Orbital defense platform

An Orbital Defense Platform, or ODP was a class of large UNSC space station used to defend locations of great importance, typically planets. Stations were frequently placed in geosynchronous orbits and deployed in groups, or clusters, of 2 to 5. The well-equipped and large bridge of an ODP was suitable for directing large-scale engagements. Such was the case when Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood directed UNSC forces from an ODP during the First and Second Battle of Earth.

Facilities

Internally, the stations were remarkably spacious, complete with high ceilinged common areas and a monorail system to move personnel and equipment. In addition to numerous small craft bays there were two docks for larger ships, such as freighters or even frigates. These docking bays could concievably be used to hold Longsword fighters used to protect the staion from hostile spacecraft. The design incorporated many features against potential hostile boarding action, including security stations and small arms racks situated at strategic locations.

Armament

The primary and crucial armament was a Mk. V "Super" MAC gun capable of causing severe damage to even a shielded Covenant capital warship with a single slug. As with starship-mounted MACs, a platform's cannon was commonly controlled by an AI.

Curiously, no sources indicate the presence of additional weapons, such as point defense cannon commonly mounted on UNSC warships. However, the possibility cannot be ruled out,

Powerplant

ODPs did not mount the power generation equipment necessary to fire their main armament. Instead, they received power from ground-based generators. A possible strategy to neutralize the formidable ODPs would be to disable the generators via ground assault, this would disable the platform's weaponry without destroying it, allowing this valuble prize to be captured.

Deployment

Reach

By August 2552, Reach was protected by twenty ODPs. During the Battle of Reach, marines and Spartans were deployed to protect the orbital platforms' planetside power generators but were ultimately unable to do so against determined enemy assaults. The disabling of the defense platforms was a major factor on the battle's outcome.

Earth

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The destruction of the Malta ODP

The outbreak of the Human-Covenant War prompted a massive expansion of Earth's defenses. Even as late as the Battle of Reach preparations had not yet been completed. By October 2552, some 300 ODPs were operational. Many of Earth's ODPs were named after points of interest that they roughly kept station over.

A portion of the 300 platforms saw action at the First Battle of Earth. Athens Station and Malta Station were each destroyed by a Covenant Bomb placed by Covenant boarding parties, with Cairo Station only narrowly avoided the same fate as the platform thanks to Master Chief's and Cortana's defusal of the Covnenant bomb on board.

The ODPs were also used in the Second Battle of Earth, but the Covenant might have already destroyed numerous stations when Truth led a second fleet to Earth, as in the final cutscene of the second game, Cairo Station is shown to be damaged.. Miranda Keyes mentions that in Halo 3 the Covenant "Breached the Lunar Perimiter, smashed what was left of the home fleet. Casualties from the subsequent bombardment were...extreme.". With orbital bombardment in effect, it is evident that most, if not all of Earth's ODPs orbiting above the African area have been neutralized.

Known ODPs

• Athens Station UNSCDF-ODA144 [Destroyed]
• Cairo Station UNSCDF-ODA142 [Damaged]
• Malta Station UNSCDF-ODA143 [Destroyed]
• Nassau Station [Unknown]

Trivia

• All known Orbital Defense Platforms are named after cities on Earth, most famous or importnat ones of the ancient world.