Type-26 Banshee

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Banshee The Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft, otherwise known as the Banshee (pronounced ban-she, sometimes just called "The Shee"), is the Covenant's standard ground assault aircraft.

Overview
The Banshee is very fast, extremely maneuverable and in Halo 1 it is capable of hovering. It has two weapon pods mounted to either side of the fuselage. Each of these pods contains a light plasma cannon and a Fuel Rod Gun (the Fuel Rod Gun is disabled in Halo 2 Multiplayer). Though small arms fire may disrupt or disable the pilot (the SMG is very effective against it in Halo 2), only heavy weapons are capable of inflicting enough damage to destroy the vehicle.

The Banshee is propelled by small anti-gravity pods attached to its wings. These pods create the field that keeps it flying, and make wailing sounds as the craft maneuvers, thus the name "Banshee". The Banshee is also capable of space flight.

A lightly recurring theme throughout the series is players almost dying in Banshee crashes. In The Maw, the Master Chief enters the Pillar of Autumn by deliberately crashing his Banshee to annoy Cortana. Midway through Halo 2's The Oracle, the Arbiter crashes his Banshee into a platform, only to climb up unscathed, just as the Chief did. There is no similar scene in Halo 3, however.

Although the Banshee is made for one pilot it is possible to have a team-mate stand on top of the banshee. It limits the agility of the banshee but it saves time and when in enemy territory you can drop the team-mate into enemy lines so the team-mate can start fighting on ground while the player in the banshee can fight from the air.

Halo 1
In Halo 1 the banshee could hover in mid-air. Also, the banshee had a health bar similar to the player's. After its health is depleted the Banshee would explode. The Banshee also has reduced armor in Halo 1. For example, in Halo 1 you can only take several shotgun blasts before the banshee is destroyed. It was usable in the PC/MAC version's multiplayer, but on the Xbox version it was only usable in the single player levels Assault on the Control Room, Two Betrayals and briefly at the end of Keyes. In the PC/Mac multiplayer mode, it was seen as "very fun, indeed" by other players.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the Banshee's engines can be pushed to provide an excellent boost in speed, but at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power. The Banshee can no longer hover; that function has been replaced with a brake. Also on Halo 2, the ability to hijack an occupied enemy Banshee has been added. If the Banshee is traveling at a fairly slow pace and is flying low, then the player can jump onto the Banshee and force out the driver, allowing the player to take control. An enemy is also able to jump on and steal the players Banshee as well, both in multiplayer and campaign. This can be fatal on the Heroic and Legendary difficulties. Another change from the previous game is (while in campaign) the enemy's inability to fire the fuel rod cannon, although the player may use it.

A rather large defensive change for Halo 2 was made for the Banshee. It now has the ability to perform stunts. Although it may seem like this ability is purely used to appear flashy, these stunts can be very effective for avoiding enemy fire, especially against rockets. They can be used on both campaign and multiplayer, and on campaign can be used by enemies too. The stunts that can be performed are the ability to roll left or right and do a back flip in mid air. On the Heroic and Legendary difficulty settings, these stunts can mean the difference between life and death.

Halo 3
The Banshee in Halo 3 is the same in design as its previous appearances in the last two installments. It has kept its boosts and rolls, although you cannot do it as often. The Fuel Rod Gun is now a secondary weapon in Multiplayer. Just like in Halo 2, it can be fired with the "B" button. The radius and size of the Fuel Rod Gun has been decreased for balance with the other vehicles and weapons of the game.

The Banshee, as with the Warthog and Wraith, have received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, almost insectoid in appearance. Other than that, it remains similar in design and usage to its Halo 2 counterpart, though it cannot face any lower than 45 degrees, to prevent it from overpowering ground players.

Halo Wars
Banshees were seen in the Halo Wars demo and appear to be capable of boosting and performing barrel rolls like they could in Halo 2. However, they appear to be missing the green sheen that they have in Halo 3. Banshees are effective against ground troops, and the only effective way of taking them out seems to be through the use of a UNSC Wolverine vehicle.

Countering Techniques
One of the things you can do to counter the Banshee and "shee n00bs" is to run to the nearest place of cover, including rocks, trees, caves, bases, or even a vehicle. Your best bet in weapons is probably a shotgun with a fuel rod. If you are stuck in a wide open place try to be unpredictable, jumping zig zagging, whatever works for you. If they try to ram you quickly STRAFE and jump OVER their wing. Try to dodge the plasma bolts as much as you can, it stuns you and causes you to move slower thus making you an easier target. If your stuck near a tree take out your weapon and fire away while running around the tree, or rock. They can't turn as fast as you and therefore this is a good strategy. If they try to Fuel rod Gun you out, the tree, rock, or whatever you're taking cover from will absorb most of the blast sparing you. If you're Sticking a Banshee is almost always a guaranteed kill depending on the grenade. Another alternative is to get into a hog turret, however, only do this in the following examples or in times of getting killed by banshees, if the banshee is a considerable distance away, get in a hog turret and fire away, you'll do more damage to them than they can to you, by the time their in range they'll be dead, or to wait till their attention is focused on something else, then fire away. In both Halo 1 and Halo 3, planning to use a rocket launcher requires great accuracy, due to the rocket's low speed and the Banshee's ability to boost. Your best bet is probably to get them to run at you, & once you have the shot lined up, fire. Some good items to consider using in Halo 3 whilst engaged with a Banshee are: Charged Plasma Pistol Bolt (deactivates the Grav Pods) or tossing a PowerDrainer at them via Man Cannon (same effect). If you DO manage to kill someone with a weapon not intended for anti-banshee use (such as the shotgun, the flamethrower [halo pc and halo 3 only], the fuel rod gun, the fuel rod cannon, the rocket launcher, the needler [yes, it IS possible], or even the plasma pistol) don't forget to gloat!

Deployment

 * The Banshee is never seen being piloted by one of the "lesser" Covenant races with the exception of Grunts. Instead, they are exclusively used by Elites and Brutes, though Spartans have been known to hijack them when possible.
 * The Banshee, like the Ghost, when it takes a lot of damage it starts to vibrate, shake, and whine then explodes which can cause damage to players or even kill them if their shield is down or have no shield.

Related Links

 * The Great Banshee Switch
 * Hornet - Possibly UNSC equivalent