Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft

Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft

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

Overview
The Banshee is a fast, personal aerial assault craft used by the Covenant. It is equipped with two wings which terminate in a propulsion jet and an anti-gravity pod leaving behind a signature exhaust trail while flying. The Banshee is capable of reaching a speed of over 100 km/h, is extremely maneuverable, and able to perform highly aerobatic maneuvers. The Banshee is also capable of space flight, which is odd as it's cockpit is exposed. The vehicle garners it's name from the wailing noise it creates when in the air. In Halo:Combat Evolved 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 Cannon. The Banshee is deployed en masse to provide air cover for Covenant forces on the ground. Though small arms fire may disrupt or disable the pilot, only heavy weapons, such as the Rocket Launcher and the Missile Pod are capable of inflicting enough damage to destroy the vehicle. The Banshee is never seen being piloted by one of the "inferior" Covenant races, such as Jackals and Grunts. It is solely reserved for use by the Elites and Brutes.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo: Combat Evolved the Banshee could almost hover in mid-air. The player would use the control to move backwards, causing the Banshee to back up, hover nose down, but at a slow rate of speed making the Banshee appear to hover, leading advanced airmen to do complex stunts. The banshee from Halo: Combat Evolved cannot strafe left to right with the left thumbstick. Also, a Banshee in campaign had a health bar similar to the player's. After its health was depleted, the Banshee would explode, killing the driver. The Banshee also has increased armor in Halo: Combat Evolved. For example, several Shotgun blasts can impact the Banshee before it is destroyed. It is usable in the PC/MAC version's multiplayer, but on the Xbox version it is only usable in the single player levels Assault on the Control Room, Two Betrayals and briefly at the end of Keyes.

Banshees are also available on the multiplayer maps Blood Gulch, Infinity, Sidewinder, Death Island, and Gephyrophobia. The Banshee is exactly the same as in single player mode, but the vehicle does not take damage. In order for a Banshee to be neutralized, the driver must be killed. Any weapon can kill the driver, although some weapons and tactics work better then others. Weapons of choice for killing Banshees are often the Fuel Rod Gun, the Rocket Launcher, and Assault Rifle for it's high rate of fire. Players who don't have one of these weapons will often try sticking the Banshee, but mostly fail due to the Banshee's high maneuvering speeds. The heavy weapons are self explanatory, while the Assault Rifle is used by more skilled players. They fire short bursts at medium range and fire full automatic if the Banshee is close enough. An inexperienced pilot will often flee if they lose their shields. If the pilot does this, then the player should switch to a Pistol and finish them off.

Banshees are highly effective against players in large multiplayer maps such as Blood Gulch and Infinity. Their Fuel Rod Cannons can flip Warthogs and their Plasma Cannons can decimate infantry. Another tactic is to run over other players, which is an instant kill if the driver succeeds in hitting the target. This tactic can also be risky if the driver is not very experienced; when hitting the ground, the Banshee has a good chance of slowing down. When this happens, it could be stuck by a Plasma Grenade. Also, attempting to run over an opposing player makes the pilot very vulnerable to close range weapons if the enemy can dodge the banshee.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the Banshee's engines can be pushed to provide a very good boost in speed, but at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power; however, a skilled pilot can time brief periods between boosts to vastly improve their maneuverability. The Banshee can no longer hover, that function has been replaced with an air brake and holding the thumbstick down will cause it to slowly go down. Also in Halo 2, the ability to hijack, or "skyjack," an occupied 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 by pressing the X button on the Xbox controller. An enemy is also able to jump on and steal the player's Banshee as well, both in multiplayer and campaign. This can be fatal on the Heroic and Legendary difficulties. Another change from the previous game is (while in campaign) the enemy's inability to fire the Fuel Rod Cannon, although the player may use it when pressing B; while in Halo:Combat Evolved you had to pull the left trigger (this has been replaced with the aforementioned boost). The ability of using the Fuel Rod Cannon has been removed from the multiplayer.

A rather large defensive change was made for the Banshee Halo 2. It now has the ability to perform stunts. Although it may seem like this ability is purely used to appear flashy, these stunts are very effective for avoiding enemy fire, especially against rockets. 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 roll left, or right and do a back flip in the air. On the Heroic and Legendary difficulty settings, these stunts can mean the difference between life and death.

In addition, while within a Banshee, both you and your Banshee will lose health. However, for some reason, it will not explode unless you either die or get out. Previously, in a Banshee, your only concern was about the vehicle and its destructibility. Now, you are coerced to worry about your own health. The Ghost had both concerns in Halo: Combat Evolved, being the only other vehicle to do so.

Halo 3
The Banshee in Halo 3 is the same in design as its previous appearances in the last two installments. It has kept its boosting and aerial maneuvers, although you cannot do it as often. While boosting it is much faster than in previous games, the Fuel Rod Cannon is now available as a secondary weapon in Multiplayer. Just like in the Halo 2 campaign, it can be fired with the "B" button (using the default button layout). The radius and size of the Fuel Rod blast has been decreased for balance with the other vehicles and weapons of the game.

The Banshee, as with the Warthog and Wraith, have received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen,which appears almost insectoid, which makes it look like a true alien alloy and adds to the verisimilitude of Halo 3. Also, the glowing wing tips now look like small turbines, and the tail fins now open up to reveal two more boosters. Other than that, it remains similar in design and usage to its Halo: Combat Evolved counterpart, though it cannot face any lower than 45 degrees, to prevent it from overpowering ground players and for more airplane-like strafing runs. The brake can still be used to stall out the craft for quick descents. Despite the introduction of its UNSC counterpart, the Hornet, the Banshee is much more maneuverable than the AV-14 Hornet, allowing for a skilled Banshee pilot to easily destroy a Hornet.

Another change in Halo 3 is a lack of any scripted usable Banshees in Halo 3 's campaign. The only way to pilot a Banshee in Halo 3s campaign is to hijack one, which is extremely difficult as the Brute pilots are intelligent enough to not let you get close enough to board their vehicle. Some players in co-op attempt to "wing walk" on a Hornet in The Covenant, then jump off in mid-air to grab a Banshee that way. This usually fails due to the Banshee's greater speed and the AI's intelligence level. However, if one plays on lower difficulties where Brutes have lesser health and shields, during the chapter "Journey's End" of the level The Covenant, if you constantly fire the Hornet's chain guns at the back of the Banshee, sometimes the Brute pilot dies, but the Banshee vehicle is still usable (if it lands on a reachable spot in the snow) by the player. Using the Banshee to fight the Scarabs in that level is rather effective since doing Banshee stunts can save the player from other Banshees in the air and the Scarab's Plasma Turret and Main Gun, while firing the plasma cannons and Fuel Rod Cannon of the Banshee. Another easy way to get the Banshee is to lure it close to you then fire a charged Plasma Pistol shot at it. This should disable the Banshee temporarily allowing you to board. There are some Banshees that still can't be boarded even with this trick.

Halo Wars
Banshees are seen in Halo Wars and appear to be capable of boosting and performing barrel rolls and stunts. However, they appear to be missing most of the green sheen that they have in Halo 3, it can only be seen on the very center of the 'hood', probably because the game is set prior to Halo C.E.. Banshees are effective against ground troops, and the only effective way of taking them out seems to be through the use of a UNSC Wolverine vehicle, although LAAG Warthogs should also be able to do the job. In the announcement trailer, they seem to have strobe lights, and sound different. They are capable of hovering in current builds of the game, as opposed to all other models of the Banshee, in which the vehicle is continually moving. It could be hypothesized that the model found in Halo Wars was a older version with the ability to hover in mid-air; however, a more likely explanation is that it was set to hover to make its selection and commanding easier for the player. When upgraded with Boost they become the fastest unit in-game. Banshees attack infantry units using their twin Plasma cannon and use the Fuel Rod Cannon against buildings and vehicles. Much like the Vampire it is also capable of being hijacked by Spartans.

In-Game Upgrades
As with all Halo Wars units, Banshees can receive three upgrades to significantly increase their combat effectiveness. The upgrades are in order as follows.
 * 1) Boost - Enables speed boost special ability.
 * 2) Repeating cannon - Increases rate of fire for the cannons
 * 3) Sacrifice - When critically damaged, the Banshee attempts to crash into ground targets and inflicts AOE (Area of Effect) damage to nearby ground units.

Heretic Banshee
The Heretic Banshee is the backbone of the Heretics' aerial combat force. The Heretic Banshee is quite different in appearance to its Covenant counterpart. Although its purple outer covering was not completely stripped, it is mostly covered in a golden trim, the colors of the Heretics. However, the engineering remains the exact same to its Covenant counterpart.

This aerial combat vehicle is clad in the colors of the Sangheili home world, Sanghelios. Heretic Banshees were present at the battle of the Threshold Gas Mine and as an Easter egg in The Great Journey level. Despite its odd coloring, the Heretic Banshee is the same as other Banshees as far as its abilities and limits are concerned. It boosts at the same speed and has the Fuel Rod Cannon, as well as the dual Plasma Cannons. In short, nothing more than the outer appearance has changed.

Piloting Tactics

 * Splattering an opponent with a Banshee is often tempting, but this is normally a very risky maneuver, because hitting the ground can slow down the Banshee and have it boarded. However, if you are relatively parallel and low to the ground, this is a great opportunity to rack up kills and medals. If you are stalled by an overcharged Plasma Pistol shot or Power Drain, get out immediately upon landing, as you are basically defenseless without maneuvering. You can also boost while trying to splatter someone. It usually works best on maps with small hills so that if the Banshee misses, it'll continue flying by going off the hill.
 * Splattering opponents in Halo: CE is far easier, as there is no need to worry about being hijacked or having the banshee disabled. Unless it hits the ground at a near vertical angle, the banshee will lose little speed. As long as the opponent is in an open area so the wings won't get stuck on something, it should be easy to get the kill and fly away.(All you have to do is touch them.)
 * If the Banshee is boarded there are a few ways to stop it being used against you:
 * The first is to do a back flip in the Banshee, if timed right, you should be launched above and come back right down on it to take it back.
 * One more tactic is if the Banshee is severely damaged while being boarded, boost it into a wall, if you time it just right, you will be kicked out, the Banshee will explode with the opponent in it, and you may just get the kill for it.
 * Another good way to use it is to get close to the ground to fight the enemy team then fly back up quickly so you won't be skyjacked.
 * Arguably the best control scheme for the Banshee is the Bumper Jumper configuration. This allows you to actually aim the Banshee's Fuel Rod Gun, unlike the default control scheme, where it can be tough due the fact that button the fires it, B, requires you to lift your thumb away from the aiming stick.  In Bumper Jumper, you can aim and fire without moving any fingers.  It also makes performing tricks easier, since the trick button has been moved to the bumper as well, allowing you maintain complete control over your craft while dodging.
 * In Halo 2, you can lose a Rocket lock if you are in a Banshee by pointing the nose as high as you can, getting out then back in quickly by pressing the X button rapidly.
 * The Halo 3 Banshee is much more difficult to pilot. In fact you cannot pitch the craft's nose up or down more than 45°. Why this peculiarity was added is probably because in the previous games the Banshee was too maneuverable. However, AI controlled Banshees will be exempt from this factor.
 * In Halo 3 multiplayer, if you have a Missile Pod shooting towards you, it is possible to dodge it by repeatedly hitting the A button with left, down (to do a backflip in mid-air), or right.
 * In Halo 2 rockets can easily be dodged by flying directly at the wielder of the rocket launcher and waiting until the rocket reaches about twenty feet away, then rolling. This can be done flying away from the wielder, but it is not recommended.
 * When the Banshee is critically damaged, it is possible for the pilot to destroy a damaged enemy vehicle by crashing into it. The explosion of any Covenant vehicle will cause significant splash damage.

Countering Tactics
In Halo:CE, using the Pistol will be satisfyingly easy to take down the pilot for a sharp shooter, whereas in close range combat, it is recommended to use an Assault Rifle or a Shotgun, firing while backing away. Relatively strong players may consider sticking a Plasma Grenade to counter the attack. For vehicles, it is generally recommended to use the turret on Warthogs to cut down the pilot in rapid successions. Ducking can also be an effective way at dodging a Banshee pilot's attempt at ramming you. Otherwise, you can simply jump out of the way and throw a plasma or spike grenade while the Banshee is grounded. (It takes a few moments to get back in the air once you hit the ground in a Banshee.)

The Banshee is lightly armored and thus vulnerable to explosives and anti-vehicle weaponry. The best weapon to destroy a Banshee is the Missile Pod or Spartan Laser, depending on your skill with either weapon, although the Missile Pod is much easier to use with its homing and lock on ability if you succeed in destroying the Banshee you will unlock the Too Close to the Sun achievement. The missiles home in on the Banshee and are difficult to evade but it is possible to do so with the use of barrel rolls and the boosting function. One way to confuse homing rockets is to do a barrel roll and then immediately boost forwards. Other weapons such as the Rocket Launcher and Spartan Laser can instantly destroy a Banshee although they are harder to successfully hit the target at long ranges. Other alternatives include the Warthog's M41 LAAG(although if the warthog is stationary it is easy for the banshee pilot to flip you with a Fuel Rod shot), Machine Gun Turrets, and the Brute Shot. Scorpion Tanks and/or Wraiths are also quite effective against Banshees as it is hard for the pilot to maneuver away from the shot from one of the two. At close range a Banshee can be destroyed with Plasma or Spike Grenades. It can also be hijacked at low speeds. This can be effective if there is a Gravity Lift, giving you the elevation needed to hijack a careful Banshee pilot. Some good items to consider using in Halo 3 while engaged with a Banshee are overcharged shots from a Plasma Pistol or tossing a Power Drain as they both temporarily deactivate the Banshee's engines, which makes it easier to stick or hijack. Sticky grenades (of either the plasma or spike variant) are very effective against Banshees, but it will take two to destroy a Banshee with full health. Using a Bubble Shield will, of course, only protect against a Banshee's weapons, but it will not protect against getting splattered. A decent fall-back tactic is to use dual SMGs - their fast rate of fire and the wide canopy of the Banshee ensure that the vehicle will be hit with the full power of two weapons at a close to mid-range. Of course, practically any anti-vehicular weapons would be favorable, but dual SMGs could do enough damage to scare the Banshee away, or leave it in a bad enough position to be destroyed by a teammate. An alternative to dual SMGs is the Assault Rifle, which is slightly less effective at dealing damage to a Banshee than dual SMGs, but it is a much more effective than using the Battle Rifle. Even an entire magazine from a Battle Rifle fired directly at a flying Banshee will not even bring the pilot's shields down all the way, let alone deal any damage to the Banshee itself. Instead of taking 'pot shots' at a Banshee with the Battle Rifle, one should consider looking for a more powerful weapon, or even switching to the Assault Rifle. The most effective weapon to use against the Banshee by far is the Spartan Laser, which always delivers a one hit kill, unless it narrowly misses.

One of the things you can do to evade a Banshee is to run to the nearest place of cover. Rocks, trees, caves and bases are all good places for cover from the Banshee's Plasma Cannons. If you are stuck in a wide open area there is not much you can do unless you have an anti-vehicular weapon. However, a Banshee can't hover in place, so it can only attack for a few seconds before having to reposition itself, leaving you a chance to escape. When out stranded in an open area with no anti-vehicular weapons and no chance of getting to cover in time, the best one can do is fire at the Banshee with their Assault Rifle, while running towards the flying vehicle, trying to get to the 'blind spot' underneath it. If you are in a Banshee in multiplayer and you see a Hornet coming at you here are some things you can do. First of all, the Banshee is much more maneuverable so if they attach with missiles, use your evasive maneuvers like flips and barrel rolls. Also, keep in mind that the Banshee can make vertical climbs much faster than the hornet so if you are under attack by the machine guns, make a maneuver upwards or downwards and then circle back to kill them. Also it is good to have a height advantage due to the fact that your bombs sink and you can attack then while they are scrambling to get up to attack you. But still keep in mind that the Hornets gun can fire slightly upwards.

Trivia

 * Banshees are seen in the three part series Halo: Arms Race. They seem to fly much faster than in Halo 3, often performing strafing runs, and its weapons seem to do more damage. The plasma projectiles seem to also travel much faster, however this may be because "our" experience with the Banshee is through the Master Chief, who has reflexes several times faster than a normal human (and the game speed accurately reflects his reaction time).
 * In Celtic Mythology, a Banshee is a woman spirit, from Irish folklore, who wails for the death of a particular person, before they die. The banshees have to steal souls from people to live. The high pitched sound made by the Banshee in Halo is a reference to this, especially while performing tight maneuvers (making it easy to hear them before you see them.)
 * A lightly recurring theme throughout the series is players almost dying in vehicle crashes, mainly in the Banshee. In The Maw, when the Master Chief enters the Pillar of Autumn the Banshee he is riding crashes into the side of the ship, much to Cortana's annoyance. Midway through Halo 2's The Oracle, the Arbiter crashes his Banshee into a platform, only to climb up unscathed, just as the Chief did. Although this theme continued in Halo 3, with the Chief and Arbiter crashing, and surviving, in the opening cut scene of Halo, this was done in a Pelican, not a Banshee.
 * Supposedly, Banshees use anti-gravity pods on the ends of their wings to fly. However, in Halo 2, a Banshee can lose both of these pods 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.
 * In the novel Halo: First Strike, a Banshee was capable of carrying Master Chief and a second Spartan II named Linda. In addition, Zuka 'Zamamee and Yayap rode in a Banshee together in Halo: The Flood, whilst escaping the battle for Alpha Base. In all the games, a Banshee can only carry one person.
 * On page 129 of The Art of Halo, Banshees are seen firing Fuel Rod Cannons on the Halo 2 map Waterworks, although it is not possible for them to do so in that game, but this was in Halo 2 Beta.
 * In Halo 3, the Banshee's Fuel Rod Cannon has a remarkable amount of homing upon enemy targets (whilst under AI use). This is most usually seen on The Covenant during the aerial dogfight section, and the Fuel Rods appear to not sink and track targets, much like the Hornet's missiles.
 * On the cover of the Halo: Combat Evolved game, the two banshee's appear to be pilotless as the top canopy enclosing the driver is up. Also, the two Banshees that shot down Foehammer also had open canopies. These were probably either an early render or a glitch in the rendering, the PC version of Halo: CE, did not have open canopies and had Elites in them.
 * Players often nicknamed the vehicle "The Shee" and a person who excessively uses it a "Shee noob" or "Banshee/Shee whore". Due to its indestructibility in Halo: CE multiplayer, those who use Banshees frequently are generally despised.
 * In Halo 3 if you manage to board a Banshee on the level The Covenant, it will automatically explode when you exit the craft, much like the AA Wraith. Only Banshees that have been disabled by shooting the Brute pilot out of the cockpit behave like normal banshees, i.e. when dismounting the Banshee does not automatically explode. Disabling the banshee is naturally easier on lower difficulties, due to the lower health of the individual pilot.
 * In Halo Wars the Banshees are pilotless, this can be seen by tilting the camera a certain angle at a certain elevation or by watching a Spartan skyjack one; he will open the cockpit and just jump in with no problem with any enemies. Noticeably he will also disappear once the animation is over.

Internal Links

 * Banshee Glitch
 * The Great Banshee Switch
 * AV-14 Attack VTOL - UNSC Equivalent
 * Banshee Jumping