Kez'katu-pattern Phantom

Phantom The Type-52 Troop Carrier, otherwise known as the Phantom, is a much more formidable dropship than the previously seen Spirit. It boasts one Plasma Cannon and two fixed Plasma Turrets in Halo 3. In Halo 3, Phantoms no longer have to drop troops via the mini grav-lift. Instead, troops are dropped via exits on the sides. It also ferries vehicles such as the Wraith, Spectre and Ghost to their intended dropzones. The Phantom is far sturdier and more heavily armed than the Spirit dropship. It made its debut in Halo 2. It returned in Halo 3.

Operation
The Phantom can be considered the Covenant's equivalent of the Pelican class human dropship, more so than the Spirit. Each Phantom boasts superior firepower and the capability of reaching greater speeds and maneuverability than its sister vessel. The Phantom class dropship appears to have replaced the original Spirit dropship which was seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, a dropship of tuning fork-shaped design which contained 4-6 troops in each of its two "prongs". The Phantom is a substantial improvement from the original dropship, with a much sleeker and more robust design accompanying much higher offensive capabilities. Equipped with three Plasma Cannon positions formed in a triangular shape along the underside of the dropship, it produces a formidable firebase against ground troops and has exhibited some capability in engaging aircraft. The Phantom crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, a navigator, and an operations officer who is in charge of the three defensive plasma turrets. It deploys troops through a hole on its underbelly. This is a grav lift similar to that seen on the Truth and Reconciliation only on a much smaller scale. It is capable of dropping off and picking up via this lift. This means that the troop compliment of each Phantom is unknown, sometimes as many as 16 Covenant soldiers can disembark from a Phantom.

Phantom in Combat
The role of the Phantom is to transport squads of Covenant troops to a combat zone with speed and efficiency. It is capable of carrying Grunts, Jackals, Brutes and Elites, it can also carry a couple of Hunters. They have been known to carry two manned Ghosts or a single Wraith tank into the battlefield for deployment. Phantoms were seen transporting units throughout the Covenant's invasion of Earth, and have become, increasingly, a hindrance to the UNSC Special Forces as they attempted to repel the Covenant from New Mombasa. Their use across Delta Halo was also particularly devastating, especially to units which were not equipped with anti-vehicle weapons. Possessing three rapid firing plasma cannons makes the Phantom a much more challenging adversary than the Spirit, however, using a turret, vehicle, or rocket launcher will destroy the turrets. It is fairly vulnerable to fire from the Rocket Launcher however, and a single blast from a Scorpion Tank to the underside of the Phantom can easily neutralize its offensive capabilities, reducing it to little more than an aerial APC.

Unfortunately, its hull is heavily reinforced making it almost invulnerable to small arms fire. In Halo 2 the Phantom is invincible and cannot be destroyed. In Halo 3, the Phantom is destructible and now has only one cannon located on the front of the vehicle and two portable plasma cannons on the sides. The Phantom's weak spots are the two 'engine bulbs' on both sides of the front of the Phantom, and the two tails in the back. The frontal bulb and the corresponding tail in the back seem to make up an engine in the Phantom. A Phantom will go down with 4 hits from a Fuel-Rod Cannon to one of the frontal bulbs or one of the tails, on any difficulty. It is unknown if the damage is tied between them, meaning if 2 shots to the front and 2 to the back will take it down. Most other changes are superficial, including some new color schemes.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Grunts
 * Jackals
 * Brutes
 * Hunters
 * Drones

Appearances
Phantoms are never seen in Halo:Combat Evolved, and are seen in certain levels of Halo 2 and Halo 3

Halo 2

 * Outskirts
 * Metropolis
 * The Arbiter
 * Oracle
 * Delta Halo
 * Regret
 * Sacred Icon
 * Quarantine Zone
 * Gravemind (Cutscene)
 * Uprising (Cutscene)
 * High Charity
 * The Great Journey

Halo 3

 * Sierra 117
 * Crow's Nest
 * Tsavo Highway
 * The Storm
 * Floodgate
 * The Ark
 * The Covenant

The Phantom in Halo 3
The Phantom is featured in Halo 3. It was seen in the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer and the Halo 3 E3 2007 Trailer. This version seems to show very similar dimensions to that of Halo 2. However, Covenant troops are now also dispatched via exits on either side of the vehicle, which have platforms with Plasma Cannons for support. There is however, only a single heavy Plasma Cannon on the underside of the vehicle (The two on the wings are replaced with the Portable version). There are also several major graphical improvements to this version.

The Halo 3 Phantom is also now destructible, being vulnerable to Fuel Rod Cannons and at least AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun rounds (believed to be 7.62 mm or larger) and they can also be destroyed with all the rounds of a Missile Pod on Heroic, though according to a Bungie podcast it may be vulnerable to as little as a melee attack, though in the final game they're very durable, able to take up to four shots from a scorpion tank.(4 Fuel Rod Cannon shots can take one down, as mentioned above under the combat section.) Separatist Phantoms are now painted in UNSC Gun Metal Green to distinguish themselves from the purple/blue Loyalist Phantoms, to show their newly found alliance to the Humans and the UNSC.

The Separatist Phantom also seems to have active camouflage, this can be seen in The Covenant, during the Hornet fight and after the Flood comes.

Troop clamps Troop clamps are equipment used by any Phantoms in Halo 3. They are best observed on the Storm (level) when the first Phantom drops a Brute, a bunch of Grunts and Jackals near the Missile pod. They can only be seen via theatre mode by pausing and moving the camera inside the Phantom. The purpose of troop clamps is unknown but it is speculated that they are used to prevent small enemies (etc. grunts) from being sucked out the Grav lift when deploying troops via the lift.

Trivia

 * In the E3 2003 Preview, the Phantom does not have a gravity lift and the troops are instead dropped off from the back. The Phantom is also capable of carrying a Spectre or a Wraith by using hooks located under its "belly".
 * It was noticeable that the Brute Chieftain Tartarus spent most of his time pursuing the Arbiter in a Phantom throughout Halo 2. The ship's ability to travel through space making it invaluable to the Covenant's strike teams when engaging the Heretics and Flood as they sought to uncover the mysteries of Halo.
 * In Halo 2, the Phantoms are not destructible, however one may destroy the three plasma turrets on the underside, as well as the "eyes."
 * In Halo 3, the Phantoms used by the Arbiter and his Elites vanish right after taking off in the level "The Covenant." This might indicate that the Phantoms have technology on board capable of cloaking the entire ships. The player can also enter this Phantom and walk around but will fall to their death as the ship disappears.
 * The Halo 2 Phantom was specifically designed to be almost impossible to board. The Halo 3 Phantom is able to be boarded in a variety of scenarios, levels, and ways.