-IV project. GEN2 is lighter than the Marks IV through VI and is far more modular than previous systems. The previous iterations of MJOLNIR were retroactively designated GEN1 to distinguish them from the GEN2.<ref name="O+A">[http://halo.xbox.com/halo4#!an-epic-universe/ordnance-armor/cbbca9b3-5108-41aa-aa21-9b523de68266 '''Halo 4''': ''ORDNANCE + ARMOR]''</ref><ref name="Gameplay">[http://halo.xbox.com/halo4#!halo-evolved/gameplay/31afe32b-0e07-45c0-9424-3adc6e1eadca '''Halo 4 Official Site:''' ''GAMEPLAY'']</ref>

[[File:Journal_MK_I.png|thumb|A sketch of the Mark I exoskeleton by Dr. Halsey]]

====Mark I exoskeleton====

====First generation====

[[File:MarkIV model.jpg|thumb|The first iteration of the Mark IV Mjolnir platform]]

{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV}}

Although earlier attempts at developing high-powered armor produced designs that were impractical for battlefield deployment, the Mark IV Mjolnir powered exoskeleton would be the first successful powered armor system that saw deployment onto the battlefield. Developed by Dr. Catherine Halsey, the Mark IV was a radical redesign of powered exoskeletons making use of technological innovations that did not exist when work on the previous exoskeletons began, such as a miniature fusion reactor embedded in later versions of the armor. The Mark IV Mjolnir armor was fielded from November 27, 2525 to November 24, 2551.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BWU_012910 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 01.29.10'']</ref>

{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V}}

The Mjolnir Mark V is the first major upgrade of the system and introduced two revolutionary technologies for battlefield purposes: energy shielding reverse-engineered from Covenant technology, providing the user added protection against plasma weapons, and the ability to link a soldier and an [[artificial intelligence]] together to provide the soldier instant intel in the field, along with other functions. In addition to major changes from the Mark IV, hundreds of other technical improvements are incorporated into the Mark V: for example, the fusion packs used to power the suits are half the size of their predecessors. The Mark V was fielded from [[2551|November 24, 2551]] to [[2552#October|October 20, 2552]].

{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Black}}

Created by a top-secret parallel development lab in [[Seongnam]], [[Korea]], MJOLNIR: Black was a standalone "skunkworks" prototype of the Mark VI issued exclusively for [[Team Black]]. It features a number of advances over contemporary Mjolnir exoskeletons. It was used on [[Raid on Verge|Verge]] during the Covenant invasion of the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] and during [[Operation: BLOWBACK]] some time after.

{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI}}

The Mjolnir Mark VI is the third primary version of the system. It introduces several technical improvements while refining advanced technologies introduced in the previous system. The first improvement made to the system is a faster recharge time on the suits' energy shield system so that the Spartan-II super soldier does not have to remain in cover for an extended period of time. The second is improved synchronization between the suit and user, this allows the Spartan to jump higher, run faster, and hit harder than a Spartan could previously.

{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VII}}

The Mark VII is the fourth major iteration of the Mjolnir armor introduced in [[2553|January 2553]]. It is lighter than the previous first-generation suits,<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 291''</ref> with new features including limited energy shield shaping and a nanotechnology repair suite. Ultimately, the Mark VII was never widely issued as it was deemed too complex and expensive for mass-production, particularly in light of the development of the more versatile GEN2 platform which enabled more economical optimization for the different Spartan generations in service, while the first generation was mainly optimized for the Spartan-IIs.<ref name="wp mjolnir">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/tech/mjolnir '''Halo Waypoint''': ''MJOLNIR'']</ref>