THOR Weapon System

The THOR Weapon System is a ship-based armament designed for attacking ground targets with highly-devastating and precise strikes from space. Though it is a common misconception that it is based on MAC technology, the THOR does not use the same principle at all. Rather than accelerating a projectile via a series of magnets, the THOR simply releases the projectile into space. Each projectile, solid tungsten or depleted uranium rods, are fitted with a small rocket and thrust-vectoring system to guide it into the atmosphere of the planet, where it enters on a trajectory that will land it on the target, making extremely minor course corrections as needed. The kinetic energy imparted by the projectile is equivalent to an Archer missile, without the disadvantages of nuclear radiation fallout.

THOR is an acronym, standing for "Tactical High-Orbital Re-entry", referring to the launch phase. It was first introduced in 2496 aboard the UNSC Aeneas, where it was used to great effect during the Battle for Elysium City during Operation:TREBUCHET. The continued use of the THOR is rare, given most of the Navy's preference for the more devastating MAC, but for missions where precision is more important than damage, the THOR is extremely effective.

Quotes

 * "I remember back on Harvest, we had a battalion of Grunts running at us. Three blasts from the THOR wiped them all out. My Marines were on burial detail for the enemy, for a change!"
 * "The name is right! When you see these things, they fell like the lightning god himself has let loose!"
 * "I still don't see why every ship doesn't use them. It would sure as hell make us ground-pounders happy!"
 * "Early THOR systems required specialised projectiles. The newest version is interchangable with the standard MAC shell."