Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette

A Covenant corvette is a light capital warship classification in the Covenant Navy.

Design details
Larger than UNSC Frigates but relatively weak compared to most Covenant ships, corvettes are usually sent in advance of larger fleets. They are streamlined, with a vaguely oblong hull shape. Their "double-hull" assembly is unique among Covenant vessels encountered so far. Corvettes are also different from most known Covenant in that the bridge is located at the front of the ship instead of in the ship's center.

Unlike larger Covenant vessels, Corvettes have no energy shields. This leaves them vulnerable to smaller UNSC weapons such as Point-defense guns. A lack of shield also puts the ship at risk of being boarded, as seen during Operation: UPPER CUT. Corvettes are propelled by four engines at the rear of the ship.

In the Comm center of a Corvette (and possibly in various other chambers), red and blue lights are used to distinguish the port and starboard sides of the ship.

Armaments
The Covenant corvette is armed with multiple weapons for a variety of purposes. On either side of the ship are three plasma turrets which appear to be used primarily for engaging larger ships. Located in four slots, two on each side, with two in each, are eight plasma autocannons for use against fighter craft. On the underside of the corvette is a launch bay that can hold at least ten Type-27 XMFs for use in combat situations. The hangar bay also carries six Seraphs and with additional room to carry one or more gunboats for additional combat support. The dorsal landing pad could also carry extra fighters, though it is not regularly outfitted for such a role. The "runner" ringing the underside of the ship is capable of launching Orbital Insertion Pods.

Operational history
Several Covenant corvettes were present during the Fall of Reach. On July 26, 2552, a corvette attacked Sword Base, but retreated when its forces were driven off or destroyed. As it left, the corvette was blasted through the middle with a MAC round and sank in a nearby lake. At least three corvettes were present in the Covenant staging area in the Viery Territory. These corvettes and the supercarrier Long Night of Solace were part of a small advance force sent ahead to Reach.

At least one corvette, Ardent Prayer, was in the planet's orbit when Operation: UPPER CUT commenced. As the vessel's communications were being jammed by the UNSC, it was engaged by the, which was assisted by several Sabre fighters, including one piloted by SPARTAN-B312 and Jorge-052. The corvette was destroyed by a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine used as a makeshift bomb and took the supercarrier Long Night of Solace with it thanks to the trap.

Other Covenant corvettes took part in the ground battle on Reach. At least three such corvettes were present during the occupation and destruction of the city of New Alexandria. One took part in the destruction of civilian transports, but was heavily damaged by missile batteries, apparently disabling its weapons and allowing the other transports to escape.

Trivia

 * The Firefight map Corvette, as well as the multiplayer map Zealot, takes place within a Covenant corvette, named Ardent Prayer.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach