Gungoose

M274-N "Gungoose" Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle
Production Information
Manufacturer	AMG Transport Dynamics
Product Line	Mongoose
Model	M274-N
Class	Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle
Technical Information
Length	3.2 metres (10 ft)
Width	1.8 metres (5.9 ft)
Height/depth	1.5 metres (4.9 ft)
Mass	406 kilograms (900 lb)
Engine unit(s)	1,000cc liquid-cooled, mid-engine mounted, four-stroke, hydrogen-injected ICE
Armament	2 front-mounted MA5E/GL Assault Rifles
Crew	1 Driver
Passengers	1
Usage
Year introduced	2552
Role(s)	Reconnaissance/Light Scout Infantry Transport
Era(s)	Human-Covenant War
Affiliation	United Nations Space Command

The M274-N Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle, more commonly known as the Gungoose, is a light ground reconnaissance vehicle and a variant of the M274 "Mongoose" modified to bear two front-mounted MA5E/GL Assault Rifles with attached M45 Grenade Launchers.

Overview & Background

The Gungoose is one of the smallest, fastest and most manoeuvrable ground vehicle in the UNSC's arsenal. Its chassis design places it in the ATV family of vehicles, as it possesses seating for a driver and an armed passenger at the centre and rear of the vehicle respectively and features a small, light frame that makes it a considerably difficult target to attack, especially when mobile. However, this light mass makes driving the Gungoose potentially hazardous, as obstacles and rough terrain can easily overturn the vehicle at high speeds. Additionally, the Gungoose possesses weak armour and its minimalist design leaves the occupants exposed, meaning it must remain mobile as to avoid taking excessive damage from enemy fire.

The Gungoose features two modified MA5E/GL Assault Rifles with attached M45 Grenade Launchers as its primary armament. These MA5E/GLs fire simultaneously and are virtually identical to their handheld counterpart; the rate of fire for both rifles starts off low when initially fired, but quickly increases the longer these weapons are fired. This "accelerated" rate of fire allows the Gungoose to accurately strike enemies at a longer distance when fired in controlled bursts, while the steady rate of fire increase allows the operator to close in on enemies without the consequence of lost accuracy. The attached M45 Grenade Launchers can fire two high-explosive grenades simultaneously, which are powerful enough to kill or severely damage anything caught in their explosion radius.

Gameplay Information

Advantages

• The Gungoose is the fastest UNSC ground vehicle.
• The Gungooses small size makes it a considerably difficult target to fire upon, especially at high speeds.
• The Gungoose has a passenger seat at the rear, which can complement the vehicles own firepower with passenger's equipped weapon.
• The Gungooses twin Assault Rifles can quickly eliminate enemy infantry.
• The Gungooses twin Grenade Launchers are powerful enough to take out heavy infantry and light vehicles, especially with a direct hit from both grenades.

Disadvantages

• The Gungoose is one of the weaker vehicles that can be used; it's light armour can withstand only a small amount of enemy fire, while explosives such as grenades can total the vehicle instantly.
• The Gungoose can be somewhat slow to turn at low speeds.
• At high speeds, the Gungoose is vulnerable to crashing and flipping from driving over rough terrain, colliding with obstacles or from a nearby explosion.
• Both the driver and passenger are vulnerable to enemy fire, especially when the vehicle is stationery or at slow speeds.
• The Gungooses weaponry cannot fire upwards beyond a 40 degree angle, making it ineffective against targets beyond that angle.
• Despite their destructive capabilities, the Gungooses weaponry is somewhat ineffective against heavily-armoured vehicles such as Wraiths and Phantoms.