HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System

HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System

The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System was an experimental bipedal exoskeleton developed by the UNSC Marine Corps in Weapons Research Facility T12A on Algolis.

Overview
The armor was a development of an earlier version of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, designed for use by the SPARTAN-IIs. However, despite its effectiveness, the idea was mainly scrapped, as the user was very vulnerable and it was too complicated for use on the limited number of Spartan-IIs. The prototype of this Exoskeleton suit was destroyed, along with all of its data due to the enactment of the Cole Protocol during the Battle of Algolis. Also, the suit is briefly mentioned in Dr. Catherine Halsey's journal on the date of July 30th 2511. The suit is only an idea at this point, and Halsey is trying to solve the power issues involved with running such a demanding piece of equipment.

Features
Unlike the more advanced MJOLNIR system, the user does not need to be augmented to wear the armor. Though the HUD seems similar to the MJOLNIR configuration, the suit's integrated weapon system and improved target assessment bypass the need for a neural interface link. The suit uses simple Laser and radio for communications, doesn't recycle fluids, and is loaded out with pre-existing weaponry, making it overall cheaper to build than the MJOLNIR.

Armaments
The main strength of the suit lies in the myriad of weapon systems it boasts, each integrated directly into the infrastructure of the exoskeleton. The right arm ends in the 850-round, six-barreled Lucifer AMGG. What must be a targeting sensor suite resides in a large barrel mounted on top of that. The right shoulder is topped with a tri-barreled LAU-1810 missile launcher armed with SGM-151 heat-seeking missiles that are identical to those fired by the common LAU-65D/SGM-151. On the other side of the exoskeleton, an M149 Magellan recoilless rifle is mounted on the left shoulder. It requires the operator to manually aim it for accuracy. The suit comes loaded with fifty of the Magellan's explosive 105mm rounds, each with a blast radius comparable to a five-meter spread. The suit's left arm ends in a mechanical hand used to both operate weapons and manipulate external objects with ease. Two additional missile tubes are attached to the forearm and are packed with identical missiles as the shoulder-mounted cluster.

To complete the complement, three Type-18 Claymore explosives are attached to each thigh, each with enough power to completely engulf a Wraith tank in the blast.

Equipment
The suit makes use of a number of high-tech innovations to operate efficiently in combat. One of these improvements is an integrated jetpack used for powered flight. This jetpack uses a total of four stabilizers and four afterburner thrusters located on the front and back of the suit. Directional control seems to be provided by shifts in balance by the operator. When not in use, the pack's thrusters fold into slots in the suit to protect from external damage. Another useful addition is the incorporation of the core technology behind ONI's reverse-engineered Bubble Shields. The dynamic nature of the shield makes it automatically engage when the suit comes under fire.

List of components
This exoskeleton is based on titanium alloy plating and nanocomposite titanium microfiber
 * Dynamic Local Dissipative Shield Technology
 * T261 Lucifer Arm-Mounted Gatling Gun with 20mm high explosive rounds, alternate-hand grip stabilizer.
 * Type 18 Magnetic/Bayonet-style Claymore which can be primed, attached, or otherwise impaled into nonmagnetic surfaces
 * Motion Sensor with 1400m+ range (with map mode) across flat surfaces with minimal destruction
 * 2x Ventral VTOL Stabilizers
 * 2x Dorsal VTOL Stabilizer
 * 4x Afterburner Thrusters
 * LAU-1810/SGM-151 Shoulder-mounted, self guided high explosive missiles
 * M149 Magellan RCL - Armor mounted recoilless rifle with 105mm high explosive ordnance


 * 300 megaton lead-tampered nuclear fission self-destruct sequence component (in compliance with Cole Protocol and WINTER CONTINGENCY), which would reuse the fusion components of the suit's power system and begins a staggered countdown which could only be activated with a voice command.

Trivia

 * The shoulder-plate verniers on the Prototype Powered Exoskeleton are highly similar to the shoulder-plate devices on the MSN-03 Jaga Doga from the famous Japanese mecha anime, Mobile Suit Gundam "Char's counterattack", sans the Funnels on the latter. The color is even a perfect match to the colors on Gyunei Guss's customized version. It also bears a resemblance to the the limited-production Duel Dagger, a mobile suit variation from Gundam SEED.
 * Hrunting is a magical sword given to Beowolf in the Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name. It was said to have never failed in battle until it faltered in Beowolf's encounter with Grendel. Yggdrasil is the Norse name of the "world tree" central to the cosmology of the Norse mythology.
 * The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL is briefly shown in the first installment of the Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian motion comic.

List of appearances

 * Halo Legends
 * Prototype