COSSACK-class Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor

"The Cossacks acted as guardians for people living at the fringes of their nation, living, fighting and surviving in the wild, today we pick up that mantle"

- IMC spokesperson when revealing the COSSACK-class Mjolnir

The COSSACK-class Mjolnir is a GEN2 Mjolnir suit derived from the now discontinued. The suit shares many similarities with RANGER including using the same basic chassis and body armor with the main differences being in their role, features and capabilities of the suit.

During the designing of the RANGER-class Mjolnir IMC submitted two designs for the UNSC Ordnance Commission to review. One focused on simpler forms of combat versatility, survivability and toughness, which would come to be known as RANGER. While the other was a far more technologically aided and arguably more versatile suit but as a result of this it was far more sensitive to damage, this would come to be known as the COSSACK-class Mjolnir.

Despite its rejection by the Ordnance Commission the Experimental Armor Division of IMC would keep prototypes of the armor and consistently work on it through the Post-War years. The suit began to enter active service as the decreasing production and ongoing maintenance issues of the RANGER-class Mjolnir lead to a demand for a new suit. As of October 2558 and the cessation of production of RANGER-class Mjolnir, COSSACK has been issued to only 5 spartans.

Development History
In 2555  was awarded the tender to design one of the new line of Mjolnir GEN2 Armors, namely an armor focused on solo operations and individual versatility. Over the course of designing IMC parsed through many designs which ranged from simple updates of the GEN1 variants of RANGER to completely new suits which featured completely new architectures and design philosophies. These were however rejected as neither truly met the requirement for a versatile but rugged, solo operations suit.

By 2556 IMC had made sufficient headway in the software aspects of the final armor. They had made the decision to stick with their own unique if difficult to maintain armor systems and visor integration systems as they provided far better individual system management when compared to other MJOLNIR suits. However the hardware of the armor had seen less success, while the body armor had seen some success, drawing many design cues from its GEN1 counterpart which allowed it impressive survivability at a comparatively light weight.

It was then in May 2556 that would diverge the design into two distinct iterations. The less technologically advanced but far more rugged and survivability focused suit took up the name of its precursor and became the. The other which was less rugged but featured a wide array of features and technology to increase the longevity of solo deployments, this would come to be known as COSSACK-class Mjolnir.

Both armors were submitted to the under the tender for review. While several members in the Commission did like the idea of a more technologically advanced suit and its sheer number of features, the lack of survivability and much greater unit cost of COSSACK lead to it being rejected in favor of RANGER. COSSACK itself however was not abandoned, the armor was relegated to the Experimental Armor Division (EAD) of IMC where further improvements and modifications would be made through combat information obtained by RANGER and other Mjolnir suits made by IMC.

Between 2556 and 2558 the COSSACK-class Mjolnir saw many iterations and features both in its design and features. Such examples included a variant with ad hoc compatibility and a slew of modular armor panels to allow the suit to be adjusted both before and even during a mission to suit the situation. this was however abandoned as the running cost of the suit were estimated to be too high. Another variant was a stealth focused variant which derived signature masking systems and attachments from the and, however these were also rejected as their current form offered limited in the way of in field adaptation.

By January 2558 the suit had reached its final production model. The suit still retained the body armor and design from the RANGER-class Mjolnir. But thanks to advancements in software and component miniaturization it also featured far more in the way of features. The suit formally entered service in April 2558 after trials in and the.

Design Specifications
COSSACK-class Mjolnir shares many similarities with its sister suit, the. Most notably the two share externally identical body armor with the only substantial differences being underneath the armor. However the helmet used in COSSACK is a far cry from the one used in RANGER, foregoing the larger and more blocky design along with the difficult to maintain bifocal visor. In their place the new helmet features a far more rounded design around the top of the head with a more angular design present around the jaw and eye line. Notable design cues would be the V-shaped visor which allows a better field of view for the operator while keeping the visor low profile enough to not easily break in harsh conditions or combat. The most striking difference between the two helmets would be the large bulbous protrusion from the forehead of the COSSACK-class Mjolnir which houses the unified UST-47B (Coyote-D7) Sensor-Scanner Cluster.

However during the suits development there was much controversy surrounding the helmet due to the striking resemblance to the and  was accused of industrial espionage however due to the lack of evidence the case was closed soon after it was opened.

The body armor has also seen a degree of reworking, as with acquiring damaged or disposed  there have been security concerns regarding the COSSACK-class Mjolnir. In response a new and more advanced albeit easier to maintain software architecture was developed for the COSSACK which bears little similarity to its previous iteration. The main reason for the stark differences between the two is the amount of technology that the software needs to support compared to the previous suit.

Role and Usage
When COSSACK-class Mjolnir first came into service a wide variety of of suits already in existence such as, , and  had considerable overlap with it. The decision was made to gear this suit to two particular fields while emphasizing the hallmarks of the RANGER-class Mjolnir which were Versatility, Survivability and Operational Independence.

These fields were Force Recon and what were called 'Ranger' Operations. Force Recon means that the suit can be deployed by itself or in a group either behind enemy lines or in forward positions to provide intel on enemy movements, troop concentrations and possible terrain obstructions in support of a larger force or prior to an attack. 'Ranger' Operations are technically the suits true purpose as no other suits clearly fill the role or are as well equipped for it. 'Ranger' Operations outline single operator or groups of operators being deployed to hostile held or occupied areas with the aim to provide intel, conduct guerrilla warfare, organize rebellions or discontent on the planet they are deployed to and conducting counterinsurgency/anti-criminal operations.

The suit fills this role with peak performance as it is able to silently be inserted and operate with little to no evidence of the operator being left behind due to the use of inertial dampeners removing the need for insertion vehicles and radar absorbent coating and emissions baffling to mask the IR and emissions signature of the suit after it has landed. Due to 'Ranger' Operations often meaning the operator(s) will be cut off from large scale outside support the suit is able to link with or break into friendly or non friendly systems respectively without any intermediary device.

Techsuit
While the techsuit is largely the same as the standard GEN2 Mjolnir Techsuit being a Titanium Nanocomposite Bodysuit with an Inner Skinsuit. However the version used in COSSACK-class Mjolnir is somewhat different as it has thicker and more resistant section at all major joints such as the elbows and knees, it is also found around the abdomen, chest and around the collar. The bodysuit in these areas is far more strain resistant due to the use of compressed carbon lattices which are then drawn into strands to make a flexible but strong padding and capable of taking far more punishment from outside sources both by combat or environmental hazards.

Armor Composition
Like most other Mjolnir GEN2 suits the COSSACK-class Mjolnir features an outer Titanium Shell which makes up the bulk of the armor on the suit. However during the development of COSSACK several new and supplementary forms of armor were developed. Namely the COSSACK-class Mjolnir features two layers of new, lightweight and high strength materials which are known barely known outside of IMCs Experimental Armor Division.

The outer layer of the armor which is composed of C60 Fullerene molecules which are then compressed into a double layered structure from one of the surface hexagon structures. These are then bound together into a much larger and flatter structure. These are then used to form the Carbon Nanotubules and effectively have two times the layering of normal carbon nanotubes. This results in an incredibly strong and light layer which in testing has shown impressive levels of heat and electrical conductivity. .

The inner layer is much the same as Project SPHERE however it features one key difference, the use of Hyperdiamond Fibers laced through the Carbon Nanotubes which further bolster the conductive qualities of the layer, each layer is combined with a thin layer of insulation to decrease the chance of any electrical current damaging the suits internal systems.

UST-47B (Coyote-D7) Advanced Sensor-Scanner Cluster
Mounted on the forehead of the helmet in a large, bulbous, armored protrusion is the UST-47B, otherwise known as the Coyote-D7, Advanced Sensor-Scanner Cluster. The cluster is constantly working either passively or actively and features redundant environmental scanners whose the sensor fidelity and high-bandwidth storage capacity make it ideal for detailed environment scans and intelligence analysis scene reconstructions.

The scanners take highly detailed, multi-spectrum scans of the area around the operator out to a range of 45m in any direction. This info is then processed alongside target information obtained from the sensors to create a highly detailed 3D Holo-Map in place of the standard mini-map by use of an advanced 3D Cartography Software. This gives detailed terrain and target orientations such as elevation changes, obstacles and orientation of targets.

The cluster can also act in conjuncture with outside information systems the suit is uplinked to such as satellites, cameras or sensors to enhance the range and detail of the map which is made. However the system is not solely dependent on the map generation software and can act as a long range reconnaissance unit to scan, outline and mark targets out at long range.

2U-34 Universal Uplink and Intrusion Unit
The 2U-34 Universal Uplink and Intrusion Unit is a high strength, multi spectrum and multi frequency uplink unit which is used to remotely connect to any standard UNSC terminal or device such as data-pads, satellites, terminals and data centers. However it has the added function of being able to remotely hack into such systems should the need arise. The main advantage of the system is its lack of reliance on any intermediary device such as a signal booster or direct connection.

With the aid of a dedicated 'Smart' or 'Dumb' A.I the capabilities of the intrusion aspect of the unit can be further enhanced to even allow for breaking into hostile battlenets or ship systems.

7P-LCF Energy Shield Actuator Plug Components
The 7P-LCF Energy Shield Actuator Plug Components are actually carried over from the. These allow the operator of the suit to adjust the overall strength of the suits energy shields to suit the needs of the mission or if they need to conserve power.

X880-Boulder Emission Shroud (IMC-Spec)
While similar to the X900-Boulder Emission Shroud used on the the X880 is considerably more compact and energy efficient albeit at the cost of its overall capability to mask emissions.

Bravado-120-B3 Fitted Reactor Pack Stabilizer
The Bravado-120-B3 is a derivative of the Bravado-120-B4 utilized on the. Similar to the Boulder Emission Shroud the main advantage of this version is that it is far more compact and energy efficient at the cost of effectiveness. However this has the added advantage of being far tougher than the B4.

P-9 Open-Line Channel Modifier
The P-9 Open-Line Channel Modifier allows for direct control over the output of the Compact-Fusion Reactor so it can be adjusted in the field and without specialized equipment to conserve power.

IR-13 Inertial Dampeners
The IR-13 Inertial Dampeners are located throughout the suit and allow the operator to conduct High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) and High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) Jumps and allow for insertion into the combat zone without a vehicle and with a minimal radar signature and sound. It also makes insertion of operations into hostile territory much less risky for both the operator and any associated vehicles.

'Chronicon' Information Management A.I
The 'Chronicon' Information Management A.I is a purpose built Armor A.I made specifically for the COSSACK-class Mjolnir to handle the sheer amount of data the suit processes through the UST-47B and when uplinking to Satellites which would possibly overwhelm and interfere with the suits normal functions.

HTI-3 Datalink
The HTI-3 Datalink is a high speed, high capacity datalink used in the armor to more easily manage the copious amounts of information acquired by both the normal sensors and scanner but also the far more detailed information supplied by the UST-47B. They also greatly aid in sorting and compartmentalizing outside data such as that received when uplinked to a data center or satellite.

HDP-57 Micro Projection System
The HDP-57 Micro Projection System is a forearm mounted holographic interface which can be used to project holograms of info being received by the suit such as holo-messages, holo-maps or target dossiers. It is capable of projecting large detailed maps compiled by the 3D Cartography Software used to produce the 3D minimap. As an added feature the map will localize to the operator and have them be standing on their position on the map. the system can also be used to reconstruct scenes or locations the suit has already been through in high fidelity.

MU-17 External Hardpoints
The MU-17 External Hardpoints are hardpoints mounted on the forearms, sides of the thighs, sides of the calves, hips and on the small armored panel on the posterior of the armor. These harpoints can be used to carry ammo pouches, equipment or other ad hoc pieces such as signature breaking panels to aid the armor in staying hidden on hostile sensors.

Jamie-B295
Following her return alongside the remains of the UNSC Army Ranger unit which was stationed on the colony of Tosion. Following her return she displayed a particularly close relationship with the Rangers she had been deployed with for over 9 years. As a result she had made a formal request to be permanently assigned to the unit which was acquiesced to by the head of Spartan Branch, Musa Ghanem, as a test for the viability of permanent joint branch teams.

As a result of her posting she was one of the first recipients of the COSSACK-class Mjolnir and has since consistently shown that the armor can take the strains and rigors of long term, unsupported missions in enemy territory. This was made explicitly clear when she, alongside several other Rangers, deployed via HAHO jump and wiped out an entire Kig-Yar pirate camp within the span of 4 hours and marched back to friendly territory without difficulty.

Fireteam Bedouin
Fireteam Bedouin was the first full team of Spartans equipped with COSSACK-class Mjolnir. The team operated in several counter-insurgency operations in the Outer Colonies, specifically targeting Insurrectionist leaders and infrastructure.

Quotes
"COSSACK-class Mjolnir allows the Spartan using it to operate in, map and clear out the combat zone at their discretion."

- Armory Description for COSSACK-class Mjolnir Helmet

"Be it shifting sands, freezing blizzards or the depths of swamps, the inexonerable COSSACK-class Mjolnir trudges on till the mission is complete"

- Armory Description for COSSACK-class Mjolnir Armor