Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette

The SDV-class heavy corvette is a warship classification in the Covenant fleet.

Design details
Larger than UNSC frigates but relatively weak compared with most Covenant ships, corvettes are usually sent in advance of larger fleets. They are streamlined, with a smooth oblong hull shape. Their "double-hull" assembly is unique among Covenant military vessels. Corvettes are also different from most known Covenant vessels in that the bridge is located at the front of the ship instead of in the ship's center. Corvettes are propelled by four engines at the rear of the ship. Red and blue lights are used to distinguish the port and starboard sides of the ship.

Unlike larger Covenant vessels, SDV-class heavy corvettes have no energy shields. This leaves them vulnerable to smaller UNSC weapons such as point-defense guns and surface-to-air missiles. A lack of energy shielding also puts them at risk of being boarded, as in the case of the Ardent Prayer during Operation: UPPER CUT.

Armament
The Covenant corvette is armed with multiple weapons. On either side of the ship are three plasma turrets which are used primarily for engaging larger ships. Located in four slots, two on each side, with two in each, are eight smaller plasma turrets for use against single ships such as fighters. Corvettes are also armed with an unknown number of cannons designed for bombarding surface targets. On the underside of the corvette is a launch bay that can hold at least ten Type-27 Banshee interceptors for use in combat. The hangar bay also carries six Type 31 Seraph starfighters, with additional room to carry one or more Phantom gunboats for additional combat support. The dorsal landing pad can carry additional fighters. The "runner" ringing the underside of the ship is capable of launching orbital insertion pods.

Operational history
At least three SDV-class heavy corvettes were present during the Covenant attack on Corbulo Academy of Military Science on Circinius IV in 2526. At some point they entered the lower atmosphere and one of them fired on the school's space elevator, causing it to collapse.

Several SDV-class heavy corvettes were present during the Fall of Reach. On July 26, 2552, a corvette attacked the Office of Naval Intelligence's Sword Base, but retreated when its forces were driven off. As it left, the corvette was struck amidships by a round from an orbital defense platform's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon and sank in a nearby lake. At least four corvettes were present in the Covenant staging area in the Viery Territory. These corvettes and the supercarrier Long Night of Solace were part of the Fleet of Valiant Prudence sent to Reach in advance of the Fleet of Particular Justice.

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, which was assisted by several YSS-1000 Sabre fighters, including one piloted by SPARTAN-B312 and Jorge-052. The corvette was destroyed by Savannah ' s slipspace drive, which was used as a makeshift bomb, also destroying Long Night of Solace, though Jorge-052 was killed in the slipspace rift. The loss of the Ardent Prayer and the Long Night of Solace effectively destroyed the Fleet of Valiant Prudence, forcing the remnants of the task force to link up with the incoming Covenant invasion fleet.

Other SDV-class heavy corvettes took part in the ground battles on Reach. At least three corvettes were present during the siege of New Alexandria. One took part in the destruction of civilian evacuation transports, but was heavily damaged by SPARTAN-B312, using a missile battery, apparently disabling its weapons and allowing the remaining transports to escape. Judging by how steep its descent angle was it was likely destroyed.

In the post-war years, SDV-class heavy corvettes continued their service with surviving remnants of the former Covenant; as of 2558, Sangheili Shipmaster Vata 'Gajat was using an SDV-class corvette as his flagship during the Oth Lodon incident. Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant faction had several SDV-class corvettes in its fleet. A Kig-Yar pirate queen operating on Ven III used an SDV-class corvette as her personal flagship.

Ships of the line

 * Ardent Prayer - Destroyed during the Fall of Reach.

Trivia

 * The Halo: Reach campaign level Long Night of Solace, the Firefight map Corvette, and the multiplayer map Zealot all take place on the corvette Ardent Prayer.
 * The design of the SDV-class corvette for the upcoming Halo tabletop miniature wargame was achieved without using the Halo: Reach model for reference. The (which was designed for the game) features a "runner" amidships in reference to the corvette.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
 * Halo 4 (Simulation only)
 * Halo: Escalation