- PLUT0NIUM 235
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- Honorable Member
the orbital defence platforms were fine, we just made one absolutely fatal mistake in their design! the S-MAC was perfect the way it once, it would absolutely junk any Covenant warship it hit without exception due to the insane muzzle velocity and the mass of the projectile, wouldn't just junk the ship would likely shatter it! the fatal problem with the defence platforms was the lack of point defences, since the Covenant didn't engage them head on, that would have been suicidal! they sent boarding craft and single-ships to take them down, which worked perfectly due to a couple of factors, one the platforms had no notable anti-aircraft batteries and two had rather small crews and no automated defences inside.
if the platforms were protected by batteries and had internal defences (thick security doors, automated weapons, and AI with control over atmosphere able to vent compartments into space!) destroying them would have been very difficult. hell why not station a bunch of SPARTAN-III soldiers on each platform, they were after-all mass produced, cheap SPARTAN troopers, what is more important than ensuring the S-MAC platforms remain operational?
if I could set up Reach defences it would have went like this, far out there would have been sentinel satellites to detect incoming threats well before they entered orbit, lots and lots of these forming a 'sensor shield' around Reach. second line of defence would have been orbital mine-fields and Prowler patrols (with HORNET mines), third line of defence would have been the S-MAC platforms (with anti-aircraft batteries!) and the main fleet, also orbital hangers for bombers. fourth and final level of defence would be a contingency plan, in-case orbital defences are breached and the Covenant begin landing, have satellites in orbit (with stealth coatings and such!) with nuclear ordnance and kinetic energy 'rods', have them linked to ground forces so area denial support can be called in from the orbital satellites using laser designator, make like almost impossible for the Covenant and then if all else fails, NOVA bomb too make sure they regret ever taking Reach!