Harrier-class vessel

Harrier-class vessels, also known as attack harriers or simply harriers, were relatively small and maneuverable Forerunner warships used for interception and containment. They possessed cloaking systems allowing them to remain undetected to enemy sensors. Their armament included a form of beam weapon, as well as gravity slings which allowed them to turn asteroids or other objects into projectiles.

History
During the later years of the Forerunner-Flood war, the Falchion's forces stationed at the 78th Thema included 700,000 Harriers, deployed from twelve s serving as apex control stations. The harriers acted as the primary offensive element of the Falchion's fleet, launching a number of swift precision strikes against the incoming Flood ships, allowing the Forerunners to eventually emerge victorious in the battle. A large number of s, supported by numerous sentinels, also defended the greater Ark during the Flood's attack. The Keyship Anodyne Spirit possessed a number of Harriers as part of its complement.

Variants

 * Acolyte-class - Fourth-order harrier that deployed sentinels and weapon-ships to overwhelm capital ships.
 * Strix-class - Third-order harriers piloted by ancilla and used en masse within Forerunner fleets.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Silentium