Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV



"You're the only ones who can use them, Petty Officer. Who else could we give them to?"

- Dr.Halsey

The MJOLNIR Mark IV was the fourth version of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. It was outfitted to the SPARTAN-IIs in November 27th 2525, and was in mainstream use until August 29th, 2552 when it was replaced by the MJOLNIR Mark V armor.

The Mark IV was a vast improvement over the previous versions of the MJOLNIR Armor. It greatly increased the strength of the wielder, reduced the reaction time by a factor of 5, and greatly increased the speed of the wielder, with a Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layer.

Overview
Although the earlier attempts at developing high-powered armor produced designs that were impractical for battlefield deployment, Dr. Halsey's MJOLNIR Project would soon change that. The Mark IV was a radical redesign of the suit, taking advantage of many technological innovations. Developed and tested at the Damascus Testing Facility on Chi Ceti IV, this battle suit was the first to feature full integration with the user's body. The suit plugged directly into the user's neural network through a standard issue Neural Interface. The suit's many functions utilized the user's thoughts for commands, reducing reaction times by a factor of five, greatly speeding up the user's movements and reflexes.

This was also the first design to successfully utilize the reactive metal liquid crystal layer as a means of enhancing locomotion. It enhanced the speed and power of the wearer, a sharp contrast to previous versions, which required powered motors to allow the user's mobility. Because of this advancement, the design more closely resembled an actual suit of armor, as opposed to a powered exoskeleton; the user moved the suit, and in return the suit moved the user. This allowed for an incredibly compact design when compared to the previous incarnations. The success of this version was also dependent upon the parallel development of the Spartan-II program, which produced troops with the physical capabilities required to drive the system. Previous attempts to equip marines with the armour had resulted in catastrophe, as the test subjects were either killed, or permanently disabled for life.

Features
In addition to the motion and strength augmentation, the Mark IV included multiple advanced systems, (including, but not limited to) the following:


 * Integrated computer system which continuously monitors weapons, biological functions, and motion through intelligent motion-sensing radar.
 * The suite allowed the wearer to open secure COM signals by merely "thinking" of doing it, and if the person in the suite was talking, the helmet didn't allow any sound to leave the helmet unless the wearer wanted to, which makes him able to communicate via radio without creating any sound.
 * The suit was airtight, hardened against vacuum, and featured air-filtration systems as well as a built-in oxygen re-breather system that could last for up to 90 minutes.
 * The helmet was able to enhance and isolate sounds, being described as being able to hear a water drop in a sandstorm.
 * Concealed side compartments in the upper thigh plates allowed the user to holster a sidearm.
 * The visor can be polarized and depolarized, to reveal the face of the wearer to other personnel.
 * It is equipped with Recoil-compensating actuators.
 * Hydrostatic gel to regulate and monitor temperature and dampen impact force
 * Helmet-integrated binoculars, infrared vision, UV-vision and night vision, as well as a standard issue flashlight with its own separate power supply.
 * Biofoam injectors. However, the biofoam injectors and medical care systems of the Mark IV had to be provided with a direct supply of Biofoam, medicines, and stimulants from a standard Marine first aid kit when the user was injured, as the suit would not hold or generate a supply of medicines and biofoam, unlike the Mark VI.
 * Magnetic soles on the suit's boots that allowed the wearer to stand on a high moving metal object, such as a ship's hull.
 * Also, the suit was able to automatically pressurize to compensate for the addition of or lack of gravity as a life-saving mechanism. It was this function that Rebels took advantage of via the use of Antigravity Plates.

Disadvantages
In combat situations with the Covenant the Mark IV could only take a few shots from Covenant Plasma Weapons before failing, even with a refractive coat to help disperse energy attacks. The Mark IV still could not overcome the major problem of keeping its user safe. Also, the suit did not accommodate magnetic plating to hold weapons and equipment.

Trivia

 * The MJOLNIR Mark IV seen in both Halo Wars and Halo: The Cole Protocol has been a subject of constant debate among fans, and is currently left to interpretation. Some believing that the version seen in Halo Wars is canon, while the version worn by Grey Team in The Cole Protocol is a variant, being more of a precursor to the CQB variant of the Mark VI, as evident by the low slung shoulder plates and mounted combat knife and positioning of the "vents" on the back. Others have argued that the Mark IV in The Cole Protocol is the official version citing that the design came from the creators themselves, while the version in Halo Wars version is merely artistic interpretation. No official source has credited or discredited which is official and why there are two very different versions, not including the Halo Wars announcement trailer version. However, in the Halo Legends anime "The Babysitter", the Mark IV armour seems to resemble the Halo Wars variant more than the Cole Protocol version.