Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor/Mark V

"This - is everything I had always dreamed it could be."

- Dr.Halsey

The MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V was the fifth version of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. The suit was issued to SPARTAN-II Commandos and members of Noble Team on November 24th, 2551 and was in service until October, 2552, when it was replaced by the Mark VI.

Introduction
First produced in 2542, the Mark V was built to advance the MJOLNIR system and improve its effectiveness in combat against the Covenant. The Mark V MJOLNIR powered assault system contained hundreds of minor technical improvements over the Mark IV, as well as two major breakthroughs. The first being a major overhaul of the suits crystalline layer. Woven by molecular tools into a superdense optical computer memory, and sandwiched between the external armor and the internal padding is the reactive metal liquid crystal layer. This revolutionary crystalline layer forms a network, capable of supporting the kinds of artificial intelligence usually reserved for warships, a piggyback system. At the same time it is still amorphous, yet amplifies force, doubling lifting capability and increasing reaction time by a factor of five. Unfortunately the system is so reactive that normal human beings cannot use the suit without injuring themselves.

The synthesis of an artificial intelligence with the human brain is not possible without an upgrade to the user's standard Neural Interface. This specialized version of the neural lace is issued to all SPARTAN-IIs before they can interface with the Mark V. Like the standard Neural Interface the specialized neural lace translates electrochemical signals to digital code and routes them through an interface connection at the rear of the skull. Through this interface, the user's thoughts command the armor's movement and weapons; and input from the on board sensors comes directly to the user's mind. In addition an A.I personality and processing matrices can be carried by the armor and delivered to the suit via the specialized neural lace and on board storage in a crystal data chip no larger than a personal credit card. Without the armor, a SPARTAN's reaction time is charted at twenty milliseconds; with the Mark V, and a A.I installed, the time translating thought into motion is rendered almost instantaneous.

The second major breakthrough is the addition of a self-recharging energy shield system, reversed engineered from Jackal Point Defense Gauntlets, which repel objects and energy bursts plus any other hazardous elemental energies. While impacts on the shield place a substantial drain on the system's power supply, the system's energy regenerates once the user is no longer under fire. However, the adaptation of the shield covering the entire body weakens the magnetic field, making the Mark V's shield system vulnerable to ballistic fire.

The suit also possesses other upgraded features that enhance its wearer's abilities. It has numerous magnetic holsters for the attachment of additional weapons, equipment and ammunition packs; an upgraded Heads-Up-Display (HUD) linked to sensors that project shield strength, an improved motion detecting system in addition to providing other numerous readouts, including allies health and shield status.

In its final phase the MJOLNIR battlesuit weighs half a ton, or 1000 Lbs and when in use, is a fully neural-linked system. With an on board A.I using the human mind for parallel processing, the SPARTAN-II/MJOLNIR combination is designed to be the most devastating intelligence tool ever created.

John-117 was the first Spartan to test the MJOLNIR Mark V with a Smart AI implemented within the armor during a "live-fire" combat scenario. His test was to ring a bell after going through an obstacle course. This course involved 10 ODSTs, a minefield with Lotus Anti-Tank Mines, three automated 30mm chainguns, a forest of wooden poles, and an unexpected Skyhawk Aircraft utilizing four 50mm cannons and Scorpion Anti-Tank Missiles. This test showed that AI’s could improve the armor's reaction times.

Armor Variants and Upgrades
A number of different variants of the Mark V including the Mark V(m) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, were manufactured for use in the field. Various upgrades were designed along with the standard Mark V, in ONI's CASTLE facility on Reach to aid certain Spartan's abilities in combat. The following is a list of known upgrade components and variants.


 * Neural Induction Circuits - Allowed the Armor to respond to the wearer's movement at a faster rate.
 * Linear Accelerator - Doubles the strength of the energy shield system and allows the MJOLNIR to take more hits before failing.
 * Image Enhancing Computer - Better visual readings on the MJOLNIR's Heads-Up Display and also improves sensitivity readings on the motion tracker.

Armor Components

 * Helmet: The MJOLNIR Helmet is one of the most vital aspects to the MJOLNIR system. It is made of Titanium and contains key features like a Heads Up Display that links to the brain and hands, and can identify equipment and display information about it when it is picked up by the wearer. Another feature is the direct neural interface system which connects to a SPARTAN-IIs neural implants. Two core processor chips are implanted into the subjects skull in the rear of the head.  This is essentially comparable to an on board computer using parts of the human brain for processing, when the connector at the rear of the subjects head and receptors in the brain link to the helmets on board sensors it creates the neural link needed to move the MJOLNIR suit. The helmet also contains other equipment to protect and aid the user in hostile conditions.  This includes: filters to remove toxins from the atmosphere, a supply to provide air to the wearer during EVA, thermal and motion sensors, communications, solar-powered lighting, and imaging and video gear. The helmet also contains the A.I housing, where a ship-borne A.I chip is inserted, located on the back of the helmet.


 * Titanium Alloy Outer Shell: The outer shell of the MJOLNIR armor is comprised of a fairly thick titanium alloy. This plating covers the chest, arms, hip, legs, calf's, feet and hands. This alloy is very resilient, can take significant punishment, and is nearly impervious to small arms fire. While enough shots from armor piercing rounds will breach the outer shell, the suit can take a few glancing blows from them without compromising the armor. The outer shell of all the MJOLNIR suits is covered with a refractive coating to help disperse the heat experienced from Covenant energy weapons. However one or two direct hits from any Plasma weapon will compromise the armor plating.


 * Titanium Nanocomposite Bodysuit: Sandwiched between the external armor and the internal padding is a thick black armored bodysuit. This suit has numerous functions, small but vital to the safety and survival of the wearer. The bodysuit is made of a titanium-based material, making it very strong and yet very flexible.  It also serves as another layer of protection against ballistics attacks and is coated with a heat resistant material to disperse heat from Plasma weapons.


 * Hydrostatic Gel: Underneath the armored bodysuit is a gel-filled layer, this gel layer regulates the temperature of the suit and can reactively change its density to conform to the wearer's shape, the temperature inside the suit is controlled by the moisture absorbing cloth suit underneath the hydrostatic layer. The hydrostatic gel layer can also be pressurized to various levels to potentially save the wearers life should the wearer be subjected to high G forces or a high velocity impact; however, over pressurizing this layer can cause nitrogen embolisms.


 * Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layer: Liquid crystal forms the inner structure of the suit. This reactive metal increases the strength, reaction time, mobility, speed, and all around physical performance of the SPARTAN-II. The suit's artificial intelligence is supported by this layer of crystal, knitted together at a molecular level and fitted in between the outer plates and the inner padding. This type of computer memory is usually outfitted on a starship and as such this layer accounts for over eighty percent of the MJOLNIR armor's cost of construction and materials.


 * Magnetic Weapon Holder Strips: Available on the Mk. IV, Mk. V, and Mk. VI, the magnetic strips are very small yet powerful magnets placed on the legs, waist, and back of the suit and is used to hold any equipment with a magnetic property. The suit also contains a magnet system within its boots that allows its wearer to stay attached to a metal surface in Zero G environments and can be toggled on or off by the wearer.


 * Shields: First used on the Mk. V, and later refined on the Mk. VI, the energy shield device is reverse engineered from Covenant technology. Beginning in 2532 forty scientists and technicians would spend the next 20 years attempting to make some use of the technology. For decades the attempts at cracking their technology had met with failure after failure; some had given up and others in the scientific community believed the energy shield technology could never be cracked. However at some point before 2552 a breakthrough was made and for the first time the UNSC had successfully cracked and improved upon the technology.


 * Pressure Seal: The Pressure Seal is a vital component to the MJOLNIR system; it keeps the system airtight underwater or in space. The seal is very strong, only breaking under extreme pressure, such as in a high velocity impact or when the Hydrostatic Gel has been over pressurized.


 * Automatic Biofoam Injectors: Introduced on the Mk. VI models, Biofoam injectors are an integral part of the system's ability to keep a SPARTAN-II functioning in battle. Biofoam is a medical gel that is used to fill and seal a wound automatically. It is also used to treat any infection that could occur as a result of the wound. The process of injecting, or applying the gel to a wound is extremely painful and is only a temporary solution; medical attention must be sought soon after to ensure survivability.


 * Fusion Reactor: The fusion reactor is the most essential part of the MJOLNIR system, as it provides power to all equipment used by the armor, the reactor is built into the suit and allows for nearly unlimited movement. The fusion reactor in all versions of the MJOLNIR armor are half the size of a normal fusion pack that conventional marines carry around.


 * Force-Multiplying Circuits: Located throughout the armor, these systems boost the force applied by the user. They make hand-to-hand combat easier, but also make the armor difficult to adjust to; a slight motion can be translated into a potentially harmful one if not conducted correctly. For this reason it is only possible for Spartans to use this armor, as their strengthened bodies are able to withstand the increased power and speed of movement, which, in un-augmented human bodies, results in broken bones or death due to spasms caused by the pain of broken bones.


 * Reactive Circuits: Reactive Circuits are systems directly linked into the Spartan Neural Interface. They amplify the wearer's reaction time by connecting directly to the thoughts of the wearer, making it much easier to control and allowing for the soldier to be both more efficient and have a higher survival rate in combat.


 * Power Supply Control Unit: The Power Supply Control Unit controls the power supply of the armor.