The Dropship 79 Heavy-Troop Carrier (D79H-TC), more commonly known as the Pelican, is an extremely versatile aircraft capable of carrying troops, cargo, or vehicles, and sporting a heavy arsenal of weapons. This model of the Pelican has two nose-mounted machine guns operable by the pilot. The G79H-TC/MA Pelican is the gunship variant.
Design
The D79H-TC differs quite extremely from its predecessor, the D77H-TCI. Overall, its design is more rounded and streamlined, moving away from the very angular design of the D77 series. The cockpit is no longer accessed through the troop bay, but rather through the windshield itself, which opens to allow pilots to board.
The troop bay has also undergone some changes, most notably its ramp, which is now considerably longer than its predecessor's was. The D79H-TC is still capable of transporting vehicles underslung in the same way as its predecessor, and it is implied that at least three D79s have enough lifting power between them to lift an M510 Mammoth.
The D79H-TC's engines differ from the D77 series in that the main thruster wings now only have rear-facing jets. Along the bottom of the hull are four directional thrusters which, along with the rear thrusters, control the D79's VTOL operations. In addition, the main hull has two further thrusters, one on either side, and the very rear of the craft has a pair, providing this version of the Pelican with far superior acceleration and speed than its D77 predecessors.
In an offensive capacity, the D79H-TC sports two nose-mounted 70mm autocannons capable of an extremely high rate of fire and accuracy over long ranges. Its cousin, theG79H-TC/MA Pelican, possesses considerably more offensive firepower, including a variant of the M8C Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Weapon.
Gallery
Appearances
- The Commissioning (First appearance)
- Halo 4
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo: Spartan Strike
Sources
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