SP42 Cobra

The Special Purpose-42 Cobra mobile gun system is a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle formally used by the CMA and later the UNSC. The SP-42 was originally manufactured by TurboGen, and was later maintained by Misriah Armory under UNSC service.

History
The Colonial Military Authority put out a design competition at the height of the UNSC-CMA Cold War for a fast, light weight mobile gun system capable of ambushing and killing the then newly introduced UNSC M840 main battle tank, with a contract being awarded to TurboGen's TG-8, adopted as the SP42 Cobra MGS by the CMA.

The principle armament of the Cobra was a RGS-2 105mm railgun firing discarding sabot, or alternatively, two RGS-4 30mm rail guns, capable of defeating some last generation main battle tanks and any other moderately armoured vehicle of its era with ease.

Following the absorption of the CMA by the UNSC, large stocks of SP42s were placed into the care of Misriah Armory. They were of questionable value as the UNSC had little use for specialized anti-armor vehicles and were looking to move away from rail gun technology. Misriah Armory experimented with different armaments for the now reclassified M845 Cobra.

The Cobra found value during the ame=SP42/M845 Cobra MG as its railguns were highly efficient in penetrating Covenant armor, more so than the UNSC's homemade main battle tanks. After the war however, the Cobra fleet was severely aged, as its railguns were already antiquated even before the war had begun. Humanity's rebuilding efforts however prolonged its retirement until after Operation:RUPTURED CRUCIBLE.

Design
Despite its light armor and wheeled design, the Cobra's speed still lags far behind its UNSC contemporaries owing to its cheap and inefficient powerplant. This lackluster powerplant further hinders the speed in which it can charge and fire its powered rail gun. The SP42's abundance of problems baffled Misriah Armory engineers when it was first delivered to UNSC stockpiles, and required years of technical overhauls before it could be fielded.

Misriah Armories replaced the Cobra's RGS series rail guns with its own M66/M98 models, as well as its power pack. These changes solved a majority of the Cobra's issues, however it still hadn't solved the lack of purpose it had within the UNSC's arsenal. Limited run variants were produced based on the Cobra chassis in an early attempt to give the Cobra a place within the vehicle fleet. During the Human-Covenant War, the Cobra received armor upgrades as it was susceptible to even light plasma cannons.

M846
A self-propelled gun with an autoloaded 155mm/55 howitzer. The M846 is a vital asset of the Marine Corps because of its air mobile capability.

M847
A Cobra mounting the M260 Multiple Launch Rocket System from the M9 Wolverine SPAD, used exclusively by the UNSC Army.