Kerel-pattern assault carrier

Covenant Assault Carrier The Assault Carrier, also known as the Covenant Capital Ship, is a heavy warship classification within the Covenant Fleet. The Assault Carrier easily dwarfs even the mighty UNSC Marathon-class Cruiser.

Background
The Covenant Assault Carriers are massive Covenant spacecraft capable of massive destruction. They are armed with energy beam projectors and their gravity lifts can also be used as a planetary siege weapon. Two of these craft, one commanded by the High Prophet of Regret, attacked Earth in October of 2552.

They are larger than CCS-class Battlecruisers, with three primary bulbous sections as opposed to the two comprising a CCS-class battlecruiser.

Armament
Because of their mammoth bulk, they are believed to be heavily armed. It is known that they are possibly armed with at least one energy projector, (As in Halo: First Strike a Spartan mentioned "Energy Projectors, only the big ships have them.") and a pulse lasers (an Assault Carrier disabled a UNSC Marathon-class Cruiser over Earth before being itself destroyed by the Master Chief).

Assault Carriers are also armed with a unique gravity lift able to makeshift as a weapon. Interestingly this gravity lift is speculated to reverse itself and adjust its reversed power to full strength causing it to decimate any object in it's path (This also what obliterated Regret's temporary temple). However, their assets would most probably lie in their starfighter and troop compliments, as per their classification as carriers. It is known that they possess Seraph singleships, Banshees, Spirits, Phantoms, and even Drop Pods, along with legions of Grunts, Brutes, Jackals, Drones, Elites, Hunters, Ghosts, Spectres, Wraiths, Shadows, and other ground units.

Characteristics
Assault Carriers, like the vast majority of other Covenant ships, are characterized by their bulbous silhouette. However they also tend to be characterized by their unique swollen and bulbous "hook" shaped nose that is familiar to that of the head of a whale.

They also appear to have a slightly exposed deuterium/tritium fusion reactor (The slit opening that continuously emanates a unique deep violet glow). Assault carriers seem posses three rather large engines directly beneath the tail of the ship which would necessary to propel such a massive ship through space or a planetary atmosphere.

Known Carriers

 * Shadow of Intent

Appearances

 * There were two Assault Carriers in the First Battle of Earth - one was the Prophet of Regret's personal starship, and the other was destroyed by SPARTAN-117
 * In the Halo 3 preview, the only Covenant capital ships present in the "excavation force" at the site of the Forerunner artifact appear to be Assault Carriers. This is most likely due to the importance of the holy site to the Covenant.