B-65 Shortsword: Difference between revisions

|manufacturer=[[Misriah Armory]]<ref name="vis"/>

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|length={{Convert|27.3|m|ft}}<ref name="vis"/>

|width={{Convert|35.3|m|ft}}<ref name="vis"/>

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*[[M955 ASW/AC 30mm MLA]]<ref name="vis">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 176''</ref>

**[[GBU-1105 bomb|Cryo bomb]]

**[[XGBU-302 bomb|Disruption bomb]]

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|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]

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The '''B-65 Suborbital Long-Range Bomber''',<ref name="vis"/> more commonly known as the '''Shortsword''', is a UNSC atmospheric bomber.

The Shortsword shares a similar design to the [[GA-TL1 Longsword]] interceptor, though it is less angular than the latter. It features elongated primary wings as well as smaller wings attached to a large boom apparatus at the rear of the fuselage. A large air intake is mounted on the dorsal surface of each wing; pronged structures, possibly ailerons, are located at the rear tip of each wing. Though the B-65 is designed to provide suborbital air support, it is capable of at least rudimentary space flight; Shortswords are often deployed from parent vessels in low orbit.

The Shortsword is typically armed with conventional bombs for performing [[carpet bombing]] runs. When releasing its payload, the Shortsword "punches" its munitions into the ground; the munitions then explode a short time later. As the bombs detonate in the order in which they are dropped, carpet bombing runs carried out by the Shortsword resemble twentieth-century napalm strikes. Bombers equipped with the [[Maastricht/Raleigh Ordnance Delivery-Application System|M/RODAS delivery system]] can carry less conventional payloads such as the [[XGBU-302 bomb|XGBU-302 disruption bomb]] or the [[GBU-1105 bomb|GBU-1105 "cryo" bomb]].

The Shortsword is only ever seen during gameplay briefly, where it can be seen flying over the battlefield dropping ordnance wherever the player chooses. The use of the Shortsword differs depending on which leader character the player uses. [[Ellen Anders|Professor Ellen Anders]] uses it to drop [[GBU-1105 bomb|cryo bomb]]s, a simple point-and-click power which can be used to effectively freeze a large area of the battlefield, as well as the units or buildings in it. [[John Forge|Sergeant John Forge]] uses it to perform [[carpet bombing]] runs, where the beginning of the bombing run must be selected, an arrow appears and can be rotated around the start point, setting the angle of the bombing run. Carpet bombing runs are useful for hitting a number of enemies in different formations. All UNSC leaders can call on a Shortsword to deliver [[XGBU-302 bomb|disruption bomb]]s which can be used to block enemy [[Halo Wars#Leader abilities|leader powers]].

==Gallery==

<gallery>

File:005 AirtowerV01.jpg|An early concept art image for the UNSC airpad. Note the [[Falcon (Fighter)|Falcons]] on the runway and one in the hangar, and a Shortsword docked with its wings retracted.

</gallery>