D82-EST Darter

The Dropship 82-Equipment Supply Transport, more commonly known as the D82-EST Darter, is a dropship used by the United Nations Space Command to deliver supplies, such as rations and munitions, to forward bases.

Design details
The Darter is a medium-lift utility dropship, filling a niche between the smaller Pelican series and the larger Albatross and Heron dropships. The vehicle is intended for operations which do not involve combat, and as such it is not armed with any kind of weaponry - though it is fitted with a countermeasures package that helps the vehicle ward off some incoming fire. In addition, the Darter is much more agile than its larger cousins, allowing it the ability to drop quickly into contested landing zones that may be challenging for other dropships.

The Darter's cargo bay is capable of transporting large numbers of supply crates at a time. Once it has landed, the underside splits down the middle, lowering a metal pallet from the cargo bay and allowing its cargo to be left groundside to be unloaded. Once free of supplies, the Darter can reseal its cargo bay doors, returning to an orbiting spacecraft to resupply.

Like Pelicans, Darters are not rated for transatmospheric transport of most UNSC combat vehicles, resulting in the employment of Vehicle Depot and Garage base structures instead. Rather than transport vehicles, the Darters transport partially disassembled vehicle components down to the firebase on the ground, to allow workshops in the base to reassemble the vehicle for combat.

Usage
The D82-EST Darter has been in service since at least 2531. It is a vital part of the UNSC's logistical operations, capable of deploying personnel, vehicles parts, weapons, and supplies from rations and medical kits to any groundside base. It serves as both an atmospheric and exoatmospheric vehicle capable of delivering troops and supplies wherever needed once a supply pad has been constructed.

Operational history
In 2531, the support vessel had an extensive contingent of Darters, used to transport supplies for ground forces, namely in firebase unit construction. In April 2553 the planetary militia on Venezia had acquired several Darters. By 2559 the UNSC Spirit of Fire was still using Darter drop ships in the Second Ark Conflict. Several Darters were assigned as part of the complement aboard Cairo Station.

Gameplay
In Halo Wars, the D82-EST is used to transport supplies from the to provide additional resources for ground forces. They land on specific landing platforms, built into prefabricated firebase units designed to house supply crates they deliver. The Darter cannot be destroyed in-game. However, if a supply pad is destroyed, the craft assigned to it will disappear from the screen.

Trivia
A darter is a tropical seabird, in keeping with the UNSC's tradition of naming most atmospheric aircraft after birds.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata
 * Halo Wars 2