Type-26 Banshee

''This article is about the ground support aircraft. For the space fighter variant, see Type-27 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter.''

The Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft, more commonly known as the Banshee, is the Covenant's standard ground assault aircraft.

Design details
The Banshee is a versatile personal aerial assault craft in the Covenant's vehicular arsenal, piloted either by a Sangheili or a Jiralhanae. The cowling of the craft is purple and acts as a shell. It is equipped with two wings, each of which terminates in a boosted gravity propulsion drive, including a jet and an anti-gravity pod; these leave a vaporous exhaust trail behind the Banshee. The craft is capable of achieving a velocity of over 100 km/h. and reaching an altitude of 300 meters. In addition to its versatile design, the Banshee is capable of performing complex manoeuvres, such as aileron rolls and flips. The Banshee is also capable of hovering.

The design of the Banshee varies depending on the year in which it was manufactured and the branch to which it belongs, though it does not affect the Banshee's performance. There are at least two major iterations of the Banshee, and possibly a third. In addition, the Covenant use the Type-27 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter, a space-capable, vacuum-rated version of the Banshee, to support the more powerful Type-31 Seraph and to screen against enemy single ships.

Armament
The Banshee sports two weapon pods attached underneath the fuselage; each pod contains a Class-2 plasma cannon capable of firing in 100-250 kilowatts range and a Class-2 projectile launcher. The plasma cannons are deadly to infantry; one bolt can instantly kill a lightly armored target. Heavily armoured targets like the MJOLNIR-equipped Spartans can withstand only a few bolts before being killed. A direct hit from the Banshee's fuel rod cannon is certainly fatal. Repeating plasma cannons, which have a greater rate of fire than the standard armament, can be installed on the front of the anti-gravity pods.

Advantages
The Banshee is one of the most versatile and agile aircraft in the Covenant arsenal. Under the control of an experienced pilot, it can be extraordinarily difficult to destroy, making it an easy way to penetrate enemy lines and harass enemy infantry. The Banshee's plasma cannons are highly efficient at killing individual soldiers, and a single fuel rod can eliminate an entire group of infantry. The boosting capability of the vehicle allows for quick entry and exit from combat situations, or to catch up with a particular target. Boosting and evasive abilities allows a pilot to outpace a homing projectile or slip away from opposing vehicles and small arms fire. By utilising aileron rolls and flips, the Banshee is able to avoid slow-moving projectiles at medium or long ranges, while also facilitating quick turns around obstacles or close threats. As a support aircraft, the Banshee is able to pin down enemy forces until ground forces can move in, or destroy light structures that may be obstructing ground forces from advancing.

Disadvantages
The Banshee is lightly armored and, thus, vulnerable to high velocity rounds, explosives, anti-vehicle weaponry, and even moderate small arms fire from human projectile weaponry. The Banshee's low flight ceiling makes it very vulnerable to weapons like the M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, which can easily punch through the armor of the Banshee and injure or kill the pilot. The Banshee is also prone to electromagnetic pulse, which can disable the craft either temporarily or permanently.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

 * When damaged, the Banshee will emit blue sparks.
 * The Banshee has received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, which appears almost insectoid.
 * The Banshee's plasma trail that it forms in the air behind it looks more plasma-based.
 * When fired, the Banshee's plasma guns sound different.
 * The engines on the Banshee's body are much more noticeable.
 * There is a new engine inside the Banshee's canopy.
 * The Banshee's propulsion pods are now flat and are hidden inside its wings.
 * The shafts that hold the Banshee's cannons are now bigger and are different in appearance.
 * The Banshee's plasma cannons now have two extra tubes that look like range finders.
 * The two wings on each side of the Banshee are now bent and partially merged together.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

 * The Banshee is now capable of hovering in midair, which was not featured in the Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The iconic 'screams' of the Banshee can only be heard if one is near the Banshee in Halo 2 whereas they could be heard from a distance in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The Banshee, as well as all the other Covenant vehicles, no longer has a health bar.
 * The ability to boost the Banshee's engines was added, at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power.
 * Overall, a Banshee that is not boosting moves at a slower velocity than in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The ability to hijack an occupied enemy Banshee has been added.
 * When damaged, the Banshee will lose parts and emit blue sparks.
 * The Banshee has gained the ability to move left and right without having to roll, allowing it to strafe more effectively.
 * The use of Banshee tricks has been added, possibly to balance homing rockets.
 * High-velocity impacts will now injure the Banshee's pilot.
 * The Banshee's plasma cannons are now more accurate but the bolts only travel half as far before dissipating.
 * Banshees can no longer be flown backwards.
 * The fire from the cannons is no longer linked and now fire alternately instead of simultaneously.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * The Banshee's boosting velocity has been increased.
 * The Banshee's fuel rod cannon can now be used in multiplayer matches.
 * The Banshee can no longer face any lower than 45 degrees to prevent it from overpowering ground players.
 * The Banshee's wings cannot be fully shot off; canonically, without anti-gravity pods, the Banshee would not be able to stay aloft.
 * The Banshee has received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, which appears almost insectoid.
 * The Banshee's plasma trail that it forms in the air behind it looks more plasma-based than in Halo 2.
 * When fired, the Banshee's plasma guns sound different to the ones in Halo 2.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3: ODST

 * The Banshee now hovers when it is not moving.
 * The Banshee can now face nearly completely downwards.
 * The Banshee can now rotate 360 degrees in mid air.
 * The engines on the Banshee's body are much more noticeable.
 * There is a new engine inside the Banshee's canopy.
 * The fuel rod projectile does not arc downward when fired.

Changes from Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach

 * The iridescent sheen on the Banshee's body is now less noticeable.
 * The Banshee's propulsion pods are now flat and are hidden inside its wings.
 * The shafts that hold the Banshee's cannons are now bigger and are different in appearance.
 * The Banshee's plasma cannons now have two extra tubes that look like range finders.
 * The two wings on each side of the Banshee are now bent and partially merged together.
 * Both of the Banshee's wings can now be knocked completely off with repeated melee hits or by weapons fire without affecting the Banshee's performance.
 * The Banshee's wings are now much larger and can move individually, suggesting that they produce lift alongside the propulsion pods.
 * The Banshee's wings now turn in the direction the Banshee moves, acting like ailerons.
 * The Banshee can no longer hover in place.
 * The Banshee's tricks now cannot be used as often as in Halo 2 and Halo 3.
 * A boost limit has been imposed.
 * The Banshee now has two separate reticules for the fuel rod cannon and twin plasma cannons. The 'switch weapons' button (default 'Y') toggles which weapon is armed.
 * The Banshee's fuel rod cannon can now home in on other vehicles, as well as any Shades or support weapons that are still mounted.
 * To compensate for the fuel rod's ability to home in on vehicles, the velocity of the projectile has been severely reduced, so much so that a Banshee can actually go faster than its projectile.
 * The Banshee now has a closed canopy so the pilot's legs can no longer be seen.
 * The Banshee's hull is sturdier and is able to withstand two plasma grenade sticks.
 * A Sniper Rifle can now be used to shoot the pilot through the tiny crack between the Banshee's body and canopy, just like Linda-058 did in Halo: First Strike. Doing so will not damage the Banshee.

Halo Wars
The Banshee appears in most Halo Wars levels and can be used by players in skirmish mode who play as any one of the Covenant leaders. It can be built at the Summit with 200 resources. The Banshee has three available upgrades:
 * Boost: Enables the speed boost special ability.
 * Requirements:
 * 200 resources
 * Tech level 1
 * Repeating Cannon: Increases fire rate of cannons.
 * Requirements:
 * 400 resources
 * Tech level 2
 * Sacrifice: When critically damaged, the Banshee attempts to crash into ground targets and inflicts AOE damage.
 * Requirements:
 * 700 resources
 * Tech level 3

The Banshee is effective against ground troops and most vehicles. It is capable of hovering like in Halo 3: ODST and is the fastest unit in Halo Wars. A common strategy is to create an army of about twenty Banshees and swarm the opposing army, especially if their forces are mainly composed of vehicles. Banshees are extremely vulnerable to Wolverines or Vampires.

Trivia

 * In Celtic Mythology, a banshee is a female spirit who wails for the death of a particular person before they die. Banshees must steal souls from people to continue their existence. The high-pitched sound made by the Covenant Banshee is a reference to this, especially while performing tight maneuvers making it easy to hear them before one sees them. This also fits the theme of Covenant vehicles, with the exceptions of the Scarab and the Locust, being named after supernatural entities.
 * In Halo: Reach, on the Firefight map Holdout, AI Banshees have been known to abruptly dive and boost straight into one of the platforms at full speed, destroying the Banshee, and often killing a player in the process. It is unknown whether this is a programmed "suicide attack" or a glitch. Oddly enough, the Banshees at the start of the campaign level Tip of the Spear have also been know to do this, even though they are scripted to destroy the warthog and fly away.
 * The Banshee can be obtained as an avatar prop by purchasing the Halo: Reach controller for the Xbox 360.
 * Skyjacking a Banshee in Halo: Reach campaign will reward the player the achievement "Banshees, Fast and Low".
 * Banshees use anti-gravity pods on the ends of their wings to fly. However, in Halo 2, and appearing again in Halo: Reach a Banshee can have both of these pods shot off and still fly normally. It is unknown if Bungie intended for the Banshees to have an emergency propulsion system, or if this was simply overlooked in the making of the game.
 * On the cover of the Halo: Combat Evolved, the two Banshees appear to be un-piloted as the top canopy enclosing the pilot is up. Also, the two Banshees that shot down Foehammer in the level The Maw also had open canopies. These were probably related to the Banshee's scripted movements.
 * In Halo: Reach, if a player shoots or melees the Banshee to its damage threshold and attempts to turn the vehicle in the air, the Banshee will be unable to turn in midair because there are no wings to support its turns. It is possible that the pilot relies on the Banshee's rudders and the player's body weight when at this critical degree of damage.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Landfall
 * Halo: Combat
 * Halo: Last One Standing
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * The Life
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Return
 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Prototype
 * The Babysitter
 * Remember Reach
 * Deliver Hope
 * Halo: Reach