Type-26 Banshee

The Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft, more commonly known as the Banshee, is the Covenant's standard ground assault aircraft.

Design details
The Banshee is a versatile personal aerial assault craft in the Covenant's vehicular arsenal, piloted either by a Sangheili or a Jiralhanae. The cowling of the craft colored purple and acts as an outer 'shell'. It is equipped with two wings, each of which terminates in a boosted gravity propulsion drive, including a jet and an anti-gravity pod; these leave behind a signature vaporous exhaust trail while flying. The craft is capable of achieving velocity over 100 km/h. and reaching an altitude of 300 meters. In addition to its versatile design, the Banshee is capable of performing complex maneuvers, such as aileron rolls and flips. The Banshee is also capable of hovering.

The architecture of the Banshee can vary depending on factors such as the line and year in which it was manufactured and the branch to which it belongs, though the Banshee's superficial design does not affect its performance. There are at least two major iterations of the Banshee, and possibly a third. In addition, the Covenant use the Type-27 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter, a space-capable, vacuum-rated version of the Banshee, to support the more powerful Type-31 Seraph and to screen against enemy single ships.

Armament
The Banshee sports two weapon pods attached underneath the fuselage; each pod contains a Class-2 plasma cannon capable of firing in 100-250 kilowatts range and a Class-2 projectile launcher. The plasma cannons are deadly to infantry; one bolt can instantly kill a lightly armored target. Heavily armored targets like the MJOLNIR-equipped Spartan can withstand only a few bolts before being killed. A direct hit from the Banshee's fuel rod cannon is certainly fatal. Repeating plasma cannons, which have a greater rate of fire than the standard armament, can be installed on the front of the anti-gravity pods.

Advantages
The Banshee is one of the most versatile and agile aircraft in the Covenant arsenal. Under the control of an experienced pilot, it can be extraordinarily difficult to destroy, making it an easy way to penetrate enemy lines and harass their infantry.

Its plasma cannons are highly efficient at killing individual soldiers, and a single fuel rod can eliminate an entire group of infantry. The boosting capability of the vehicle allows for quick entry and exit from combat situations, or to catch up to a particular target. Boosting and evasive abilities allows a pilot to outpace a homing projectile, or slip away from opposing vehicles and small arms fire. Utilizing aileron rolls and flips, the Banshee is able to avoid slow-moving projectiles at short or long range, while also facilitating quick turns around obstacles or close threats. As a support aircraft, the Banshee is able to pin down enemy forces until ground forces can move in, or destroy light structures that may be obstructing ground forces from advancing.

Disadvantages
The Banshee is lightly armored and, thus, vulnerable to high velocity rounds, explosives, anti-vehicle weaponry, and even moderate small arms fire from human projectile weaponry. The Banshee's low flight ceiling makes it very vulnerable to weapons like the M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, which can easily punch through the armor of the Banshee and injure or kill the pilot. The Banshee is also prone to electromagnetic pulse, which can disable the craft either temporarily or permanently.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

 * It is now capable of hovering in midair, which was not featured in the Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The iconic 'screams' of the Banshee can only be heard from a very short distance away in Halo 2, while they could be heard from very far away in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The Banshee, as well as all other Covenant vehicles, no longer has a health bar.
 * The ability to boost the Banshee's engines was added, at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power.
 * The ability to hijack an occupied enemy Banshee has been added.
 * When damaged, the Banshee will lose parts and emit blue sparks.
 * The Banshee has gained the ability to move left and right without having to roll, allowing it to strafe more effectively.
 * The use of Banshee tricks has been added, possibly to balance homing rockets.
 * Overall, Banshee that is not boosting is slower than in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * High-velocity impacts will now injure the player whilst in the Banshee.
 * The Banshee's plasma cannons are more accurate, but the bolts only travel half as far before dissipating.
 * Banshees can no longer be flown backwards.
 * The fire from the cannons is no longer linked, now firing alternately instead of simultaneously.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * The Banshee is largely unchanged from Halo 2. The most notable difference is the time in which a stunt can be performed and an increase in boosting speed.
 * The fuel rod cannon can be used in multiplayer.
 * The Banshee can no longer face any lower than 45 degrees, to prevent it from overpowering ground players.
 * The Banshee's wings cannot be fully shot off; canonically, without anti-gravity pods, the Banshee would not be able to stay aloft.
 * Along with the Wraith, the Banshee has received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, which appears almost insectoid.
 * Its plasma trail that it forms in the air looks more plasma-based than in Halo 2.
 * The plasma guns sound different than in Halo 2.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3: ODST

 * The Banshee hovers when not being moved.
 * The Banshee can face nearly completely downwards.
 * The Banshee can rotate 360 degrees in mid air.
 * The engines on the Banshee's body are much more noticeable.
 * There is a new engine inside the Banshee's canopy.
 * The fuel rod projectile does not arc downward when fired.

Changes from Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach

 * The iridescent sheen is less noticeable.
 * The propulsion pods are flat and are hidden inside the wing.
 * The shafts that hold the cannons are bigger and different in appearance.
 * The plasma cannons have two extra tubes that look like range finders.
 * The two wings are bent and partially merged together.
 * Both wings can be knocked completely off with repeated melee hits or by weapons fire without affecting vehicle performance.
 * The tricks are delayed and occur slower than in Halo 2 and Halo 3. Tricks have also been moved from the jump button to the armor ability button.
 * The Banshee has two separate reticules for the fuel rod cannon and twin plasma cannons. The "switch weapons" button (default 'Y') toggles which weapon is armed.
 * The fuel rod cannon can home in on other vehicles, as well as any Shades or support weapons that are still mounted.
 * The wings are much larger and can move individually, suggesting that they produce lift alongside the propulsion pods.
 * The Banshee can not hover in place.
 * The Banshee now has a closed canopy, so the pilots legs cannot be seen.
 * The wings turn when the pilot does, acting like ailerons.
 * The hull is sturdier, now able to withstand two plasma grenade sticks.
 * A boost limit has been imposed, as is the case with all Covenant vehicles. The boost meter replaces the armor ability meter in the HUD.

Halo Wars
The Banshee appears in most Halo Wars levels and can be used by players in skirmish mode when choosing a Covenant leader. It can be built inside the summit at a price of 200 resources. It has three available upgrades:
 * "Boost": Gives the Banshee a speed boost ability that can be activated with the 'Y' button. Costs 200 resources and requires tech level 1.
 * "Repeating Cannon": Increases fire rate of cannons. Costs 400 resources and requires tech level 2.
 * "Sacrifice": When destroyed, the Banshee crashes against a ground target to inflict heavy impact damage. Costs 700 resources and requires tech level 3.

The Banshee is effective against ground troops and most vehicles. It is capable of hovering like in Halo 3: ODST. The Banshee is the fastest unit in Halo Wars, especially while boosting. A common strategy is to create an army of about twenty Banshees and swarm the opposing army, especially if their forces are mainly composed of vehicles. Banshees are extremely vulnerable to Wolverines or Vampires.

Trivia

 * In Celtic Mythology, a banshee is a female spirit who wails for the death of a particular person before they die. Banshees must steal souls from people to continue their existence. The high-pitched sound made by the Covenant Banshee is a reference to this, especially while performing tight maneuvers making it easy to hear them before one sees them. This also fits the theme of Covenant vehicles, with the exceptions of the Scarab and the Locust, being named after supernatural entities.
 * In Halo: Reach, on the Firefight map Holdout, AI Banshees have been known to abruptly dive and boost straight into one of the platforms at full speed, destroying the Banshee, and often killing a player in the process. It is unknown whether this is a programmed "suicide attack" or a glitch. Oddly enough, the Banshees at the start of the campaign level Tip of the Spear have also been know to do this, even though they are scripted to destroy the warthog and fly away.
 * The Banshee can be obtained as an avatar prop by purchasing the Halo: Reach controller for the Xbox 360.
 * Skyjacking a Banshee in Halo: Reach campaign will reward the player the achievement "Banshees, Fast and Low".
 * Banshees use anti-gravity pods on the ends of their wings to fly. However, in Halo 2, and appearing again in Halo: Reach a Banshee can have both of these pods shot off and still fly normally. It is unknown if Bungie intended for the Banshees to have an emergency propulsion system, or if this was simply overlooked in the making of the game.
 * On the cover of the Halo: Combat Evolved, the two Banshees appear to be un-piloted as the top canopy enclosing the pilot is up. Also, the two Banshees that shot down Foehammer in the level The Maw also had open canopies. These were probably related to the Banshee's scripted movements.
 * In Halo: Reach, if a player shoots or melees the Banshee to its damage threshold and attempts to turn the vehicle in the air, the Banshee will be unable to turn in midair because there are no wings to support its turns. It is possible that the pilot relies on the Banshee's rudders and the player's body weight when at this critical degree of damage.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Return


 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Prototype
 * The Babysitter
 * Halo: Landfall
 * Halo: Combat
 * Halo: Last One Standing
 * The Life
 * Deliver Hope