GA-TL1 Longsword

The GA-TL1 Longsword-class Interceptor is the main single ship of the United Nations Space Command Defense Force, and is a mainstay starfighter, filling a variety of roles simultaneously. The starfighter has been in service as early as 2517.

Structure
The inside of the Longsword presents a small corridor leading to the rear, stairs, and a higher corridor to the cockpit. In the two corridors, there are several equipment lockers, along with two secondary crew stations. The cockpit consists of two pilots' chairs and two auxiliary crew stations. With a known total crew complement of four, along with the equipment and weapon lockers, the ship presents itself as less of a fighter-bomber and more of a dedicated bomber and close support craft.

The cockpit design stayed the same between Halo and Halo 2 but was changed in Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. Previously, the cockpit had four windows, (two on each side, but none in the front), and a view screen. In Halo 3 and Halo: Reach the Longsword has windows wrapping around the cockpit similarly to traditional aircraft. Other aesthetic changes were made between Halo 2 to Halo 3. The first version in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 had large diamond-shaped intakes which were reduced in size with the Halo 3 version, being designed flush with the fuselage rather than being external. Therefore, it is quite possible that the ship in Halo 3 and Halo: Reach is a different version of the Longsword. It may be noted that all the Longswords seen in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 are used entirely in space combat, while those seen in Halo 3 are primarily used in an atmospheric fighter-bomber role, in addition to space combat.

Propulsion
The Longsword utilizes two main fusion engines which are discernible on the exterior of the craft. Their precise nature is not known, but they are able to function in space and they are strong enough to reach Earth's and Installation 04's escape velocity. Likely, it is nuclear-powered, and the electrical energy or heat generated is used to power an electric drive or to heat regular fuel into a much higher impulse. There are multiple RCS points for maneuvering.

Armaments
The Longsword's main weapons are 110mm rotary cannons, as well as 120mm ventral guns, for dog-fighting Seraph fighters in space and strafing ground targets when the need arises. This versatile fighter can be armed with an assortment of secondary weapons including ASGM-10 Missiles, bombs, Moray Space Mines, Scorpion Missiles, and can even heft a single Shiva-class Nuclear Missile. It can also be remotely piloted, carrying a single Shiva nuclear warhead, as was the case when Captain Jacob Keyes destroyed a Covenant supercruiser

Role
Described as both a fighter and an interceptor, the Longsword is intended to engage enemy fighters, dropships, and boarding craft that are en route to UNSC capital ships. The Longsword has been seen performing a variety of roles, making for an extremely versatile craft, and is relatively inexpensive to produce. They are capable of holding their own even against the technologically superior Seraph-class fighters used by the Covenant. The Longsword is also used to escort UNSC dropships as they deliver their passengers and cargo to planet surfaces or to larger ships. The Longsword is also used in attack runs against Covenant capital ships, delivering high-yield missiles, Shiva-class nuclear warheads , or even free-floating Moray space mines to or near their targets. They can also be used in planetary environments by functioning as fighter-bombers, destroying ground targets from the air, and escorting capital ships.

Known Longswords

 * Knife 26
 * Unidentified (Tempest)
 * Unidentified (The Ark)
 * Unidentified (The Storm)

Trivia

 * While purely atmospheric UNSC vehicles tend to be named after animals, spacecraft (or vehicles that can function as spacecraft) are often named after bladed weapons. In addition to the Longsword, examples include the Shortsword-class Bomber and the Sabre space superiority fighter.
 * The Longsword fighter underwent many design iterations, as seen in The Art of Halo.
 * It is disputed whether the Longsword is black or gray, as it looks gray in the final level of Halo: Combat Evolved, but when it is seen in space, and at all times in Halo 3, it looks darker. This may be due to lighting or graphical enhancement. This could also be indicative of different paint schemes, similar to those of modern-day jet fighters.
 * Longswords may or may not have working gravity. At the end of Halo: Combat Evolved, John-117 gets out of his seat and walks to the side screen to witness the destruction of Installation 04. However, in Halo: First Strike, the Spartan "floats" to the weapons locker at the back of the Longsword, and that when he picks up the remaining Marines, they too float about. However, this might be because the Longsword (or its artificial gravity) was powered down at the time. A simpler, and more likely explanation, however, is that the Longsword doesn't have artificial gravity, and that the electromagnetic boots of the MJOLNIR armor allowed John to walk on the floor.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Pariah
 * Halo Graphic Novel

Internal

 * Sabre - An experimental UNSC starfighter.
 * Seraph-class Starfighter - The Covenant equivalent of the Longsword.
 * SkyHawk - the UNSC's dedicated atmospheric strike fighter.
 * Tarasque-class heavy fighter - presumably a similar Covenant fighter.

External

 * A tour of the Longsword interceptor