Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon
The Plasma Cannon is a broad, rather open-ended colloquial designation for the Covenant’s Class-1 directed energy cannons, typically deployed as a stationary emplacement, within the heavy support role. The T-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon is the most updated variant of this weapon-type employed by the Covenant late in the war. Earlier, the leaner T-42 Plasma Cannon was frequently observed, its narrow, elongated shape vaguely resembling that of the T-51 Plasma Repeater.
Contemporarily, the T-52 Plasma Cannon is the most pervasive of Covenant stationary turrets, being deployed predominantly in areas where the T-26 Shade cannot be, or simply where swift, transportability takes precedence over heavier firepower. The weapon is composed of a large rear housing system, a coil set buried deep within its internal components and a circuit emitter at its nose, allowing the primed plasma to be fired at an extraordinarily fast muzzle velocity.
Plasma Cannons are often, though not always, manned by Unggoy, due to their ease of control and light energy shielding, which protect the diminutive aliens' comparatively slight size. Another attribute of the T-52 DESW is its modular, copper-colored cooling units which are the cannon’s primary maintenance need, something easily repaired and replaced by Unggoy units.
