Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft

Banshee

The "Banshee" (pronounced ban-she, sometimes just called "The Shee") ) is the Covenant's standard ground assault aircraft. It is very fast, extremely maneuverable and in Halo 1 it is capable of hovering. It has two weapon pods mounted to either side of the fuselage. Each of these pods contains a light plasma cannon and a Fuel Rod Gun (the Fuel Rod Gun is disabled in Halo 2 Multiplayer). Though small arms fire may disrupt or disable the pilot (the SMG is very effective against it in Halo 2), only heavy weapons are capable of inflicting enough damage to destroy the vehicle. the Banshee also has reduced armor in Halo 1. For example: in Halo 1 you can only take several shotgun blasts before the banshee is destroyed.

The Banshee is propelled by small anti-gravity pods attached to its wings. These pods create the field that keeps it flying, and make wailing sounds as the craft maneuvers, thus the name "Banshee". The Banshee is also capable of space flight,mentioned in Halo:First Strike. In Halo 2, the Banshee's engines can be pushed to provide an excellent boost in speed, but at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power. The Banshee also cannot hover any more; it has been replaced with a brake. Also on Halo 2, the ability to steal an enemy Banshee has been added. If the Banshee is traveling at a fairly slow pace and is flying low, then the player can jump onto the Banshee and force out the driver, allowing the player to take control. This can also happen in reverse though. An enemy is able to jump on and steal the players Banshee too. This can be fatal on Heroic and Legendary.

Although the Banshee is made for one pilot it is possible to have a team-mate stand on top of the banshee. It limits the agility of the banshee but it saves time and when in enemy territory you can drop the team-mate into enemy lines so the team-mate on the ground can start fighting on ground while the player in the banshee can fight from the air.

A rather large defensive change for Halo 2 was made for the Banshee. It now has the ability to perform stunts. Although it may seem like it was just made to be flashy, these stunts can be very effective for avoiding enemy fire. They can be used on both campaign and multiplayer, and on campaign can be used by enemies too. The stunts that can be performed are the ability to twirl left or right and do a back flip in mid air. On the Heroic and Legendary difficulty settings, these stunts can mean the difference between life and death.

Halo 3
The Banshee in Halo 3 is same in design to it's previous appearances in the last two installments. It has kept it's boost and barrel rolls, although you cannot do it as often. A feature that the Halo 2 Banshee had in Campaign, but removed for it's Multiplayer, has now been added back in. The Fuel Rod Gun is now a secondary weapon in Multiplayer. Just like in Halo 2, it can be fired with the "B" button. The radius and size of the Fuel Rod Gun has been decreased for balance with the other vehicles and weapons of the game.

The Banshee, as with the Warthog and Wraith, have recieved a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, almost insectoid in appearance. Other than that, it remains similar in design and usage to its Halo 2 counterpart, though it cannot face any lower than 45 degrees, to prevent it from overpowering ground players.

Deployment

 * The Banshee is never seen being piloted by one of the "lesser" Covenant races, such as Grunts or Jackals. Instead, they are exclusively used by Elites and Brutes, though Spartans have been known to hijack them when possible.
 * The Banshee is set to be a vehicle again for Halo 3.

Related Links

 * The Great Banshee Switch