Morsam-pattern Seraph

Seraph Starfighter

The Seraph-class Starfighter is a widely used Covenant starfighter, essentially the Covenant's counterpart to the UNSC Longsword.

Characteristics
As the Covenant's main space-based attack fighter, the Seraph has been known to be utilized as an air superiority fighter, but are clumsy and sluggish within an atmosphere, indicating that such a capability is only a secondary role and that the Banshee fills the gap left by the Seraph's sluggish maneuvering and less than aerodynamic design while in an atmosphere. Faster and possessing vastly more powerful ordnance than the Banshee, the Seraph poses a significant aerial threat.

The Seraph utilizes a teardrop and porcine 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 demonstrated that they are an effective counter-weapon against UNSC Longsword fighters. As they 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 dispersed.

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 bomb 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.

The Seraph fighter is both powerful and fast, even able to fly in the hurricane force winds of the gas giant Threshold.

Appearances
Seraphs were first sighted during the events of Halo: The Fall of Reach, and were named by the ONI as "Seraphs".

Seraphs are a common adversary of UNSC starfighter pilots, however prior to Halo 2 they were only mentioned in the expanded universe and novels. The Seraph made its first in game appearance dog-fighting with Longsword fighters outside Cairo Station during the Battle of Earth.

A Seraph can also be viewed in intricate detail on the levels "The Arbiter" and "The Oracle", where it is in the central hangar where the Arbiter defeated the Heretic leader.

Seraphs are also seen in Halo 3 during the cutscene of "The Ark" where they are escorting the Brute capital vessels as they engage the Sangheili battle group. They are seen also during that cut scene using their heavy plasma cannons to attack several UNSC Pelicans, destroying one, as the dropships carried troops down onto the Ark. Occasionally, they are even seen in the sky on the level "The Ark", presumably Separatist-controlled as they dart around the Shadow of Intent without attacking or being attacked by the carrier.

In the novel, Ghosts of Onyx, they were used to bombard the SPARTAN-III Beta Company during one of the SPARTANs' mission to destroy a factory. They were highly successful, destroying the majority of the SPARTAN-IIIs, although some survived by blocking the attack with stolen Jackal shields. Eventually, only two, Tom and Lucy, survived to complete the operation, destroying the Seraphs successfully.

In The Package, a team of SPARTAN-IIs are charged with extracting a valuable "package" from a Covenant fleet. During their assault on booster frames, entire squadrons of Seraphs were deployed to ward off the SPARTANs. However, many of them were destroyed by the superior armament and maneuvering of the booster frames.

Trivia

 * The Seraph is the successor to the older Tarasque-class fighter, which has yet to be seen in-game. Elite flight harnesses are apparently still equipped to interface with these older ships.
 * ONI contributed to the ship's nickname, although the Elites also seem to use the name. However, this could be because the ONI agents translated the name from intercepted Covenant transmissions.
 * The Seraph is actually an old model of a Covenant tank that Shi Kai Wang created.
 * A Seraph fighter can be seen in the levels "The Arbiter" and "The Oracle" as well as very briefly in the closing cut scene to "Cairo Station".
 * Seraphs are piloted vehicles on some Halo: Custom Edition maps. The model used in these maps, however, has been observed to be slightly smaller than the official Halo 2 model size.
 * 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, though Seraphs have six wings while the ship of the same name has none.
 * The Seraph also appears to be able to power down and become completely invisible to Human ship sensors. This has proven extremely useful for sneaking past ship defenses undetected and hitting vulnerable areas.