UH-144 Falcon

Falcon redirects here. For other uses, see Falcon (disambiguation).

UH-144 Falcon

Production information

Manufacturer

Misriah Armory^[1]^[2]

Model

UH-144

Technical information

Length

11.4 metres (37 ft)^[3]

Width

9.99 metres (32.8 ft)^[3]

Height/depth

4.1 metres (13 ft)^[2]

Mass

13.9 tonnes (15.3 tons)^[2]

Max speed (atmosphere)

296 kilometres per hour (184 mph)^[2]

Engine unit(s)

Twin turboprop engines

Slipspace drive

None

Shielding

None

Sensor systems

Advanced Sensor Systems

Countermeasures

None

Armament

M638 Autocannon^[4]
Two side-mounted M247H Heavy Machine Guns or MG460 Automatic Grenade Launchers

Crew

Pilot (1)
Door Gunners (2)
Passengers (3)

Passengers

Five

Usage

Role(s)

Troop Transport
Close Air Support

Era(s)

Human-Covenant war

Affiliation

United Nations Space Command

UNSC Army^[2]

The UH-144 Falcon^[5] was a troop transport tilt-and-transverse-rotor helicopter in primary use by the UNSC Army.^[2]

Class History

The Falcon first entered UNSC service in 2497. UNSC Army garrisons on inner colony worlds used it extensively as a good, economical replacement for the Pelicans.^[2] From there, it has seen its fair use over the course of the Human-Covenant war as one of the UNSC Army's main air transport vehicles.^[6]^[7] It was seen during the Battle of Fumirole, providing air support.^[8] It was also commonly used by Noble Team in 2552, including their investigation of the Visegrád Relay, the First Battle of Sword Base, the Battle of Viery, the beginning of Operation: UPPER CUT, the Raid on New Alexandria, the Evacuation of New Alexandria, and the Second Battle of Sword Base. It was even used during the Battle of Mombasa on Earth, in the waning days of the Human-Covenant war.^[9]

It is still in use by the UNSC Army in 2557.^[6]

Design

Two Falcons can transport a fully-equipped fireteam,^[10] and provide overwhelming fire support in most weather conditions. The aircraft's crew consists of one pilot, two crewmen who may serve as door gunners, and three passengers.

Armament

The Falcon's standard weapon is the chin-mounted M638 Autocannon.^[10] The crew of the Falcon have a choice in what door guns to use though. These choices include the MG460 Automatic Grenade Launcher and the M247H Heavy Machine Gun.^[2]

Variants

Picture	Variant	Description
N/A	UH-144A	Standard Falcon frame, but door gunners use the MG460 Automatic Grenade Launcher.^[10]
N/A	UH-144S	Standard Falcon frame, but door gunners use the M247H Heavy Machine Gun.^[10]

Ships of the Line

List

Gameplay

Halo: Reach

The Falcon differs between the campaign and multiplayer. In Campaign, the internal passenger bench is available for players to sit on, on top of the usable gunner seats. As well, the chin-mounted autocannon is usable by the pilot, and the grenade launcher variant is usable. The multiplayer version only allows passengers with the gunner seats and lacks the chin-mounted autocannon.

Tactics

When piloting the Falcon, remember to face one side of the Falcon towards attacking Banshees, allowing an ally to open fire on them.
Coordinate with gunners to keep the nose pointed directly at an enemy and focus each weapon's fire on a single target.
The Falcon's side-mounted machine guns are extremely short-ranged, so keep your gunners in range of the targets.
The Falcon can drop faster than it can strafe. When an enemy projectile such as a rocket is incoming, it is more effective to dodge it by dropping the Falcon's altitude rather than strafing.

Campaign

The Falcon used in the level Tip of the Spear is equipped with semi-automatic grenade launchers which can produce an EMP effect when the trigger is held down, then released to manually detonate the grenade. This EMP can shut down enemy vehicles.
The Falcon in the level New Alexandria is equipped with a pilot controlled chin-mounted chaingun that has a larger field of fire, is more accurate, and is more powerful than the side-mounted machine guns.

Multiplayer

Keep moving to avoid being skyjacked by players with the Jetpack.
The cockpit area is much more vulnerable to damage than the rest of the Falcon. A single sniper rifle or Plasma Launcher round is capable of destroying a Falcon.
Players riding the Falcon have increased motion sensor range and detect all other players regardless of movement or camouflage.
Plasma Pistol and Grenade Launcher EMP effects completely disable the Falcon's engines, leaving it vulnerable to skyjacking or fatal crashing.
While the Falcon can be used to insert players near objectives, it cannot be used to transport players carrying objective items such as flags or bombs. However, those players can still stand on top of the Falcon and "ride" it.
The Falcon can be used to insert snipers to otherwise inaccessible perches.
Attempts to splatter an enemy can easily result in a skyjacking.
In Invasion on Spire, collect the core carrier from the top of the Spire by letting them jump on top of the Falcon, then slowly descend towards the Pelican and allow the player with the core to jump off.
If you have a Banshee, try to aim the fuel rod cannon at the Falcon's cockpit. This will kill the pilot without damaging the Falcon, sometimes allowing your team to take it over.

Trivia

In the military system of aircraft designation, the letter "U" stands for utility, and the letter "H" stands for helicopter. This would make the Falcon the Utility Helicopter Model 144.
The Halo: Reach Limited and Legendary editions include a Falcon avatar prop.
In Halo: Reach, if a player jumps on top of a rotor hub, he/she cannot be killed by the Falcon's rotors. However, if he/she touches the rotor hub, he/she will be killed instantly.
In Halo: Reach, the windshield of AI-controlled Falcons is solid gray instead of glass, meaning the pilot cannot actually see through them. The same applies with the Pelican.
In the Halo: Reach level Winter Contingency, a glitch allows Noble Team's Falcon to be piloted by Noble Six if it is shot down by a plasma pistol and flipped over.
When firing the grenade launchers mounted on the Falcon, when using the alternate fire mode, the screen reads "ready," then changes to "linked." When the alternate fire button is released and the linked grenade is detonated, the screen readout changes to "boom!"
Falcons appeared in pre-release campaign screenshots from Halo 4, but were cut from the final game.^[11]