Directed energy weapon

A directed energy weapon (DEW) is a weapon that inflicts damage via a beam or pulse of electromagnetic radiation, high-energy particles, or more exotic forms of energy. In most space-faring civilizations, directed energy weapons have replaced projectile weapons, which tend to be regarded as more "primitive". The most common types of directed energy weapon are laser, particle accelerator, or plasma weapons, though other energy-based weapons have also been developed.
== Laser ==
Lasers are used for a wide array of functions, ranging from repair equipment to weaponry. Pulse laser turrets are standard armament on Covenant warships and, unusually, UNSC Prowlers, and are used for precision strikes against small targets, intercepting incoming missiles and fighters, and general point-defense. Other lasers are used to repair equipment by both the Covenant, and the UNSC while the only infantry-portable laser weapon is used by the UNSC, the M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle or "Spartan Laser". During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC began using nuclear bomb-pumped X-ray lasers as warheads for anti-ship missiles, such as the M4020 Bident used by Epoch-class heavy carriers. In the post-war era, Hannibal Weapon Systems has experimented with mounting laser weaponry on its testbed XM820B4 Scorpion tanks.
== Plasma ==
The Covenant's most common weapon type, however, is superheated plasma that is contained within a controlled magnetic field, able to be guided to a target and dealing heavy damage. Ship-mounted plasma weapons can launch torpedoes, capable of tracking their targets with precision, making them devastating in ship-to-ship combat, or can fire very large streams of plasma from afar to "glass" a planet's surface from orbit. Infantry-scale plasma weapons usually have a high rate of fire, but poor long range accuracy. The best-known plasma weapons of the Great War include the Type-25 plasma rifle and plasma pistol, and the Type-1 plasma grenade — all of which were standard-issue to Covenant ground forces.
== Particle accelerator ==
The Covenant also uses accelerated particles as weaponry, such as the devastating capital ship mounted energy projector and the infantry Type-27 beam rifle. These weapons use charged or neutral particles and may appear similar to lasers though the differences are extensive. Though humans have an understanding of accelerated particle technology they have not yet used it for weaponry.
Category:Daisy-023
Category:Technology
Category:Weapons