C709 Longsword-class Interceptor

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Longsword Interceptor Production information Manufacturer UNSC Model C709 LongswordClass Interceptor Class Star Fighter/Bomber/interceptor Technical specifications Length 64 meters (210 feet) Width 75 meters (245.9 feet) Height/depth 12.9 meters (42.3 feet) Maximum speed (Space) Unknown Slipspace Drive Optional Shielding None Hull Titanium-A Countermeasures Anti-Aircraft Artillery Armament Varies 110mm Rotary Guns 120mm Ventral Guns Fire Arc: Ventral ASGM-10 Missiles (4) Shiva-class nuclear warhead (1) Optional Moray Space Mines System (36) (optional) Scorpion Missiles Complement none Crew 2 personnel Pilot (1) Co-Pilot (1) can also be remote piloted (AI) Minimum crew 1 Passengers Yes, but not advisable Consumables 1 weeks provisions for crew, also has a munitions cabinet Other systems Cryo chambers(optional) Usage Year introduced Some time before the Fall of Reach Role(s) Starfighter Interceptor Bomber Era(s) Human/Covenant War Affiliation United Nations Space Command

[Source]

The C709 Longsword-Class Interceptor is the main UNSC single-ship, filling a variety of roles simultaneously.

[edit] Role

Though repeatedly described as a space fighter interceptor, intended to intercept enemy fighters, dropships and boarding en route to their parent-ships, Longswords have also been seen in a variety of roles, making for an extremely versatile craft. They are capable of holding their own even against the technologically superior Seraph fighters used by the Covenant, using missiles and cannons to deal out tremendous firepower, and escorting UNSC dropships as they deliver their passengers to planet surfaces^[1][2]. They are also used in attack runs against Covenant capital ships, delivering high-yield missiles^[3], or even Shiva nuclear warheads^[4], to their targets. They can also be used in planetary environments, functioning as fighter-bombers, destroying ground targets from the air^[5][6], escorting larger capital ships such as Frigates in their own assaults.

[edit] Structure

A top-down view of a C709 Longsword Interceptor, illustrating the Manta-ray profile, long and thin tail section, and bulky engines.

In the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, the inside of the ship presents a small corridor leading to the rear, a stair, 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 pilot chairs and two more auxiliary crew stations. With a known total crew complement of four, along with the equipment lockers, the ship presents itself as less of a fighter-bomber and more of a dedicated bomber and Close Support craft.

If one were to construct a life-size Longsword, its wingspan would be 5 meters longer than a Boeing 747, while it's fuselage would be 6 meters shorter, making Longswords considerably larger than today's fighter aircraft, closer in size to bombers instead and also similar to the B2 Stealth Bomber.

The cockpit design stayed the same between Halo and Halo 2 but changed in Halo 3, previously the cockpit had four windows (two on each side, but none in the front) and a view screen. In Halo 3 the longsword has windows wrapping around the cockpit like a traditional aircraft.

[edit] Propulsion

There are four main engines discernible on a Longsword fighter. 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. The propulsion system must be highly efficient (in terms of seconds), as it can reach orbital velocity without the massive tanks that modern spacecraft possess. Some form of advanced electric propulsion is likely. There are also multiple RCS points for maneuvering.

While escaping from Alpha Halo, the Master Chief's Longsword displayed a vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) capability, accelerating extremely quickly to atmospheric escape velocity.

[edit] Weapons

The Longsword's main weapons are 110mm rotary cannons, as well as 120mm ventral guns, for dogfighting in space. This versatile fighter can be armed with an assortment of secondary weapons including ASGM-10 Missiles, bombs, Moray Space Mines, scorpion missiles, and even a single Shiva Nuclear Warhead. The Longsword is usually deployed against Seraph fighters in space combat and Covenant artillery in planetary combat. It also may escort Pelicans as they head for the surface of a planet. It can also be remote piloted, carrying a single Shiva Nuclear Warhead, destroying the enemy ship and itself as well when the opportunity arises^[7].

[edit] Trivia

• The Master Chief uses a Longsword to escape The Pillar of Autumn at the end of Halo Combat Evolved.
• Using saved films in Halo 3, Halo fans can get pictures of the Longsword in the levels "The Ark" (when the Longsword flies by when the Master Chief finds the crashed Pelican and a surviving group of Marines) and in the level "The Storm" (when the Longsword is shot down by the Covenant Anti-Air gun). Although on The Storm, you won't be able to get a picture of the crash, since the Longsword disappears when it's out of the players view, curiously.
• The Longsword fighter underwent many design iterations.^{[verification needed]}
• In Halo: Custom Edition there are several maps that allow the player to pilot a Longsword. All mods include a large armament of Scorpion anti-tank missiles that reloads once used up. It is given the physics of the Pelican Dropship from Halo: Combat Evolved. However it goes significantly faster then a Pelican, and therefore has a wider turning radius. While hovering, the Jump key will make the Longsword ascend, and the crouch key will make it descend.
• In canon, the pilot's seat is on the left, but most custom maps have right seat as the pilot's seat.
• It is disputed whether the longsword is black or gray, as it looks gray in the final level of Halo: Combat Evolved (The Maw), but when it is seen in space it looks blacker. This may be due to lighting.
• Longswords appear on The Storm and The Ark. They fight space and in-atmosphere battles, along with fighting above the Ark.
• In Halo: First Strike four Longswords are used to cover a single Pelican. This, however, seems impractical due to how large the Longsword is compared to the Pelican.
• The Longsword is more than likely the successor of the Shortsword.
• On The Ark when you get to the fallen Pelican, you can see a Longsword crashing. You will eventually get to the crash later, and when you destroy a fleet of Covenant-prone vehicles. If you go in theater you can see it crashing, but the crash site is already there, once it reaches the crash site it disappears.

[edit] Known Longswords

• 7-89
• Knife 26

[edit] Images

Longsword specs.	Longswords at the First Battle of Earth.	Three Longswords in the Second Battle of Earth.	A Longsword group in formation near Installation 04's atmosphere
A Longsword being neutralized by a Loyalist Anti-Air Artillery.	A Formation of Longswords.		Close up on a Longsword.
Longsword flying above Voi.	A front-on view of the Longsword, demonstrating its thin horizontal profile.

[edit] Related links

• Seraph - The Covenant equivalent of the Longsword
• SkyHawk - the UNSC's dedicated atmospheric strike fighter.
• Tarasque-class heavy fighter - presumably a similar Covenant fighter.

[edit] External Links

• A Tour of the Longsword Interceptor