Rocket Launcher

The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher is a heavy ordnance weapon used by UNSC forces in the Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 eras to combat armored vehicles.

Summary

The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, alternatively called the Jackhammer, Pain, and SPNKr a reference to the rocket launcher in the Marathon (Video Game Series). The M19 is a heavy ordnance weapon of the UNSC arsenal used in Halo: Combat Evolved. It fires a 102mm Shaped-Charge High-Explosive Surface to Surface Missile, as shown on Ammo Box in Halo Graphic Novel. The launcher sports a 2x scope and can fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy, although it falls in altitude and moves at a very slow rate if fired from a long distance.

The weapon consists of two disposable barrels and the weapon unit, allowing two consecutive shots. When reloading, the spent barrels are discarded and a new pair inserted. With this mechanism, a Marine can greatly reduce the weight he carries without throwing the weapon away, and reduced production costs as only the barrels are thrown away. A Spartan wielding one is also very effective, since their augmentations have given them the ability to wield both a Rocket Launcher and a small sidearm at the same time, though this is only seen in a cinematic in the Halo 2 level Delta Halo, and cannot be done during actual gameplay.

Advantages

The Rocket Launcher spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area. It is capable of taking out entire groups of targets at any range and can kill both the passengers and crew of nearly any vehicle (with the exception of the Scorpion Tank or Wraith which takes two to three hits) with one direct hit. It is very useful for killing Hunters, which are often the most difficult enemies to kill. For an anti-tank weapon it is capable of inflicting mass damage to tanks and wraiths because of its ability to quickly launch two consecutive shots, so it is effective in close range assaults against tanks. It was originally possible to kill someone with a single running or jumping version of the Rocket Launcher's melee attack. This has since been corrected. Also in Halo 2 and 3 it has a nice propulsion alternative for the "grenade jump" if done correctly. With the Rocket Launcher you do not have to have perfect aim as the blast's splash damage may be enough to kill them. The lock-on feature in Halo 2 makes aiming much easier and makes killing vehicles almost a guarantee. This feature was deleted in Halo 3 since the Missile Pod has the lock-on feature in a package that Bungie considers to be more balanced gameplay-wise. The rocket launcher is also very hard to dodge.

Disadvantages

A number of factors balance the rocket launcher's sheer power: The rocket, though powerful, is implemented in-game as an anti-vehicle weapon, not designed for engaging dismounted infantry. Thus its reload time is quite slow, as it takes about three to five seconds for the M19 to be fully reloaded. The rockets leave a trail of black smoke in their wake, giving away the operator's position and necessitating a fire-and-displace strategy of engagement. Ammunition is often limited or unavailable, and the player can carry a maximum of 10 rockets. the biggest disadvantage to a player is the blast range of a rocket, if fired too close the splash damage can severely injure or kill its operator if fired carelessly into surrounding terrain or at an enemy. The rocket travels slowly enough to be dodged, and trying to hit moving vehicles from long range will require very precise timing and a predictable opponent. In Halo 2, this is not an issue due to the homing missiles.