Planetary warfare: Difference between revisions

[[File:Annivesary%2C_conflict.jpg|300px|thumb|Human, Covenant and Flood forces engage each other on the surface of [[Installation 04|Alpha Halo]].]]

Infantry are an integral part of any army, no matter how technologically sophisticated. During the [[Forerunner]]s' [[Human-Forerunner wars|wars]] with [[Ancient humanity|humanity]], both sides continued to use soldiers equipped a range of handheld armaments and protective armor.<ref name="H4Terminals">'''[[Halo 4]]''', ''Terminals''</ref> Initially, Forerunner ground forces consisted of [[Warrior-Servant|infantry wearing combat skins]] and operating [[War Sphinx]]es,<ref>'''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'', ''page 43''</ref> supplemented by [[artificial intelligence]]-operated [[Sentinels]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level, ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)]]''</ref> and [[armigers]],<ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''pages 222-226 (Google Play edition)''</ref> though as the [[Forerunner-Flood war|war]] with the [[Flood]] wore on the Forerunners increasingly relied on automated forces to sterilize or destroy Flood forces, eventually producing the [[Prometheans]] from composed Warrior-Servants and unwilling humans.{{Ref/Reuse|H4Terminals}} In the modern era, both the [[Covenant]] and the [[United Nations Space Command]], as well as other human military and paramilitary groups, also use infantry, equipped with a range of weapons designed to occupy different niches. Both sides primarily use infantry to take and hold strategically and tactically important areas, particularly military bases and population centers. Infantry are also useful during counter-insurgency operations, which the UNSC conducted during the Insurrection, to sweep populated areas and clear out buildings of hostile occupants. Infantry are also much easier to transport and supply than larger and heavier vehicles, which can be awkward to operate in narrow urban environments and can cause significant collateral damage. the UNSC primarily relied on [[UNSC Army|Army troopers]] and [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]], though the [[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]] and [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] also maintained infantry units for garrison and security duties.  

The UNSC and Covenant use a range of light transports and scout craft - the [[M12 Warthog]] and the [[Type-32 Ghost]] are ubiquitous in the UNSC Armed Forces and the Covenant respectively, used primarily for force reconnaissance and engaging light enemy forces. The Warthog is a versatile UNSC light vehicle, and comes in a number of variants for different niches - the standard model is equipped with a [[M41 Vulcan|crew-served light machinegun]], though this can be replaced with [[M12R Rocket Warthog|missile pods]], a [[M12A1 Rocket Warthog|tri-barrelled rocket launcher]], a [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog|gauss turret]], or replaced with [[M831 Troop Transport Warthog|a troop compartment]]. The UNSC also uses variants of the [[M274R Mongoose|Mongoose]] [[M290 Mongoose|ULATV]], usually operated by a single operator for message or materiel delivery on a battlefield where communications uplinks are compromised or where airborne or slower ground transports are impractical. The Covenant Ghost is a fairly standard vehicle, lightly armed and armored but extremely fast and agile, though several post-war variants of the [[Type-54 Ghost]] have been used by both the Covenant and the [[Swords of Sanghelios]]. The Covenant have at times supplemented the Ghost with the {{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}}, though it was not adopted in large numbers, and the [[Type-48 Revenant]]. When the Jiralhanae assumed command of the Covenant, they supplemented their Ghosts with [[Type-25 Chopper]]s and [[Type-52 Prowler]]s. For improved ground mobility, both sides also used a number of armored fighting vehicles. The UNSC used the M831 Warthog for troop transport, while the Covenant used the larger, more heavily armored [[Type-29 Shadow]] for transport in urban environments, though both sides tend to use dropship airlift more frequently. Transport was less of a concern to the Forerunners, who used sophisticated [[Slipspace translocation|battlefield translocation]] to move across the battlefield, a technique continued into the 26th century by Promethean forces.

For heavier firepower, both the UNSC and Covenant utilize a number of heavy weapons platforms, including tanks, artillery and anti-air units. The [[M808 Scorpion]] was the UNSC's main battle tank of choice, particularly among the Marine Corps, due to its ability to be airlifted across the battlefield by dropship, and small crew size. It was replaced in 2557 by the [[M820 Scorpion]], which featured similar design elements but featured a heavier main cannon and lighter chassis. Many UNSC Army and Marine Corps also operated the [[M850 Grizzly]] tank, which featured better armor and two 120mm cannons, as well as co-axial and pintle-mounted machine guns, but was considered expensive to maintain and difficult to transport. The Covenant filled the same niche with their own tank, the [[Type-26 Wraith]] mortar tank, later replaced by the [[Type-58 Wraith]] which had similar capabilities but was smaller and lighter.

In support of both infantry and armored units, both sides also deployed a number of artillery units. Though the Wraith could be, and frequently was, used as a main battle tank, it excelled as long-range artillery, bombarding positions with plasma mortars. It was supplemented in the role by the {{Pattern|Shua'ee|Locust}}, which used a powerful directed energy weapon to destroy stationary targets but was vulnerable to enemy armor. The UNSC employed a number of artillery vehicles, such as the [[SP42 Cobra]] and the experimental [[M145D Rhino]], though the role was usually filled by aerial or orbital missile or [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] support. The [[M9 Wolverine]] served as a dedicated anti-air missile launcher, but was able to use its missiles as a volley to hit ground targets, particularly useful against structures. The Covenant used [[Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith|a dedicated Wraith variant]] for anti-air defense, equipping them with powerful fuel rod cannons that served as effective flak.

Most military forces deploy a range of aerial combat units to establish aerial supremacy and close air support. Establishing aerial supremacy can be critical to winning a battle, defending land and sea-based forces from aerial attack, improving one's own ability to attack enemy land and sea-based forces, and even repelling orbital attacks - the UNSC Air Force was able to hold off Covenant invasion for three years when the Covenant [[Battle of Meridian|attacked Meridian]], before the colony finally fell. UNSC military branches deploy a number of different craft for the role - the [[SkyHawk]] jump-jet, the [[GA-TL1 Longsword]] and the [[F-41 Broadsword|F41 Broadsword]]. The Covenant rely on the small, fast and nimble [[Type-26 Banshee|Type-26]] and post-war [[Type-54 Banshee]] flyer, supported by smaller numbers of the larger, more powerful and better protected [[Type-31 Seraph]], as well as {{Pattern|Bkowe'nei|Vampire}} craft for anti-air capability. Forerunner forces established air superiority through the use of small [[weapon-ship]]s, such as the [[Z-1800 Phaeton]], with a single operator able to control at least a million craft remotely, or directly operated by onboard pilots. Even the Flood deployed aerial forces to deter enemy air units and attack ground-based units - [[Flood swarm]]s were able to attack both air and ground units, and although were individually weak, were deployed in large numbers.

Close air support is another important aspect of air combat. Ordnance can be delivered by fighters and bombers, but their speed and method of flight gives them small loiter times before they leave the area and need to refuel. To this end, the UNSC and Covenant utilize a range of craft for the purpose. The key strategic advantage of the Banshee is that it is able to operate at sub-sonic speeds and even hover, allowing them to attack enemy ground forces with plasma cannons and fuel rod guns. Spirit and Phantom dropships are also equipped with plasma cannons to cover the deployment of their troops and provide air support for them once they have been deployed. The original Covenant used the [[Type-25 Spirit]], which was replaced after the war by the {{Pattern|Nuro'k Xur|Spirit}}, while the Phantom has seen a number of variants including the [[Type-44 Phantom|Type-44]] and [[Type-52 Phantom|Type-52]], which were replaced in the post-war period by the [[Type-57 Phantom|Type-57]]. The UNSC prefer to separate those roles into dedicated transports, usually with at least rudimentary armament, and dedicated gunship variants with more firepower. Both the [[D77-TC Pelican|D77]] and [[D79-TC Pelican|D79 Pelicans]] had a number of variants, but most were equipped with a chin-mounted cannon, a troop-bay mounted machine gun, and some variants equipped with wing-mounted missile or rocket pods. The [[G79H-TC Pelican|G79H Pelican]] gunship was a Pelican airframe equipped with a diverse range of armaments, including an M8 [[Spartan Laser]], side-mounted machine gun turrets, and chin-mounted autocannons, but also featured limited troop transport and resupply capabilities. The [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]] was dedicated to the role, and featured wing-mounted autocannons and a nose-mounted M6 Spartan Laser, and lacked the troop transport abilities of the Pelican, but was lighter, faster and more agile. The UNSC also utilized the smaller [[AV-14 Hornet]], a tiltjet which used missile pods and wing-mounted machine guns to attack ground units and transport up to two passengers.

[[File:Mako renders.png|thumb|250px|[[MAKO-class Mjolnir]] designed for Spartan combat divers. The helmet was adopted by the UNSC Army for its own combat divers.]]

While ocean combat has been eclipsed by air and space assets, it has not fallen out of use entirely. The UNSC Navy maintains planetary-based naval forces, particularly [[aircraft carrier]]s, to support land forces. The Covenant attempted to excavate the seabed off the Yucatan peninsula during the Battle of Earth, but their efforts were halted by [[Blue Team]]. The UNSC maintains a range of equipment for Army combat divers, and has introduced several MJOLNIR variants specifically designed to allow Spartans to operate underwater, such as the [[OCEANIC-class Mjolnir|OCEANIC]] and [[MAKO-class Mjolnir]].

The battle of an entire planet can be waged across its surface, but it is more often than not won or lost in orbit by whoever can establish [[Space warfare|orbital superiority]]. During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC had enormous difficulty overcoming the Covenant's sheer technological advantage in orbit, but were able to win several key battles to support ground troops: the Harvest campaign was waged for five years because the UNSC space forces outnumbered the Covenant occupiers by a significant margin; UNSC air power on Meridian held off Covenant invasion for three years before it finally fell; [[Operation: UPPER CUT|a joint Army, Air Force and Navy operation]] brought down the [[CSO-class supercarrier]] ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' using Saber fighters; and while the ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' blew past Earth's orbital defense grid, the rest of the [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] was destroyed by the UNSC Home Fleet in the early hours of the Battle of Earth, forcing the [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carrier]] to make an emergency slipspace jump over [[New Mombasa]] to retreat.

[[File:H3_FloodCombatForm_Trio.jpg|thumb|250px|The Flood converts its foes into combat forms, adding their strength to its own.]]

While the Covenant typically rely on massed infantry, they also deploy a range of other military forces, including long-range Wraith mortar tanks, and fast, nimble Banshee fighters to provide air superiority and close air support. Troop transport is provided by well-armed and protected dropships, particularly the Spirit and Phantom models, as well as the large, powerful {{Pattern|Kmiro'sish|Lich}}, or by armored vehicles like the [[Type-29 Shadow]], and heavy firepower is provided by a range of massive walkers, ranging from light units like the Locust, to larger units like the infamous Scarab, to rare but extremely large units like the Harvester and Kraken. While these walkers were originally designed for excavation work, using plasma weapons or lasers as drills to uncover Forerunner structures and artifacts, their size, armor and power made them ideal for conversion into powerful engines of destruction during the war with humanity. During planetary conquest, the Covenant often bombard positions with plasma from the air or from orbit, devastating large areas and reducing them to molten [[lechatelierite]] with the extreme heat. This process is extremely difficult, though not impossible, to survive.

The UNSC is not the only military force humanity has by any means. Before its dissolution, the [[Colonial Military Administration]] served to enforce Earth’s authority over the Outer Colonies, and was the first military to face the Insurrection before it was subsumed within the UNSC. Many colonies also maintained their own self-defense forces or militias for internal security and disaster relief, often equipped with UNSC surplus military equipment and trained by UNSC advisors. The Insurrection also raised a number of paramilitary forces, using black market or captured weapons, vehicles and ships, though most Insurrection units preferred to operate as guerrilla forces.

[[File:H2A_Terminals_-_Unggoy_Rebellion.jpg|thumb|250px|Unggoy rose up on many worlds in a massive insurgency that threatened the Covenant.]]

The largest campaign would be the Battle of Earth, which saw humanity’s space forces smashed early in the conflict,<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''[[Crow's Nest]]''</ref> and the invasion of several locations across the planet before the Covenant withdrew to occupy East Africa.<ref>'''[[Halo: Uprising]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 203''</ref> Battles would also be fought on the surface of several artificial planets: UNSC forces from the Spirit of Fire would fight the Covenant on [[Shield World 0459]] in 2531;{{Ref/Reuse|Halo Wars}} the Covenant would fight resistance forces from the UNSC Pillar of Autumn in September, 2552 on the surface of [[Alpha Halo]], and later escaped Flood forces;<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'''</ref> the UNSC In Amber Clad would follow a Covenant Assault Carrier from Earth to [[Delta Halo]], deploying its forces on its surface to secure the Activation Index and assassinate the Prophet of Regret;<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref> and after a tentative alliance, UNSC and Sangheili forces would pursue the Prophet of Truth’s forces through a Forerunner portal in East Africa to [[The Ark]], where UNSC ground forces secured a Cartographer facility to locate the Installation’s Control Room, and a combined human-Sangheili strike killed the Prophet of Truth, ending the war.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]'''</ref>

File:Siege of Alpha Base.png|UNSC and Covenant forces fight over control of Alpha Base on Harvest.

File:Unidentified Covenant Excavator2.png|A Covenant Type-55 Kraken protecting Covenant forces in Nuusra, brought down by [[Fireteam Osiris]].