Nanolaminate: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:33, April 28, 2015

Nanolaminate plating provides both the aesthetic and protective functions of the Covenant.

Nanolaminate hull plating is a form of battle plating found on the Covenant's warships.^[1] Possessing a characteristic opalescent-like shine,^[2] nanolaminate hull plating can range in color from purplish to white-blue or silver, while Kig-Yar vessels are generally bluish-black in color.^[3] The plating is very strong and heat resistant, with the support of energy shielding allowing Covenant ships to take more damage.^[4] The amount of nanolaminate plating applied to each ship depends on the class, though CSO-class supercarriers have well over thirty meters of armor plating.^[5] As of 2525, nanolaminate plating is not used in any human construction.^[6]

It is likely that Covenant dropships, such as the Type-52 Phantom, or assault platforms, such as the Type-47 Scarab, are covered with nanolaminate hull plating.

Characteristics

Defensive capabilities

A CPV-class destroyer collides with the Spirit of Fire, with the former vessel taking little damage.

The hull plating allows ships to be resilient to most UNSC weaponry. UNSC point-defense guns are not powerful enough to do significant damage to the plating,^[7] Archer missiles prove to be very effective against the unshielded hull of a Covenant vessel causing the ship to become very vulnerable following the resulting explosions of the missiles.^[8] Magnetic Accelerator Cannons are often used to disable and destroy Covenant vessels after the energy shielding fails, being powerful enough to pierce the nanolaminate hull plating of most ships with a single round.^[9] A single pack of C-12 shaped charges can easily puncture a large hole through the hull of a Covenant cruiser.^[10] Some Covenant cruisers are capable of taking a direct hit from a mass driver at near point-blank range with only minor structural damage done to the nanolaminate plating, but a second hit in the same spot will puncture the vessel.^[11]

However, Covenant weaponry is more effective against nanolaminate plating. The supercarrier Ascendant Justice, one of the most powerful vessels in the Covenant fleet, was heavily damaged by a single plasma torpedo, with several layers of the armor plating boiling away.^[12]

The Sangheili continued to improve their ships' nanolaminate plating and other onboard technologies in the wake of the Human-Covenant War. Following a joint anti-piracy operation with the UNSC Navy in a Joint Occupation Zone in 2557, ONI analysis noted improvements to the hull plating of the assault carrier Shadow of Intent.^[1]

Heat resilience

The nanolaminate plating is very heat resistant, allowing Covenant vessels to enter extreme atmospheres or absorb the long-range damage from human nuclear weapons. Upon entering the gas giant Threshold's atmosphere shield-less, the hull of Ascendant Justice heated to three hundred degrees Celsius, with no actual structural damage done to the ship.^[4] Only when the ship reached temperatures of over seventeen hundred degrees Celsius did minor hull tearing and conduit melting occur.^[13] However, at such high temperatures, the superstructure of the vessel becomes considerably softened.^[14]

Trivia

The shield used by the Covenant's Mgalekgolo soldiers is made up of a similar alloy.^[15]

Gallery

Renders of the CRS-class light cruiser, with its hull quite visible.
Reach - Supercarrier.png

A render of a CSO-class supercarrier, armored with over 30 meters of nanolaminate plating.
An RCS-class armored cruiser is destroyed after the Infinity collides with it.
The war-torn nanolaminate plating of a CCS-class battlecruiser.
Covenant space fighters, like the Seraph, were armored with nanolaminate plating.

Sources

^ ^a ^b Halo Waypoint: Catalog Interaction - Page 14
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 119
^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 26
^ ^a ^b Halo: First Strike, page 79
^ Halo: First Strike, page 266
^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 176
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 272
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 179
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 297
^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Blunt Instruments", page 202
^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 342
^ Halo: First Strike, page 76
^ Halo: First Strike, page 84
^ Halo: First Strike, page 223
^ Halo Waypoint: Lekgolo

[Catalog-1] Halo Waypoint: Catalog Interaction - Page 14

[2] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 119

[3] Halo: Contact Harvest, page 26

[fs79-4] Halo: First Strike, page 79

[5] Halo: First Strike, page 266

[6] Halo: Contact Harvest, page 176

[7] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 272

[8] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 179

[9] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 297

[10] Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Blunt Instruments", page 202

[11] Halo: Contact Harvest, page 342

[12] Halo: First Strike, page 76

[13] Halo: First Strike, page 84

[14] Halo: First Strike, page 223

[15] Halo Waypoint: Lekgolo

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Era|Covenant|Human|UNSC|HCW|Post}}
 [[File:H4 Prologue CAS Carrier.jpg|thumb|290px|Nanolaminate plating provides both the aesthetic and protective functions of the [[Covenant]].]]
-'''Nanolaminate hull plating''' is a form of battle plating found on the [[Covenant]]'s warships.<ref name="Catalog">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969315_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969315 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 14'']</ref> Possessing a characteristic opalescent-like shine,<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 119''</ref> nanolaminate hull plating can range in color from purplish to white-blue or silver, while [[Kig-Yar]] vessels are generally bluish-black in color.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 26''</ref> The plating is very strong and heat resistant, with the support of [[energy shielding]] allowing Covenant ships to take more damage.<ref name="fs79">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 79''</ref> The amount of nanolaminate plating applied to each ship depends on the class, though {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}s have well over thirty meters of armor plating.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 266''</ref> As of [[2525]], nanolaminate plating is not used in any [[human]] construction.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 176''</ref>
+'''Nanolaminate hull plating''' is a form of battle plating found on the [[Covenant]]'s warships.<ref name="Catalog">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/catalog-interaction/4c3e1c6f-6519-4ee0-83a4-4bac13bf07a3/posts?page=14#post262 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 14'']</ref> Possessing a characteristic opalescent-like shine,<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 119''</ref> nanolaminate hull plating can range in color from purplish to white-blue or silver, while [[Kig-Yar]] vessels are generally bluish-black in color.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 26''</ref> The plating is very strong and heat resistant, with the support of [[energy shielding]] allowing Covenant ships to take more damage.<ref name="fs79">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 79''</ref> The amount of nanolaminate plating applied to each ship depends on the class, though {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}s have well over thirty meters of armor plating.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 266''</ref> As of [[2525]], nanolaminate plating is not used in any [[human]] construction.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 176''</ref>
 It is likely that Covenant [[dropship]]s, such as the [[Type-52 Phantom]], or assault platforms, such as the [[Type-47 Scarab]], are covered with nanolaminate hull plating.