Morsam-pattern Seraph

Type-31 "Seraph" XMF

The Type-31 XMF, otherwise known as the Seraph-class Starfighter, is a widely used Covenant starfighter, essentially the Covenant's counterpart to the UNSC's Longsword-class interceptor. The Seraph is the successor to the older Tarasque-class fighter.

Design details
The Seraph features a piscine, teardrop-like design, fitting with the overall design elegance the Covenant are known for. Seraph fighters are mostly stored in the hangar bays of Covenant ships or stations when they are not in battle or escorting a ship. Seraphs have two movable flaps on either side of their hull, and their twin "tails" are articulated to aid with directing exhaust. These features give the Seraph superior turning capabilities in zero-gravity environments.

As the Covenant's main space-based attack fighter, the Seraph is highly maneuverable while in a vacuum, and can easily keep pace with the UNSC's Sabres and Longswords. Though not specifically intended for in-atmospheric use, Seraphs still are significantly faster than the Banshee while flying at low altitude. They have even been shown to fly in the hurricane force winds of the gas giant Threshold. The Seraph also appears to be able to power down and become invisible to Human ship sensors. This has proven extremely useful for sneaking past ship defenses undetected and hitting vulnerable areas.

Armaments
Seraphs have demonstrated that they are an effective counter-weapon against Longsword-class Interceptors. Seraphs usually attack in formations of ten, their assaults on enemy ships range from simple harassment, to full out strafing attacks. They have also been seen patrolling in pairs. Unlike the Banshee or Phantom, Seraphs are equipped with energy shields, but these are only a fraction of the strength of those on larger ships and are easily depleted with sustained fire. It is assumed that Seraph fighters can be piloted by a single Sangheili, succeeded by the Jiralhanae after the Great Schism.

The Seraph is armed with a variety of weapons. Seraphs are seen firing a heavy plasma cannon, and are also armed with a pulse laser and plasma charges for strafing and bombing runs. A Seraph's bombing runs are very deadly, as evidenced in the SPARTAN-IIIs' attempted destruction of a Covenant factory as read in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. The energy weapons the Seraph is equipped with delivers a hard punch to anything it attacks, such as Pelican dropships, and Albatross heavy dropships, and when dueling with the UNSC air-superiority fighters.

Operational history
Seraphs have been seen operational as early as the Battle of Harvest. They are a common adversary of the Longsword-class fighters. These starfighters provided excellent fire support to all Covenant forces in space and on the groundside. Seraphs were prominently used during the Battle of the Unnamed Star System, the Fall of Reach, the Battle of Earth, the Battle of Onyx, and the Battle of Installation 00.

In Operation: TORPEDO, the Seraphs harassed the incoming SPARTAN-IIIs by bombarding them during the UNSC surprise assault of the Covenant refinery facilities. Several fighters were shot down by missiles fired from the M19-B Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers used by the SPARTAN-IIIs.

During the Battle of Reach, the Seraphs attempted to disable the UNSC ships and orbital stations over the planet Reach, while providing some cover for the Covenant boarding crews. These attempts were subsequently prevented by UNSC Sabre-class interceptors, frigates and Longsword-class interceptors. Similar tactics were also employed during the Battle of Earth.

Trivia

 * The Seraph is actually an old model of a Covenant tank that Shi Kai Wang created.
 * Instead of having a name that represents a sinister supernatural being like the Wraith or Phantom, the word "Seraph" is derived from the highest level of angels as described in certain texts of the Bible. However, Biblical seraphim have six wings while the Type-31 XMF has none.