What are Spartan IV’s?

Posted by HD Admin:

Read about Spartan IV’s from various sources.

Posted at IGN:

SPARTAN IVs haven’t been seen in previous Halo games, but they make appearances in Halo Books and Halo Comics. Halo 4’s Multiplayer will feature this new type of Spartan. These Spartans are aboard the UNSC Infinity, which serves as a training vessel. The course of the vessel will meet up with Requiem, where Master Chief and Cortana crash land at the beginning of Halo 4.

According to the May 2012 issue of Game Informer, SPARTAN IV’s are recruited from top-ranking special ops soldiers. Their armor is a lighter version of the Mjolnir armor Master Chief wears.

Back Story

According to Halo: Glasslands, SPARTAN-IVs are volunteers, unlike the previous programs which coerced kidnapped children into service.  The program was started by Admiral Margaret Parangosky sometime before 2553.

With the addition of SPARTAN-IV super-soldiers into the Office of Naval Intelligence’s expansive military schema, the Materials Group has spearheaded the next generation of Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor, officially dubbed ‘GEN2.’ Now produced by half a dozen military and privately contracted manufacturers, the newest format of ONI’s prodigious armor technology comes with ad hoc modification systems, which, in addition to Armor Abilities, allows for Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades. These enhancements give Spartans the opportunity to improve their combat performance as well as personalize their actions in the field.

Posted at halopedian.com:

The SPARTAN-IV Program is the fourth iteration of the SPARTAN supersoldier program. It was conceived by Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Background

The SPARTAN-IV Program was originally to be headed by SPARTAN-III lead Colonel James Ackerson, with SPARTAN-II project lead Dr. Catherine Halsey to be reassigned as Ackerson’s subordinate. Though Ackerson was killed following the Battle of Mare Erythraeum, ONI continued the program without him.

Like the original ORION Project, the SPARTAN-IV Program utilized the consenting adult volunteers. The remaining SPARTAN-IIIs were offered to be integrated into the SPARTAN-IV Program. An unknown number of SPARTAN-IVs were active by 2553. Some of them, including Majestic Squad, were assigned to the UNSC Infinity before it was launched.

The SPARTAN-IVs serve in a dedicated branch of the UNSCDF known simply as “Spartan”, whereas their forebears operated within other chains of command.

Gameplay

SPARTAN-IV supersoldiers will be featured in Halo 4 as customizable multiplayer characters. These SPARTANs are equipped with the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2), a lightweight variation of the MJOLNIR armor. They trained with one another in Infinity‘s state-of-the-art combat deck, a training chamber that is capable of replicating environments.