M56 Search And Strike Intelligent Missile

"Nobody likes Tank hunters. We do alot of fucking work for not much thanks. Sure, we could knock out a Compound tank at 5000 meters but we don't do anything under 2000 meters, as beyond that, their counter measures have time to react. The other problem is, tanks have infantry buddies, and as soon as you fire they are gonna try and flush you out and fuck you up!"

- Corporal Harry Nok

The is a UNSC crew-served fire support weapon.

Description
The M56 Hypervelocity Intelligent Missile/Anti Tank is a man portable weapon with a firing range of over 5000 meters. The weapon is versatile and incredibly deadly, allowing it to be used for a variety of dangerous uses. The main element of the weapon is a 13.3 kilogram self contained and disposable launcher with bipod and baseplate. The launcher is a carbon fibre composite containing a VENOM missile. It also contains the ports that link to the fire control system. The launcher is variable, being able to fire from a horizontal position, vertical position or any where in between.

When deployed in defensive situations, the weapon can be set to 'Manual' or 'Automatic' modes, allowing variable operations. In bot cases, the weapons are linked by cable to a fire control system with intelligent systems that import data from the local sensor matrix, including motion trackers, infrared scanners, LIDAR, RADAR and higher systems such as recon drones, personnel mounted cameras and sensors, artillery observers, sniper spotters, foward recon, recon air craft and Ssat Links. When a confirmed target is detected, it will lock on with one of the missiles availible and prepare to fire. When set to Manual mode, fire control system is connected to a terminal of a human or AI operator who monitors the missile systems. It will request permission to fire from the operator, who can authorise the target launch, hold it back for certain parameters or initate a IFF query to ensure the target is not friendly. If in Automatic mode, it will run IFF, image scan relations and other saftey checks before launching a missile.

Offensive, the weapon can be operated in direct fire mode by plugging a infantry operated target acquisition site into the weapon, such sites being a Marine's helemt, for short range only and Fire Control Sites, along with stand alone systems. It can be plugged into the M900, a system specifically designed for it for optimum combat ability. It uses infrared image sighting and a active high power motion tracker. With a 150 meter cable, it can be position a fair distance from the HIMAT, allowing the operator to position it and maintain a safe distance. After acquiring a target lock with one or both of the sight's detection systems, the operator can fire the missile.

It fires the VENOM Anti Tank Guided Weapon, which is a hypervelocity intelligent missile, powered by a two stage rocket. The first stage is used to blast it clear of the launcher and then steering nozzles align it with the target and then the second stage rocket accelerates it to hypervelocity. The sensor in the nose hold a infrared imager, millimeter wave RADAR and superheterodyne aerial allowing it to target active RADAR jammers. Upon approach on a vehicle it scans it and and identifies it from the UNSC net. If it has been fired at a friendly it will abort the attack but if it is a confirmed hostile or unknown it will asses the optimum attack loaction and home in upon that. The warhead contains a 15 centimeter tungsten carbide kinetic penetrating rod surrounded by RDX filler. It is detonated just before impact, launching the rod into the vehicle. Combination of the mac 4.5 hypervelocity and the explosive launch, the rod can penetrate any armour. It has limited uses against low flying VTOLs and due to the targeting system, is unable to target anything other than vehicles, such as Bunkers and command posts.

UNSC Remarks
"When the Necros started using those Eviscoraters in force the missile didn't know what to fucking make of them, cos of their ass around layout. They kept bouncing off the front glacis plate, doing shit all. We got that one fixed eventually, but it cost us plenty of lives."