Sahara-class heavy prowler

UNSC Sahara-class Heavy Prowler   Hull: Armor:   Pulse Laser Damage: 3 Pulse Laser Cooldown:           Spartan Boarding Party Shiva Nuclear Missile Cloak   The smallest capital ship available to the UNSC, the Sahara excels at spying and creating havoc behind enemy lines

 

Overview

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is well known for being subtle, so much that its often said that during the entire war they never fired a shot. Though likely to be an exaggeration, it seemingly extended itself to their units. The Sahara-class Heavy Prowler is the very pinnacle of the prowler corps, and carries an array of surprises that Covenant forces never suspect.

History

Throughout the war, ONI always ensured that a sloop was assigned to every available battlegroup to watch both for Covenant forces and suspicious UNSC crewmen. However, ONI analysts discovered cases where the sloop lacks the adequate firepower to distract Covenant forces or attack high-priority structures. In this case, the Sahara was built to address those issues.

The Sahara has not only the most advanced stealth system available, utilising an active camouflage 'shield' on top of sensor bafflers and heat sinks, but also has an array of nuclear weapons to launch high-explosive bombs in the safety of stealth. HORNET Nuclear Mines are the usual payload, and prowler crews often use these to create hidden minefields where they hoped Covenant forces would collide with them and be destroyed, such as during the Battle of Onyx. Shiva Nukes are also part of its nuclear payload. Lastly, such as Operation: WARM BLANKET, the Sahara can carry elite SPARTAN super-soldiers to perform high-risk operations, such as capturing enemy ships and retrieving or ferrying sensitive objects, as was the case of the UNSC Aladdin.

Tactics

Despite being called a 'Heavy Prowler', the Sahara should not be used as a frontline warship. Instead, it should be used the opposite, since its light armor and weapons makes it a poor replacement for Cruisers and even frigates. They can lay down explosive minefields which can also double as sensor beacons, though these will need to be protected as they will need some time to arm. In asymmetrical behind-the-lines combat roles, their shiva nukes should deal a lot of damage to oncoming fleets and vital structures, weakening them for a major assault. Lastly, use the Spartan boarding party ability to capture an attacking cruiser to create havoc among your enemies, giving the Sahara an excuse to escape.

Gallery

External links

• Sahara-class (halo.wikia)
• Sahara-class (halopedia)