Morsam-pattern Seraph

The Type-31 Exoatmospheric Multirole Fighter, more commonly known as the Seraph, is the Covenant's primary starfighter. Formerly manufactured and produced by Assembly Forges, the Seraph is the successor to the older Tarasque-class heavy fighter. It is a more powerful, though less common counterpart to the unshielded and expendable Type-27 Banshee.

Design details
The Seraph features a piscine, teardrop-like shape, fitting with the overall design elegance the Covenant is known for. Seraph fighters are mostly stored in the hangar bays of Covenant ships or stations when they are not in battle or escorting a ship. Seraphs have two movable flaps on either side of their hull, and their twin "tails" are articulated to aid with directing exhaust. These features give the Seraph superior turning capabilities in zero-gravity environments. Despite their efficiency and speed in space, Seraph fighters are graceless and sluggish in atmospheric conditions due to their odd teardrop-like shape. Seraphs fill a variety of roles in a Covenant fleet, such as a strike fighter or for ship-to-ship combat in dogfights. Seraphs can also be used for the occasional bombing run, but it is considered a rare sight be UNSC forces. Seraphs had the ability to power down and slip past hostile sentries and human sensors. Unlike the Type-26 Banshee or Type-52 Phantom, nearly all Seraphs are equipped with standard energy shielding, although this does not seem to always be the case. However, these energy shields are only a fraction of the strength of those on capital ships and are easily depleted with sustained fire.

As the Covenant's main space-based attack fighter, the Seraph is highly maneuverable while in space, and can easily keep pace with the UNSC's GA-TL1 Longsword. Though not specifically intended for atmospheric use, Seraphs still are significantly faster than Banshees while flying at low altitudes. They have even been shown to fly in the hurricane force winds of the gas giant Threshold.

Armaments
Seraphs have demonstrated that they are a very effective counter-weapon against Longsword interceptors unless the latter attacks from the side or behind. Seraphs usually attack in formations of ten, their assaults on enemy ships range from simple harassment, to full out strafing attacks. They have also been seen patrolling in pairs. It is assumed that Seraph fighters can be piloted by a single Sangheili or Jiralhanae.

The Seraph is armed with a variety of weapons. Seraphs are seen firing a heavy plasma cannon, and are also armed with a pulse laser and plasma charges for strafing and bombing runs. A Seraph's bombing runs are very deadly, as evidenced in Operation: TORPEDO, the SPARTAN-III Beta Company's attack on a Covenant refinery on Pegasi Delta. The Seraph's energy weapons deliver a hard punch to anything it attacks, such as D77-TC Pelican dropships, and when dueling with the UNSC space-superiority YSS-1000 Sabres. A Seraph was also capable of doing some damage against a 's Titanium-A armor plating.

Operational history
Seraphs have been seen operational as early as the Second Battle of Harvest. They are a common adversary of the Longsword fighters. These starfighters provided excellent fire support to all Covenant forces in space and on the groundside. Seraphs were prominently used during the Operation: WARM BLANKET, the Fall of Reach, the Battle of Earth, the Battle of Onyx, and the Battle of Installation 00.

In Operation: TORPEDO, the Seraphs harassed the incoming SPARTAN-IIIs by bombarding them during the UNSC surprise assault of the Covenant refinery facilities. Several fighters were shot down by missiles fired from the M19-B surface-to-air missile launchers used by the SPARTAN-IIIs.

During the Fall of Reach, the Seraphs attempted to disable the UNSC ships and orbital stations over the planet Reach, while providing some cover for the Covenant boarding crews. These attempts were subsequently prevented by UNSC Sabre-class interceptors, frigates, and Longsword interceptors. Similar tactics were also employed during the Battle of Earth.

During the Battle of the Threshold gas mine, Sesa 'Refumee tried to escape on a Seraph but was killed by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam before he could.

During the Battle of Installation 00, the Prophet of Truth's fleet deployed numerous Seraphs against the UNSC/separatist fleet in an effort to stop them from landing ground forces on the Ark. The Seraphs shot down a few Pelicans, but could not stop the others from breaking through. The Seraphs were presumably destroyed along with the rest of the Loyalist fleet.

After the New Phoenix Incident on July 25, 2557, when the returned to the shield world Requiem to engage the Promethean forces of the returned Didact, numerous Covenant remnant Seraphs were deployed around Requiem to prevent the humans from gaining entrance. These Seraphs attacked Infinity and the Pelicans it deployed to the surface, but were repelled by a squadron of F-41 Broadsword strike fighters.

Trivia

 * The Seraph is actually an old model of a Covenant tank that Shi Kai Wang created.
 * Instead of having a name that represents a sinister supernatural being like the Wraith or Phantom, the word "Seraph" is derived from the highest level of angels as described in certain texts of the Bible. However, Biblical seraphim have six wings while the Type-31 XMF has none.
 * Halo 2 and Halo 3 use identical Seraph models. Similarly, Halo 4 seems to reuse the model from Halo: Reach, though with improved textures. The former model is smaller than the latter, the dimensions of which have been established in canon. The original model's dimensions are L: 23.85m (78.26ft), W: 15.93m (52.27ft), H: 5.35m (17.56ft).
 * In the Halo: Reach post-game stats, the Seraph icon is erroneously represented by the image of a Sabre. On Halo Waypoint, the image is that of a regular Type-26 Banshee. On Bungie.net, the correct image of a Seraph is shown.
 * In the same level, there is a glitch that makes it possible to hit a Seraph with an EMP shot from a plasma pistol and hijack it.
 * In the Halo Legends episode The Package, when Kelly-087 yells "Seraph formation!", the subtitles mistakenly say, "Syrup formation!"

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Legends
 * The Package
 * Halo: Reach
 * ''Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo 2 Anniversary