M808 Main Battle Tank Scorpion Halo

“Tank beats Ghost! Tank beats Hunter! Tank beats everything!”
— Unnamed marine, on The Ark

The M808 Main Battle Tank, commonly known as the Scorpion, is the most common armored fighting vehicle employed by the UNSC during the Human-Covenant war. It is used in operations requiring heavy firepower or an anti-vehicular platform. Combining firepower, resilience, and mobility, the Scorpion has proven itself formidable and earned the respect of friend and foe alike.

Overview

The M808 model of Scorpion tanks first entered service in 2218 and has not changed much over its service.

The Scorpion may not be the most powerful or the fastest of the UNSC's fleet of main battle tanks, but for the most part, it represents the best possible balance between mobility and firepower. Indeed, the vehicle's prominence among the UNSC armed forces is due to its low production cost, transportability, and overall firepower. Ceramic-Titanium armoring makes it almost invulnerable to small-arms fire and easily shrugs off normal ballistic and plasma weapons, while anti-mine software and electronics provide additional protection. The Scorpion has a range of 750 kilometers and utilizes a four-track design, each mounted on an independent, computer-controlled suspension system, which allow for deft maneuvering around large debris and other battlefield obstacles. The tank also features a small crew size, one operator and one machine gunner. While important material and VIPs can be crammed into the main cabin, up to four soldiers can safely be transported on the tread pods, though the use of these "jumpseats" is normally reserved for emergencies.

The Scorpion's main weapon, mounted on a 360° rotating turret, is the M512 Smooth Bore High Velocity Cannon, which fires a 90mm tungsten shell, including S1 Canister Shells. Though this weapon can have difficulty penetrating the armor of some heavy vehicles, it is capable of disintegrating most targets in a single shot or gutting a Wraith in two to three, depending on where the shots hit relative to the target's hull. For additional offensive power, some Scorpions will instead mount a 105mm cannon. The M247T Medium Machine Gun serves as the tank's secondary weapon, delivering 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds with speed and thoroughness. It is mounted on a separate pintle-mount depending on the model.

Variants

• M808B: A model that has no M247 gunner position, but instead, a driver-operated coaxial M231 medium machine gun, attached to the turret.
• M808B2 "Sun Devil": A variant where the M512 is replaced with two twin-linked 40mm autocannons. It was essentially an anti-aircraft platform, but was even used in an anti-personnel role during the Insurrection.
• M808B3 "Tarantula": A variant that sports two mounted pods that fire clusters of hypervelocity Scimitar rockets, on either side of the M512 cannon. Due to its ineffectiveness against Covenant threats, most of the M808B3 models were converted back to the straight "B" model.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

• The tank has received a visual upgrade, giving it a grittier, more military look, including a greener paint scheme.
• The cockpit hatch slides back and covers the driver.
• The tank has considerably less armor than its earlier counterparts, making it somewhat more balanced with the Wraith. In Halo: Reach it's possible to destroy a Scorpion with a few well-placed shots from the Sniper Rifle.
• The main gun seems to reload slightly slower.
• The tank visually recoils when firing the main gun. Shell casings are released through a small port beneath and behind the barrel.
• The tank moves faster: splattering with the tank is once again possible.
• The main gun is more powerful, with a larger blast radius; it has the ability to destroy a Wraith in one shot.
• The reticle of the main gun now has vertical bars on its sides that fill as the cannon is reloaded.
• The secondary turret now overheats after continuous fire, much like the Wraith's turret.
• The turret turns slower than in Halo 3, the Scorpion's turn rate is also slower.
• The main gun can also be destroyed with enough damage, showing just the damaged rear of the turret.
• The tread covers may be destroyed, preventing allies from riding on them.
• The main gun has a reloading animation, where the rear of the gun slides back, as though a new shell is being loaded into the barrel.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

• The Scorpion's shots now arc.
• The shot now has a much lower velocity.
• The speed of the Scorpion has been reduced.
• The reload animation now has a sound along with it.
• More accurate machine gun turret.