Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle

Were you also looking for the human spacecraft, the UNSC Prowler? Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle

The Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle, abbreviated Type-52 ISV and also known as the Brute Prowler , is a Covenant Loyalist ground vehicle used by the Jiralhanae, featured in Halo 3. It is the Brute equivalent of the UNSC's Warthog and the Covenant Spectre.

Overview
The Brute Prowler is the designation of the Loyalist's replacement for the Spectre from Halo 2, but this time, driven only by Jiralhanae. The Prowler seems to hover on a gravity-assisted "sled", as the bottom incorporates a pair of metal runners with an anti-gravity projector running between them. A Plasma Turret is located at the front of the vehicle, the driver sits in the rear of the vehicle, and two passengers can make use of the jump seats on either side. It's aesthetically similar in its clear-cut, brutal nature to the Brute Chopper. The concept of its anti-gravitational propulsion is also similar to the Chopper's, but it differs by utilizing two dual engines rotating in opposite directions.

The automatic Plasma Turret is capable of 360 degree movement, making it extremely dangerous as it allows the vehicle to target enemies regardless of which way the Prowler is facing. This makes it very difficult to ambush Prowlers, as a competent gunner will constantly check all directions for enemy movement. Like most other Brute vehicles, it is an effective battering ram. While the vehicle cannot strafe, it is capable of tilting from side to side.

The two side-mounted seats on either side of the Prowler turret housing increases the vehicle's deadliness. If the passengers are armed with powerful explosive weaponry, such as a Fuel Rod Gun or Rocket Launcher, the Prowler can effectively take out large armored vehicles such as Scorpion or Wraith tanks. If the passengers decide to use automatic weapons such as a Plasma Rifle, they can complement the plasma turret and make for an extremely effective weapons platform for cutting down infantry and suppressing light vehicles. It's also effective if passengers are armed with Maulers or Shotguns, as they can shoot any enemy that gets too close to the Prowler and prevent a potential boarding.

Unlike the Warthog and the older Spectre, the gunner does not stand up in the turret, but rather sits in a cavity in the center of the vehicle. The gunner's cavity covers the lower body, leaving only their upper back and head exposed. The gun is also in a more central location than the other two vehicles, providing even more protection. The driver also receives protection from being in the rear, with the entire bulk of the Prowler in front of him. However, the driver has limited protection from the sides. Unlike many other Covenant vehicles, the Prowler lacks a boost function, but is still fairly fast.

Advantages
Unlike the Warthog, which is prone to rollovers, the Prowler is incredibly stable, and like the Chopper, it is surprisingly hard to flip over. The Prowler can also fit one more passenger than the Warthog can, which lets the crew fight off hijackers with ease. The Prowler is more effective than the Warthog at splattering enemies, and can easily be used as a battering ram. It is relatively quieter than the Warthog, and provides a smaller chance of giving enemies enough time to react and save themselves if you are attempting to splatter them. Additionally, it also possesses much more firepower than the M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle or Chopper, and it has a much larger field of fire. In the realm of performance, its strength is its great speed. The design of the Prowler makes it capable of flipping vehicles with ease. It also accelerates noticeably quickly in reverse.

A key advantage of the Prowler is its stability: one can throw it almost recklessly over jumps and cliffs that would be unsafe, unfeasible, or downright stupid in a Warthog or Spectre. This is mostly due to the "sleds" on the underside of the vehicle. When airborne, the two sleds will extend outward to either side, widening the surface area of the bottom of the vehicle, and therefore making it more likely that it will land in the proper position when it hits the ground. The sleds also seem to allow the Prowler a limited "glide" when making large jumps.

Disadvantages
Although very stable, the Prowler cannot maneuver around as well as the Warthog. The Prowler also provides less protection from the sides and rear for the driver than the Warthog does. The Prowler may be the replacement to the Spectre, but it does not have all of the capability as to the Spectre. Unlike the Spectre, the Prowler is not able to strafe left and right, and is not able to boost. Its main weapon is also slower and less accurate.

Although the Prowler has more firepower than the Chopper and the Ghost, its Plasma Turret has a low rate of fire and is less accurate; thus it is not as well suited for direct assaults and splattering. Though the Prowler is capable of splattering at minimal velocity, sometimes even being able to splatter enemy vehicles in head-on collisions (much like the Chopper), infantry will have an easy time avoiding the Prowler due to its slow speed and relatively poor handling. In addition, the driver is prone to approximately 270 degrees of fire, making the driver a much easier target for an experienced sniper compared to most other vehicles, which could ultimately leave the Prowler a sitting duck: a perfect target for a Rocket Launcher. Or all personnel on the Prowler can be sniped, one by one.

If a charged Plasma Pistol bolt hits, or Power Drain(s) is close to, the Prowler, it could temporarily or permanently disable the Prowler. Or (worse case scenario) if there are several Power Drains, mulitiple charged plasma bolts, mulitples of both. The occupants can be picked off at close-, mid-, or long-range attacks. The Driver could be hit from behind if the gunner is distracted. On Sandtrap (in the depression), someone could snipe from far (in front or behind) or hijack the gunner from above (worse: while his/her shield are low). The passengers could be stuck by grenades or sniped as well.

Campaign
The Prowler is a light recon vehicle, much like the Warthog. Replacing it on certain maps or based upon game settings is the only way to use it in multiplayer, however. It only appears in Campaign mode on the levels and. It has moderate infantry support capabilities, as well as being able to transport four soldiers rapidly across a battlefield. With two Prowlers, an entire team of eight can travel together.

Multiplayer

 * The Prowler does not appear on any Halo 3 map by default, but can be added in Forge on certain maps. In Matchmaking, the Prowler appears on alternate Sandtrap map variants Sand Tarp and "Sandtrap Heavy", as well as on the Avalanche variant "Avalanche Heavy".
 * Prowlers can be very useful in CTF games, because it can carry four people. The driver could drive to the flag's area possibly splattering a defender or two; the gunner could provide cover fire while the two passengers go in to get the flag. One passenger could cover the flag carrier while they make their way back to the Prowler for a quick getaway.
 * Prowlers are an excellent way of splattering if used correctly. The large front end of the Prowler can be used to block enemy fire, giving the driver a clear run at their victim. The large area of the Prowler can also compensate for the slower speed, in that at it's top speed it is quite easy for the driver to splatter people and hard for others to avoid

Trivia

 * The Prowler was originally going to be called the "Mauler" but that name was given to the Type-52 Pistol.
 * The Prowler can hold the highest number of passengers of any drivable Covenant vehicle in Halo 3; one driver, one turret gunner, and two riders.
 * Sangheili perform a backflip animation when boarding the turret from the left side. However, this only applies during rare occasions in which the Sangheili is hijacking the position.
 * Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle, 5 and 2 add up to 7.
 * The Prowler,along with the Chopper and Hornet never returned in Halo:Reach.
 * If you look on the Megabloks box of the Prowler you can see that the map is Sandtrap even though the toy is a Halo Wars product

List of appearances

 * Halo 3

Related Pages

 * M12 LRV Warthog- UNSC equivalent to the Prowler.
 * Spectre- Covenant Separatist equivalent.
 * Revenant

Veicolo Leggero di Supporto di Tipo 52