HaloArray.png
Reclaimer - H4.png

Plasma torpedo: Difference between revisions

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

(It's vague whether those are plasma torps at all; see the "Terminology" section and the note.)
(This edit is meant as a cleanup of this page using the new information obtained from Halo: Warfleet. The new information mostly involves the inert plasma torpedo cores and the Plasma Torpedo Silos described in that book.)
Line 8: Line 8:
|cost=
|cost=
|variant=
|variant=
|service=*[[Human-Covenant War]]
|service=*[[War of Beginnings]]
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
*[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
Line 15: Line 16:
|width=
|width=
|length=
|length=
|ammotype=Magnetically-contained superheated plasma
|ammotype=Inert Plasma Torpedo Cores
|feed=
|feed=
|operation=Plasma bolt guided by shaped magnetic fields
|operation=Plasma bolt guided by shaped magnetic fields
Line 23: Line 24:
}}
}}
{{Quote|Just another item in the Covenant's bottomless arsenal. Not a plasma torpedo, or we'd already be free-floating molecules.|[[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]]<ref name="tf molecules">'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 11'' (2003)</ref>}}
{{Quote|Just another item in the Covenant's bottomless arsenal. Not a plasma torpedo, or we'd already be free-floating molecules.|[[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]]<ref name="tf molecules">'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 11'' (2003)</ref>}}
'''Plasma torpedoes''' are magnetically guided bolts of [[plasma]] used as weapons by most [[Covenant]] [[capital ship]]s. Fired by dedicated turrets along a ship's hull, plasma torpedoes can strike at exceedingly long ranges.<ref name="FS">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 78''</ref> Along with the [[pulse laser turret]], [[Plasma cannon (starship)|plasma cannon]] and [[energy projector]], they are one of the Covenant's primary [[Space warfare|ship-to-ship]] weapons. Upon contact, a plasma torpedo causes severe damage to the target, boiling armor or overloading [[Energy shielding|shields]]. The weapon can be used in conjunction with pulse laser turrets and energy projectors to destroy entire [[UNSC fleet]]s.
'''Plasma torpedoes''' are magnetically guided bolts of [[plasma]] used as weapons by most [[Covenant]] [[capital ship]]s. Fired by Plasma torpedo Silos located along a ship's hull, plasma torpedoes can strike at exceedingly long ranges.<ref name="FS">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 78''</ref> Along with the [[pulse laser turret]], [[Plasma cannon (starship)|plasma cannon]] and [[energy projector]], they are one of the Covenant's primary [[Space warfare|ship-to-ship]] weapons. Upon contact, a plasma torpedo causes severe damage to the target, boiling armor or overloading [[Energy shielding|shields]]. The weapon can be used in conjunction with pulse laser turrets and energy projectors to destroy entire [[UNSC fleet]]s.


==Design details==
==Design details==
The turret used to fire plasma torpedoes is antenna-like in appearance and is installed on universal joints often located along the lateral sides of the ship.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 36-37''</ref> The torpedo is red or purple and short with a ball-like head and a trail. The turrets, from afar, usually appear as short spikes on the sides, the upper sides, and the bow of the vessel. On larger ships, the plasma is collected into visible lines located along the surface of the exterior hull before firing.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 193, 197, 227, 284''</ref>
The systems used to fire Plasma torpedoes are known as Plasma Torpedo Silos, which are located along the hull of the ship.<ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 62-63''</ref> The torpedoes are typically described as red or purple in color and short with a ball-like head and a trail.


===Operation===
The Torpedoes themselves are initially stored aboard [[Covenant]] vessels as inert plasma torpedo cores, which are described as roughly cylindrical objects that range between 3-5 meters in total length. For Ket-pattern [[CCS-class battlecruiser]]s such as the [[Truth and Reconciliation]] and probably other large Covenant starships that are armed with Plasma Torpedo Silos as well, thousands of these inert cores are carefully packaged and stored in munitions racks before each deployment of the vessel. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 62''</ref>
 
==Plasma Torpedo Silos==
===Jaet-pattern plasma torpedo silos===
[[CPV-class heavy destroyer]]s are armed with 6 of these silos, while [[DSC-class support ship]]s are armed with 8. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 61, 68''</ref>
 
===Sintra-pattern plasma torpedo silos===
[[CRS-class light cruiser]]s are armed with 6 of these silos. The specific type of torpedo employed by these silos is described as extremely swift in flight but almost impossible to control. They are considered to be best employed in a bombardment role rather than normal ship to ship combat. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 72-73''</ref>
 
===Serpens-pattern plasma torpedo silos===
The [[Truth and Reconciliation]] is armed with 16 of these silos, while other [[CCS-class battlecruiser]]s may be armed with them as well. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 63''</ref>
 
===Qur-pattern plasma torpedo silos===
[[ORS-class heavy cruiser]]s are armed with 16 of this type of silo. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 64''</ref>
 
===Mictix-pattern heavy plasma torpedo silos===
The [[Shadow of Intent]] is armed with 24 of this type of heavy silo, while other [[CAS-class assault carrier]]s could also be armed with this type of weapon. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 70''</ref>
 
===Litrex-pattern plasma torpedo silos===
[[Hekar Taa-pattern Blockade Runner]]s are armed with 16 of this type of silo. <ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 78''</ref>
 
==Operation==
{{Quote|The Covenant cruiser came about to face them. Its plasma turrets glowed like angry red eyes.|Description<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 228''</ref>}}
{{Quote|The Covenant cruiser came about to face them. Its plasma turrets glowed like angry red eyes.|Description<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 228''</ref>}}
[[File:ArabiaVostok.png|thumb|250px|left|The [[UNSC frigate|frigate]]s [[CMA Arabia|''Arabia'']] and [[CMA Vostok|''Vostok'']] being severed instantly by plasma torpedoes.]]
[[File:ArabiaVostok.png|thumb|250px|left|The [[UNSC frigate|frigate]]s [[CMA Arabia|''Arabia'']] and [[CMA Vostok|''Vostok'']] being severed instantly by plasma torpedoes.]]
Plasma is heated in a pinched magnetic field by energy supplied from the ship's [[pinch fusion reactor]]s. The atoms that are on an appropriate trajectory between the Covenant starship and its target are then herded towards the mouth of the turret through a series of plasma conduits by magnetic pulses.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 228, 229''</ref> Magnetic coils shape and guide the plasma, acting as a sophisticated focusing lens. When the weapon charges, a line of superheated plasma forms alongside the exterior plasma conduit adjoining the turret.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 193, 198''</ref> Once fully charged, the plasma fires outward at its target. The torpedo is guided towards its target by a long-reaching magnetic field projected by the emitter.<ref name="fs266">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 266''</ref> Upon impact, the torpedo penetrates most unshielded starships, burning through internal decks and structures, thus causing heavy damage on the target.
The inert plasma torpedo cores are ignited in a pinched magnetic field by energy supplied from the ship's [[pinch fusion reactor]]s. Magnetic coils guide the plasma core, acting as a sophisticated focusing lens. When the weapon charges, a line of superheated plasma forms alongside the exterior plasma conduit adjoining the turret.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 193, 198''</ref> Once fully charged, the now ignited plasma torpedo core fires outward at its target. The torpedo is guided towards its target by a long-reaching magnetic field projected by the emitter.<ref name="fs266">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 266''</ref> Upon impact, the torpedo penetrates most unshielded starships, burning through internal decks and structures, thus causing heavy damage on the target.


They are extraordinarily accurate; one of the only ways for UNSC ships to even temporarily avoid them is to use [[emergency thruster]]s to "dodge" incoming plasma torpedoes at the last moment. Particularly strong magnetospheres, such as those of gas giants, will disrupt the magnetic field holding the torpedo together, dissipating the plasma and rendering the torpedo harmless.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 480, 481''</ref> The dust and vapor from missiles detonated close enough to the ship may also absorb the energy from a torpedo, rendering it harmless.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 42''</ref> When the damaged ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' entered the atmosphere of [[Threshold]], the massive wake of superheated gases trailing the ship scattered the plasma torpedoes fired by pursuing Covenant vessels.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 79''</ref>
They are extraordinarily accurate; one of the only ways for UNSC ships to even temporarily avoid them is to use [[emergency thruster]]s to "dodge" incoming plasma torpedoes at the last moment. Particularly strong magnetospheres, such as those of gas giants, will disrupt the magnetic field guiding the torpedo, dissipating the plasma and rendering the torpedo harmless.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 480, 481''</ref> The dust and vapor from missiles detonated close enough to the ship may also absorb the energy from a torpedo, rendering it harmless.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 42''</ref> When the damaged ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' entered the atmosphere of [[Threshold]], the massive wake of superheated gases trailing the ship scattered the plasma torpedoes fired by pursuing Covenant vessels.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 79''</ref>


The attacking ship must lower a section of its shield in order to fire the torpedo, otherwise it would detonate inside the protective barrier. [[John-117]] used this weakness to temporarily blind a Covenant cruiser with a Longsword and to penetrate the shields of the ''Ascendant Justice''.
The attacking ship must lower a section of its shield in order to fire the torpedo, otherwise it would detonate inside the protective barrier. [[John-117]] used this weakness to temporarily blind a Covenant cruiser with a Longsword and to penetrate the shields of the ''Ascendant Justice''.
Line 40: Line 62:
Plasma torpedoes can be manually guided from a weapons control station on the [[bridge]], by using holographic "steering spheres" superimposed over a holographic display of the space surrounding the ship. The plasma torpedoes and steering solutions of an enemy ship are similarly shown on the display.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 224-225''</ref> The Covenant have also developed "counter guiding signals", a form of [[electronic countermeasures|electronic countermeasure]] that disrupts the guidance control of an enemy ship's plasma torpedoes.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 193''</ref>
Plasma torpedoes can be manually guided from a weapons control station on the [[bridge]], by using holographic "steering spheres" superimposed over a holographic display of the space surrounding the ship. The plasma torpedoes and steering solutions of an enemy ship are similarly shown on the display.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 224-225''</ref> The Covenant have also developed "counter guiding signals", a form of [[electronic countermeasures|electronic countermeasure]] that disrupts the guidance control of an enemy ship's plasma torpedoes.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 193''</ref>


If the firing ship is destroyed, all plasma torpedoes guided by its magnetic fields are detonated prematurely or fly about aimlessly.<ref name="fs266"/> However, it appears that torpedoes are sometimes able to hold together for a small amount of time, as demonstrated during the [[Fall of Reach]], when fired torpedoes destroyed UNSC [[orbital defense platform]]s even after their firers had been destroyed.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 299''</ref>
If the firing ship is destroyed, all plasma torpedoes guided by its magnetic fields are either detonated prematurely or fly about aimlessly.<ref name="fs266"/> However, it appears that torpedoes are sometimes able to hold together for a small amount of time, as demonstrated during the [[Fall of Reach]], when fired torpedoes destroyed UNSC [[orbital defense platform]]s even after their firers had been destroyed.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 299''</ref>


===Tactics===
===Tactics===
Line 48: Line 70:


===Enhancement and atypical uses===
===Enhancement and atypical uses===
As with many other examples of their technology, the Covenant themselves only understand a fraction of the underlying science involved with the operation of the plasma turret. As a result, despite their overwhelming power against human ships, the Covenant's methods of using their weapons systems are highly inefficient, relying on crude brute-force calculations and causing wasteful energy expenditure due to their slow operation; this is also why the turrets glow before firing. When in control of the Covenant ship ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', UNSC [[smart AI|AI]] [[Cortana]] was able to use the vessel's plasma turrets to their full potential; she created an entirely new system to control the plasma, using [[electromagnetic pulse]]s to direct the plasma atoms into precision beams within a microsecond. This enabled her to use the weapons with far greater power and precision than the Covenant themselves, cutting through Covenant vessels like a scalpel, not unlike an [[energy projector]]. According to Cortana, she could have improved the plasma turrets even further had the Covenant ship possessed better electromagnetic systems.<ref name="fs171">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 171-172''</ref>
As with many other examples of their technology, the Covenant themselves only understand a fraction of the underlying science involved with the operation of the plasma turret. As a result, despite their overwhelming power against human ships, the Covenant's methods of using their weapons systems are highly inefficient, relying on crude brute-force calculations and causing wasteful energy expenditure due to their slow operation; this is also why the turrets glow before firing. When in control of the Covenant ship ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', UNSC [[smart AI|AI]] [[Cortana]] was able to use the vessel's plasma turrets to their full potential; she created an entirely new system to control and fire the plasma, using [[electromagnetic pulse]]s to direct the plasma itself into precision beams within a microsecond instead of relying on inert plasma torpedo cores and using the Plasma produced by the ship's reactor to ignite them. This enabled her to use the weapons with far greater power and precision than the Covenant themselves, cutting through Covenant vessels like a scalpel, not unlike an [[energy projector]]. According to Cortana, she could have improved the plasma turrets even further had the Covenant ship possessed better electromagnetic systems.<ref name="fs171">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 171-172''</ref>


The magnetic coils used in a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC gun]] can be used to shape and guide the plasma fired by a plasma turret; this was seen before the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus]], when the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}'s magnetic coils were used to guide plasma generated by the ''Ascendant Justice'''s plasma turrets.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 264-266''</ref>
The magnetic coils used in a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC gun]] can be used to guide the plasma fired by a plasma turret; this was seen before the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus]], when the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}'s magnetic coils were used to guide plasma torpedoes that were ignited by the ''Ascendant Justice'''s plasma turrets.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 264-266''</ref>


==Production notes==
==Production notes==
===Mistakes===
===Possible Retcons===
''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' erroneously refers to the plasma torpedoes of the battlecruiser ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' as if they were physical objects stored aboard the vessel in a dedicated "torpedo bay".<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''pages 439, 443, 445, 446''</ref> However, there is no tangible component to the munitions, as the plasma cannon generates the "torpedo" from an amorphous supply of plasma upon firing.<ref name="fs171"/>
''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' was the first media to refer to the plasma torpedoes of the battlecruiser ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' as physical objects stored aboard the vessel in a dedicated "torpedo bay".<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''pages 439, 443, 445, 446''</ref> Before this it was thought that Plasma torpedoes were simply created from an amorphous supply of plasma, but this does not appear to be the case. ''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'' confirmed that there is a tangible component to the munitions, in the form of inert plasma torpedo cores carried aboard Covenant starships.<ref>'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''page 62''</ref>


===Terminology===
===Terminology===
Line 62: Line 84:


''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]'' and ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' depict Covenant starships firing blue or blue-purple bolts of plasma which are seemingly unguided. Meanwhile, the novels consistently describe plasma torpedoes as being red as well as highly maneuverable. Given these differences, it is likely that the plasma weapons depicted in the games are in fact representative of the "plasma cannons" listed in the ''Song of Retribution''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s arsenal rather than plasma torpedoes. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' depicts the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} being struck by numerous blue plasma bolts. In ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] remarks that the Covenant cannot be targeting the ''Autumn'' with plasma torpedoes, or else the ship would have been reduced into ''"free-floating molecules"'';<ref name="tf molecules"/> thus, the plasma weapons in question must be some other form of starship plasma weapon. Halo Waypoint's article for Covenant corvettes corroborates this distinction, listing "plasma cannons" as the corvettes' sole weapon system.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-gb/universe/vehicles/covenant-corvette '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Covenant Corvette'']</ref> The distinction between "plasma cannons" and "plasma torpedoes" is carried over to ''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'', where many classes of Covenant ships are listed as being armed with both types of weapon systems.
''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]'' and ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' depict Covenant starships firing blue or blue-purple bolts of plasma which are seemingly unguided. Meanwhile, the novels consistently describe plasma torpedoes as being red as well as highly maneuverable. Given these differences, it is likely that the plasma weapons depicted in the games are in fact representative of the "plasma cannons" listed in the ''Song of Retribution''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s arsenal rather than plasma torpedoes. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' depicts the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} being struck by numerous blue plasma bolts. In ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] remarks that the Covenant cannot be targeting the ''Autumn'' with plasma torpedoes, or else the ship would have been reduced into ''"free-floating molecules"'';<ref name="tf molecules"/> thus, the plasma weapons in question must be some other form of starship plasma weapon. Halo Waypoint's article for Covenant corvettes corroborates this distinction, listing "plasma cannons" as the corvettes' sole weapon system.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-gb/universe/vehicles/covenant-corvette '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Covenant Corvette'']</ref> The distinction between "plasma cannons" and "plasma torpedoes" is carried over to ''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'', where many classes of Covenant ships are listed as being armed with both types of weapon systems.
''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'' establishes that many types of Covenant starships such as [[CCS-class battlecruiser]]s, [[ORS-class heavy cruiser]]s, and [[CPV-class heavy destroyer]]s are armed with both Plasma Torpedo Silos and Plasma Cannons. These Plasma Torpedo Silos can only be assumed to be the "plasma turrets" that are described in ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', while the separate Plasma Cannon weapon systems seem to explain the multiple instances in-game of Covenant starships firing unguided blue bolts of plasma.


In light of these deductions, and for the purposes of categorization, this wiki assumes that the blue, unguided bolts of plasma are plasma cannon projectiles, while the red or purple and guided plasma bolts are plasma torpedoes.
In light of these deductions, and for the purposes of categorization, this wiki assumes that the blue, unguided bolts of plasma are plasma cannon projectiles, while the red or purple and guided plasma bolts are plasma torpedoes.
Line 89: Line 113:
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''
*''[[Halo: Warfleet]]''


==Sources==
==Sources==

Revision as of 05:33, October 20, 2017

This article is about the starship weapon. For other uses of the term "plasma turret", see Plasma cannon.

Template:Weapon Infobox

"Just another item in the Covenant's bottomless arsenal. Not a plasma torpedo, or we'd already be free-floating molecules."
Captain Jacob Keyes[1]

Plasma torpedoes are magnetically guided bolts of plasma used as weapons by most Covenant capital ships. Fired by Plasma torpedo Silos located along a ship's hull, plasma torpedoes can strike at exceedingly long ranges.[2] Along with the pulse laser turret, plasma cannon and energy projector, they are one of the Covenant's primary ship-to-ship weapons. Upon contact, a plasma torpedo causes severe damage to the target, boiling armor or overloading shields. The weapon can be used in conjunction with pulse laser turrets and energy projectors to destroy entire UNSC fleets.

Design details

The systems used to fire Plasma torpedoes are known as Plasma Torpedo Silos, which are located along the hull of the ship.[3] The torpedoes are typically described as red or purple in color and short with a ball-like head and a trail.

The Torpedoes themselves are initially stored aboard Covenant vessels as inert plasma torpedo cores, which are described as roughly cylindrical objects that range between 3-5 meters in total length. For Ket-pattern CCS-class battlecruisers such as the Truth and Reconciliation and probably other large Covenant starships that are armed with Plasma Torpedo Silos as well, thousands of these inert cores are carefully packaged and stored in munitions racks before each deployment of the vessel. [4]

Plasma Torpedo Silos

Jaet-pattern plasma torpedo silos

CPV-class heavy destroyers are armed with 6 of these silos, while DSC-class support ships are armed with 8. [5]

Sintra-pattern plasma torpedo silos

CRS-class light cruisers are armed with 6 of these silos. The specific type of torpedo employed by these silos is described as extremely swift in flight but almost impossible to control. They are considered to be best employed in a bombardment role rather than normal ship to ship combat. [6]

Serpens-pattern plasma torpedo silos

The Truth and Reconciliation is armed with 16 of these silos, while other CCS-class battlecruisers may be armed with them as well. [7]

Qur-pattern plasma torpedo silos

ORS-class heavy cruisers are armed with 16 of this type of silo. [8]

Mictix-pattern heavy plasma torpedo silos

The Shadow of Intent is armed with 24 of this type of heavy silo, while other CAS-class assault carriers could also be armed with this type of weapon. [9]

Litrex-pattern plasma torpedo silos

Hekar Taa-pattern Blockade Runners are armed with 16 of this type of silo. [10]

Operation

"The Covenant cruiser came about to face them. Its plasma turrets glowed like angry red eyes."
— Description[11]
File:ArabiaVostok.png
The frigates Arabia and Vostok being severed instantly by plasma torpedoes.

The inert plasma torpedo cores are ignited in a pinched magnetic field by energy supplied from the ship's pinch fusion reactors. Magnetic coils guide the plasma core, acting as a sophisticated focusing lens. When the weapon charges, a line of superheated plasma forms alongside the exterior plasma conduit adjoining the turret.[12] Once fully charged, the now ignited plasma torpedo core fires outward at its target. The torpedo is guided towards its target by a long-reaching magnetic field projected by the emitter.[13] Upon impact, the torpedo penetrates most unshielded starships, burning through internal decks and structures, thus causing heavy damage on the target.

They are extraordinarily accurate; one of the only ways for UNSC ships to even temporarily avoid them is to use emergency thrusters to "dodge" incoming plasma torpedoes at the last moment. Particularly strong magnetospheres, such as those of gas giants, will disrupt the magnetic field guiding the torpedo, dissipating the plasma and rendering the torpedo harmless.[14] The dust and vapor from missiles detonated close enough to the ship may also absorb the energy from a torpedo, rendering it harmless.[15] When the damaged Ascendant Justice entered the atmosphere of Threshold, the massive wake of superheated gases trailing the ship scattered the plasma torpedoes fired by pursuing Covenant vessels.[16]

The attacking ship must lower a section of its shield in order to fire the torpedo, otherwise it would detonate inside the protective barrier. John-117 used this weakness to temporarily blind a Covenant cruiser with a Longsword and to penetrate the shields of the Ascendant Justice.

Guidance

Plasma torpedoes can be manually guided from a weapons control station on the bridge, by using holographic "steering spheres" superimposed over a holographic display of the space surrounding the ship. The plasma torpedoes and steering solutions of an enemy ship are similarly shown on the display.[17] The Covenant have also developed "counter guiding signals", a form of electronic countermeasure that disrupts the guidance control of an enemy ship's plasma torpedoes.[18]

If the firing ship is destroyed, all plasma torpedoes guided by its magnetic fields are either detonated prematurely or fly about aimlessly.[13] However, it appears that torpedoes are sometimes able to hold together for a small amount of time, as demonstrated during the Fall of Reach, when fired torpedoes destroyed UNSC orbital defense platforms even after their firers had been destroyed.[19]

Tactics

Volleys of plasma torpedoes are frequently the first attacks launched by Covenant fleets when engaging enemy forces at long range. They often decimate enemy ranks upon impact. They emit visible radiation, giving them an amber color but volleys are visually akin to solar flares due to the sheer number of torpedoes launched. It has been said a single volley can destroy a ship from bow to stern.

Occasionally, plasma torpedoes can miss their target and fail to reacquire them if the target is moving towards the launcher at an oblique angle and high speed, such as the offensive maneuver conducted by John-117 to evade the fire of the Covenant ships at Alpha Halo during the Skirmish over Threshold, or also if the movement of the craft is erratic such as the way Keyes evaded the torpedoes during the Keyes Loop by detonating the ship's emergency thrusters seconds before impact. Even though they are considered very accurate against capital ships and space stations, they can frequently be evaded by smaller craft, such as Pelican dropships and Longswords.

Enhancement and atypical uses

As with many other examples of their technology, the Covenant themselves only understand a fraction of the underlying science involved with the operation of the plasma turret. As a result, despite their overwhelming power against human ships, the Covenant's methods of using their weapons systems are highly inefficient, relying on crude brute-force calculations and causing wasteful energy expenditure due to their slow operation; this is also why the turrets glow before firing. When in control of the Covenant ship Ascendant Justice, UNSC AI Cortana was able to use the vessel's plasma turrets to their full potential; she created an entirely new system to control and fire the plasma, using electromagnetic pulses to direct the plasma itself into precision beams within a microsecond instead of relying on inert plasma torpedo cores and using the Plasma produced by the ship's reactor to ignite them. This enabled her to use the weapons with far greater power and precision than the Covenant themselves, cutting through Covenant vessels like a scalpel, not unlike an energy projector. According to Cortana, she could have improved the plasma turrets even further had the Covenant ship possessed better electromagnetic systems.[20]

The magnetic coils used in a MAC gun can be used to guide the plasma fired by a plasma turret; this was seen before the Massacre at Eridanus Secundus, when the UNSC Gettysburg's magnetic coils were used to guide plasma torpedoes that were ignited by the Ascendant Justice's plasma turrets.[21]

Production notes

Possible Retcons

Halo: Mortal Dictata was the first media to refer to the plasma torpedoes of the battlecruiser Pious Inquisitor as physical objects stored aboard the vessel in a dedicated "torpedo bay".[22] Before this it was thought that Plasma torpedoes were simply created from an amorphous supply of plasma, but this does not appear to be the case. Halo: Warfleet confirmed that there is a tangible component to the munitions, in the form of inert plasma torpedo cores carried aboard Covenant starships.[23]

Terminology

While the term "plasma torpedo" is used throughout the novels, the weapons used to fire the torpedoes are only identified as "plasma turrets" in Halo: First Strike, which also describes their operational mechanisms in detail. Halo Waypoint's article for the Song of Retribution introduces a distinction between the assault carrier's "Anterior Plasma Cannons" and "Plasma Torpedo Silo Network", listing these weapon systems as the ship's secondary and tertiary armament, respectively.[24] This is a change from the novels, which (with some exceptions) mainly describe the Covenant using three layers of starship weaponry: energy projectors, plasma torpedoes and pulse lasers. The term "plasma cannon" is also used in reference to Covenant warships' secondary armament throughout Halo: The Essential Visual Guide,[25] and in Halo: Contact Harvest, a "heavy plasma cannon" (most often referred to only as a "plasma cannon") is mentioned as the Rapid Conversion's main weapon system.[26] In the Halo Legends episode The Package, what appear to be plasma torpedoes (although smaller and more numerous than typically described in the novels) are referred to as "plasma rounds".

However, it should be acknowledged that the terms "cannon" and "turret" are rather general and are likely used descriptively rather than being restricted to specific weapon systems. From the context in Contact Harvest, for example, it is apparent that the Rapid Conversion's "plasma cannon" is in fact referring to the ship's energy projector. Therefore it can be assumed there is a substantial amount of overlap between the terms.

Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach depict Covenant starships firing blue or blue-purple bolts of plasma which are seemingly unguided. Meanwhile, the novels consistently describe plasma torpedoes as being red as well as highly maneuverable. Given these differences, it is likely that the plasma weapons depicted in the games are in fact representative of the "plasma cannons" listed in the Song of Retribution's arsenal rather than plasma torpedoes. Halo: Combat Evolved depicts the UNSC Pillar of Autumn being struck by numerous blue plasma bolts. In Halo: The Flood, Captain Keyes remarks that the Covenant cannot be targeting the Autumn with plasma torpedoes, or else the ship would have been reduced into "free-floating molecules";[1] thus, the plasma weapons in question must be some other form of starship plasma weapon. Halo Waypoint's article for Covenant corvettes corroborates this distinction, listing "plasma cannons" as the corvettes' sole weapon system.[27] The distinction between "plasma cannons" and "plasma torpedoes" is carried over to Halo: Fleet Battles, where many classes of Covenant ships are listed as being armed with both types of weapon systems.

Halo: Warfleet establishes that many types of Covenant starships such as CCS-class battlecruisers, ORS-class heavy cruisers, and CPV-class heavy destroyers are armed with both Plasma Torpedo Silos and Plasma Cannons. These Plasma Torpedo Silos can only be assumed to be the "plasma turrets" that are described in Halo: First Strike, while the separate Plasma Cannon weapon systems seem to explain the multiple instances in-game of Covenant starships firing unguided blue bolts of plasma.

In light of these deductions, and for the purposes of categorization, this wiki assumes that the blue, unguided bolts of plasma are plasma cannon projectiles, while the red or purple and guided plasma bolts are plasma torpedoes.

Gallery

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo: The Flood, page 11 (2003)
  2. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 78
  3. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 62-63
  4. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 62
  5. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 61, 68
  6. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 72-73
  7. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 63
  8. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 64
  9. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 70
  10. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 78
  11. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 228
  12. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, pages 193, 198
  13. ^ a b Halo: First Strike, page 266
  14. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 480, 481
  15. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 42
  16. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 79
  17. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 224-225
  18. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 193
  19. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 299
  20. ^ Halo: First Strike, pages 171-172
  21. ^ Halo: First Strike, pages 264-266
  22. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, pages 439, 443, 445, 446
  23. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 62
  24. ^ Halo Waypoint: Song of Retribution
  25. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, pages 13, 28, 41
  26. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 226
  27. ^ Halo Waypoint: Covenant Corvette

Template:Covenant Weapons