M290 Mongoose All-Terrain Vehicle

"Everybody thinks the Mongoose is just something for recon, not drawing too much attention. But I swear, during the battle of Polaris Heights, I saw Spartans riding in teams of two, carrying rockets and lasers! They were dicing up that Covvie armour!"

- Anonymous UNSC personnel

The, sometimes known as the Mothergoose, is a four wheel vehicle often used for reconnaissance and transport. A small vehicle with a surprising amount of grunt, it can quickly get from point a to point b, being surprisingly stable and easy to use, and can even carry cargo, tow a trailer, or a passenger. While small and lightweight, such vehicles have been used on the offence, with passengers carrying heavy weapons to launch hit and run strikes. However, it offers no protection to passengers, and is lightly armoured against low-calibre munitions. Much of it's technology is scaled down from the Warthog, including the engine and the saline actuator, meaning most crews familiar with the Warthog will be familiar with the reliable and simple Mongoose. What's more, its a go-anywhere vehicle, ideal for a number of environments, and can reach it's top speed through mud, snow, swamp and tarmac.

The Mongoose has a single variant, the M290-M Gungoose. Fitted with a self aiming armature over the bonnet, and linked to the user's HUD, it gives some firepower to the small Mongoose, being fitted with twin 40mm machine guns, or twin 7.62mm machine guns, providing surprising punch without compromising speed or agility.