Kez'katu-pattern Phantom

Were you looking for the Spirit-class dropship used in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo Wars?

The Type-52 Troop Carrier, otherwise known as the Phantom or Type-52 TC, is a Covenant troop carrier and gunship. They are used primarily as troop transports, flying into combat zones and deploying soldiers while providing suppressing fire.

Phantoms were seen transporting units throughout the Human-Covenant War, particularly near its end. They were present during the Covenant's invasions of Reach and Earth among others and had become a great hindrance to the UNSC when they attempted to repel the Covenant from New Mombasa during the Battle of Mombasa.

Design details
The Phantom is roughly equivalent to the Pelican Dropship in terms of function and performance. Phantoms are more heavily armed than the Spirit dropship, sporting three defensive weapons that offer 360-degree turning radius. Whereas the Spirit was designed primarily as a cargo transport, the Phantom is a dedicated troop carrier/gunship with superior maneuverability and firepower.

Crew and complement
The Phantom crew consists of a pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator, and an operations officer who is in charge of the defensive heavy plasma auto-cannons. The Phantom can carry twenty-seven passengers inside its troop bay (sixteen in Halo 2). Troops are deployed from the gravity lift installed in the bottom of the ship and the doors on either side. Like the Spirit dropship, the Phantom is capable of carrying vehicles such as Ghosts and Wraiths, as well as essential equipment such as Deployable Lookout Towers, and components of Anti-Aircraft Batteries using its gravity lift.

Armaments
The Phantom has several armor and armament configurations. In Halo 2, the Phantom sports three separate, fully rotational heavy plasma auto-cannons. In Halo 3, the Phantom retains the chin-mounted heavy plasma auto-cannon but replaces its internally-controlled side-cannons for two Type-52 Plasma Cannons. The third design, used in Halo: Reach, replaces the heavy plasma auto-cannon with a different variety of plasma cannon, and includes two Type-52 Plasma Cannons.

Variants
A variant of Phantom outfitted exclusively for space combat, known as the Phantom Gunboat, swaps its Type-52 Plasma Cannons for five plasma auto-turrets mounted around the hull, and a chin-mounted heavy plasma cannon.

The Covenant Separatists used customized Phantoms following the Great Schism. These Phantoms were green instead of the usual purple (to match the UNSC's vehicle color schemes) and were equipped with cloaking technology, something not seen on most ships of their size.

Known Phantoms

 * Glorious Advance - Used for a boarding action against the Infinite Succor.

Gameplay
The role of the Phantom is to transport squads of Covenant troops and vehicles into a combat zone with speed and efficiency. While the T-25 "Spirit" Troop Carrier serves primarily as a dropship, the Phantom, with its heavier armament, also fills the role of a ground support gunship. As their hull is heavily reinforced, Phantoms are invulnerable to small arms fire. The Phantom has three defensive weapons, making it a more challenging adversary than the Spirit. In Halo 2, the Phantom was invincible and could not be destroyed, although its weapons can be taken out, forcing it to retreat. In Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach, the Phantom is destructible.

Tactics

 * Taking down a phantom is tempting to do so in Firefight or Campaign; however, it is unwise to do so if there are phantoms traveling in groups, as they might pin you down with their plasma guns or in the most extreme cases, kill you.
 * Shooting the tail of the Phantom is highly useful due to it being the weak spot.
 * It is recommended to destroy the Phantom's armaments before taking it out, or you will be damaged by the plasma guns.
 * If possible, stay under the Phantom and shoot at the drop off zone where covenant jump off. You can get a few easy kills with that.
 * Use a heavy weapon to destroy a Phantom. A Spartan Laser, the Warthog's LAAV guns or a Rocket Launcher will do the trick.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * The Phantom is now destructible, vulnerable to heavy weapons and explosives. It is, nevertheless, very durable and able to take up to four shots from a Scorpion tank.
 * The Phantom's hull is now a medium-dark violet in Halo 3, rather than magenta as it is in Halo 2.
 * The Phantom fires shots that are now a blue color, rather than a vivid red.
 * The Phantom can deliver troops by opening side doors, not just by the gravity lift.
 * The Phantom no longer has three separate auto-cannons - they now have one chin-mounted auto-cannon, and two Type-52 Plasma Cannons on either side of the troop bay.
 * The troop bay is open on both sides where the plasma turrets are. It is fully accessible by the player and he/she can leap into it before it takes off. The player is usually killed when the Phantom hits a death barrier.
 * The main cannon's rate of fire is slower.
 * The two upper tail-like parts in the rear of the Phantom appear smaller.
 * A Separatist variant is introduced. The Separatist variant is used by the Elites and has the ability to camouflage itself.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3: ODST

 * When destroyed in Halo 3: ODST, it explodes into pieces of small wreckage, rather than larger wreckage like in Halo 3.
 * The Phantom has the ability to carry Engineers in pod-like cases in Halo 3: ODST.


 * The Phantom can be equipped with a searchlight for night missions.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

 * The auto-cannon is replaced by a cannon that has a slower rate of fire and has a more explosive effect upon impact, similar to a Concussion Rifle.
 * The two front engine turbines no longer glow blue.
 * There are no longer any "weak points"; it takes the same amount of weapons fire to destroy regardless of hit location.
 * When hit by weapons fire, it no longer takes visible damage aside from chin and side guns being knocked off.
 * When destroyed, instead of having an "overload" phase were it drops, then explodes, the target Phantom instantly explodes as soon as it takes enough damage.
 * Far less debris is left behind when destroyed; only the debris from the chin gun, the Type-52 Plasma Cannons on the sides, and a portion of the cockpit will be left when it explodes. Furthermore, not all Phantoms encountered are destructible.
 * The Phantom's armor seems to be stronger; it is able to withstand up to six Wraith shots before exploding.
 * A variant outfitted for space combat, called the Phantom Gunboat, is introduced.

Trivia

 * The Separatists Phantom resembles Romulan ships from Star Trek in both its lime-green color and its cloaking ability.
 * In the E3 2003 Preview of Halo 2, the Phantom does not possess any form of gravity lift and the troops are instead dropped off from the back. The Phantom is also capable of carrying a Spectre or a Wraith by using hooks located under its "belly". It also seemed to have only one Plasma Cannon.
 * It was noticeable that the Jiralhanae Chieftain Tartarus spent most of his time pursuing Thel 'Vadamee in a Phantom throughout Halo 2. The ship's ability to travel through space made it invaluable to the Covenant's strike teams when engaging the Heretics and Flood as they sought to uncover the mysteries of Installation 05.
 * In Campaign Scoring charts, it counts as both a "Heavy" and a "Giant" vehicle.
 * In the trailer for Halo 3: ODST, a Phantom is seen on patrol using two bright searchlights to sweep the streets. Oddly, the lights are located in the exact location as the Phantom's chin mounted gun, possibly meaning that this Phantom was specifically adapted for patrol or that its gun had a headlight mounted alongside it. In the cutscene where the Rookie receives a transmission from Dare, the Phantom that passes by has a searchlight mounted on the front turret. This headlight feature also appears in Halo: Reach.
 * In the Art of Halo, there is a Phantom render for Halo 2 which had its side doors down and sported heavy plasma turrets on them.
 * In the Halo Legends short film, Prototype, a Phantom is seen carrying a Wraith inside its troop bay, as opposed to hovering below it. This may be a means to protect the Wraith from being destroyed before it is deployed or it could potentially be an oversight made by the artists.
 * In Halo: Reach, a player can pilot a Phantom through the Flyable Pelican and Phantom easter egg.
 * In Halo Reach's Firefight mode, the Phantom cannot be destroyed.