AV-22 Sparrowhawk

The AV-22 Sparrowhawk, often simply called the Hawk, is a United Nations Space Command VTOL attack aircraft that saw use during the early years of the Human-Covenant War.

Overview
The AV-22 is a formidable air-to-ground anti-tank aerodyne. It is used by the UNSC in a support and anti-armor role to hunt tanks and support advances. Developed during the early years of the Human-Covenant War, it first saw action on Harvest during the final months of the Harvest Campaign. Although the Sparrowhawk was widely produced during the first decade of the war, problems with its ducted fan propulsion system limited the aircraft's deployment later in the war.

The Sparrowawk is fast and maneuverable. Rather than using thrust-vectoring jets like most UNSC aircraft, the AV-22 makes use of two ducted fans to provide lift and thrust; these ducted fans make the Sparrowawk sound similar to traditional helicopters such as the UH-144 Falcon. It is equipped with a pair of twin-linked GUA-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannons on either side of the fuselage as well as a nose-mounted M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle. This armament enables the Sparrowhawk to effectively engage enemy infantry, ground vehicles, and aircraft.

Gameplay
In Halo Wars ' skirmish and multiplayer modes, the Hawk is the unique unit of Professor Ellen Anders. It is available as the final upgrade for the AV-14 Hornet at a cost of 900 supplies and a tech level of 3. The game's first title update increased the Hawk's price to 1350 supplies in order to prevent spamming of the unit.

Trivia

 * A sparrowhawk is a species of small hawk, in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming most atmospheric aircraft after birds.
 * The original announcement of the Hawk as well as the unveiling of the first concept art for the design was accomplished through a "decrypting" image set. Community Manager Graham Somers posted the first full-static image at the end of an update. Over time the image cleared itself up. The following update contained larger versions of the Hawk and a short description.
 * The Sparrowhawk looks similar to the Kestrel, a UNSC aircraft that was cut from Halo 2. The Hawk also bears a noticeable resemblance to the Orca gunship series from the Command and Conquer franchise, primarily the A-15 model.
 * The SkyHawk portrayed in the Halo: Fall of Reach comic book series shares considerable design similarities that of the AV-22 Sparrowhawk.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion