Magnetic field recyclers coupled with booster capacitors allowed the cannon to be fired three times per full charge, unlike traditional shipborne MAC systems, which could only fire once per charge. When the UNSC ship Pillar of Autumn was refitted for the war against the Covenant, it received the latest version of the ship based MAC weaponry. The weapon can be fired even when not at full charge, but the range and velocity of the projectile is greatly diminished. Thus, while a vessel may not run out of ammunition for a long time (depending on the size/weight of the shots and the capacity of the ship), a captain or commander has to carefully analyze the situation of a battle and use his shots strategically. The time it takes to bring the MAC's systems to full charge on a UNSC vessel is the deciding force in a conflict. Shipborne MAC draw power from the ship's reactor and require a charge of the weapon's magnetic coils in order to be fired. UNSC cruisers and carriers carry an unknown number of these powerful projectile weapons.Ī pair of depleted uranium projectiles can usually destroy a Covenant frigate or destroyer, usually with one breaching or weakening the shields, with the next fully impacting. An average UNSC frigate sports one MAC system, while a standard destroyer may possess two. The standard ship-mounted MAC system fires 600-ton depleted uranium rounds. Smaller shipborne versions can take as many as 3 hits to overload a shield while an orbital platform can put a hole through any size Covenant vessel up to, and including a carrier. They are the only non- nuclear weapons in the UNSC arsenal capable of effectively reducing or destroying Covenant shields. Orbital platforms have dedicated targeting computers. Shipboard versions generally require an AI to aim the cannon, as the projectiles are unguided. Magnetic Accelerator Cannons are built into the superstructure of a ship or weapons platform, requiring that it maneuver in order to aim the weapon. The ship-based models use ferric, ferrous, or depleted uranium cores, while orbital platforms and station-based versions use ferric tungsten rounds. The cannon fires a massive metal projectile using a linear system of magnetic fields coils down a long shaft, increasing the projectile's velocity until it carries an incredible amount of kinetic energy. The theory behind the operation of a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is the same as that of a coilgun. Larger versions (nicknamed 'Super' MACs or the big "stick") of these are used as orbital defense platforms. These weapon systems are mounted on most UNSC capital ships - destroyers, cruisers, frigates, and carriers. The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (or MAC) is a fictional large coilgun in the Halo universe. Cairo Orbital MAC Station docking with the UNSC ship In Amber Clad
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