C-709 Longsword Interceptor

In the Halo series, the C709 Longsword is the primary starfighter in use by the United Nations Space Command Navy. Its primary uses include planetary surface bombardement, combating enemy singleships and making attack runs on starships. A heavy fighter it is equiped with 2 110mm. gatling guns and numerous missiles, although additional equipment can be place on board including cryopods, weapons locker and Moray space mines. The ship is capable of both space and atmospheric flight and although extremely fast(covering several thousand kilometers in mere seconds) it is nowhere fast enough to achieve interstellar flight. This limitation in range is due to the fact that the Longsword is too small to have a slipspace drive and it is limited to be near a planet or a nearby carrier starship. The Longsword has a crew of 2 a pilot and navigator. The size and shape of the ship makes it appear more like a bomber than a dogfighting starfighter. Although they are fast and armed to the teeth these ships were inferior to Covenant Seraph Class starfighters which were faster had superior weapons and energy shields. Although the covenant fighters were more advanced, Longswords could hold their own against the covenant as long as they were not outnumbered. When it came to battling enemy starships the C709 was almost useless because of the heavy shielding on Covenant ships. During capital ship battles the Longswords took a back seat waiting for a chance to hit an unshielded enemy ship. During the First Battle for Earth, 2 Longswords managed to inflinct minor damage to an unshielded covenant supercarrier.