MJOLNIR Armor

The MJOLNIR (Pronunciation: ˈmjɔlˌnɪɹ 'me-all-'nhr) Powered Assault Armor is a technologically-advanced combat exoskeleton system designed to vastly improve the strength, speed, agility, reflexes and durability of a SPARTAN-II, SPARTAN-III or a SPARTAN-IV supersoldier in the field of combat.

Prioritized and advanced parallel to the SPARTAN-II Program, the MJOLNIR powered assault armor is currently the most advanced piece of tactical military hardware in human hands. Each suit alone costs as much as a small starship. The brainchild of Dr. Catherine E. Halsey, MJOLNIR is Halsey's attempt to create a powered exoskeleton capable of taking full advantage of the physical capabilities of a SPARTAN-II. The battlesuit is constructed in overlapping layers. It is a sealed system, capable of extravehicular and submersible activity or operations in toxic atmosphere. It is hardened against EMP and radiation, and has filters that are completely effective at removing toxins and bacteria from local atmosphere.

The armor's outer shell is composed of a multilayer alloy of remarkable strength and has been augmented with a refractive coating capable of dispersing a limited amount of Covenant energy weapon strikes. The suit contains a gel-filled layer underneath a thick black armored bodysuit. The gel layer regulates temperature and can re-actively change its density. The inner skinsuit is made of a moisture-absorbing synthetic material linked to an environment control computer and the occupant's UNSC-issue neural interface.

Each human being has a molecular fiber network called the nervous system within their brain. An upgrade to the standard Neural Interface is issued to all high-ranking officers; another modified version of the neural lace is issued to all SPARTAN-IIs in the UNSC. This network translates electrochemical signals to digital code and routes them through an interface connection at the rear of the skull. Through this interface, the user's thoughts command the armor's movement and weapons; and input from the onboard sensors comes directly to the user's mind. The kinesis between machine and mind is so fast that it is almost impossible to chart reaction time.

Between the external armor and the internal padding is the most devastating weapon the suit carries: a layer of reactive metal liquid crystal. Woven by molecular tools into a superdense optical computer memory, this revolutionary crystalline layer forms a network, capable of supporting the kinds of Artificial intelligence usually reserved for starships, as a type of piggyback system. An A.I.'s personality and processing matrices can be carried by the armor and delivered to the suit via onboard storage in a crystal data chip no larger than a personal credit card. Such technology did not exist when work began on the Mark I prototypes. At the same time it is amorphous, yet amplifies force, doubling lifting capability and increasing reaction time by a factor of five. Unfortunately the system is so reactive that normal human beings cannot use the suit without injuring themselves. Only humans who have carbide ceramic ossification, a skeletal augmentation, such as a SPARTAN-II, can safely wear the suit.

The suit also possesses other features that enhance its wearer's abilities. It has numerous clips, belts, and magnetic holsters for the attachment of additional weapons and ammunition; an advanced Heads-Up-Display(HUD) linked to sensors in the gloves detects the type of weapon and devices held, and to project shield strength, ammunition count, a targeting reticle, waypoints, a radio uplink for communication, health monitoring and other helpful data.

In its final phase the MJOLNIR battlesuit weighs half a ton, or 1000 lbs when in use, and is a fully neural-linked system. With an onboard AI using the human mind for parallel processing, the SPARTAN-II/MJOLNIR combination is designed to be the most devastating intelligence tool ever created.

The armor line is named for the mythical weapon Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor, the Norse god of lightning, thunder, wind, and rain who possessed incredible power. It is said that Mjölnir had the power to level mountains, and that only Thor was strong enough to wield it, making it an apt name for an armor suit that humans who lack the surgical modifications given to Spartans are not strong enough to safely use. The origin of the word "Mjölnir" is unknown. The Icelandic verbs mölva (to crush) and mala (to grind) have been suggested as possible translations. Another theory suggests that MJOLNIR might be related to the Russian word молния (molniya) and the Welsh word mellt (both words being translated to the term as "lightning"). This second theory parallels with the idea that Thor, being a son of Odin, and the God of Thunder himself, used lightning as his weapon.

* Mark I Prototype Exoskeleton
* Mark II Prototype Exoskeleton
* Mark III Prototype Exoskeleton
* MJOLNIR Mark IV Powered Assault Armor
* MJOLNIR Mark V Powered Assault Armor
* MJOLNIR Mark VI Powered Assault Armor
* MJOLNIR Mark VII Powered Assault Armor
* Hayabusa Armor
* ODST battle armor
* SPI Armor