Editing Strike fighter

{{Era|RW}}
{{Notcanon}}
{{Quote|no=five
|1=[[Marcus Lehto]]
|q1=I think it was the Strike Fighter, right? It was like a defensive fighter for the... the... uh...
|2=[[Robert McLees]]
|q2=Earth Space.
|3=Marcus Lehto
|q3=Well, it just didn't fit into our game play, either. We didn't have any kind of purpose for this thing
|4=[[Shi Kai Wang]]
|q4=Unless it's cinematics.
|5=Robert McLees
|q5=Yeah it'd be a cinematic-only thing, and there wasn't enough time to add it in.
|6=Staff at Bungie discussing the strike fighter.{{Ref/Reuse|H2CE}}
}}
[[File:H2_StrikeFighter_Concept_3.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Strike Fighter concept sketch.]]
The UNSC '''strike fighter''' was planned to be used as a heavy fighter aircraft for the player to use in the opening stages of ''[[Halo 2]]'', but it was never added to the game.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=H2CE|DWI7AhQFpTE|Bungie|Cutting Room Floor Weapons Vehicles and Characters|Y=2020|M=12|D=17|Time=2:47|Detail=Official Bungie upload of the BTS video from the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition}}

==Overview==
The strike fighter was intended as a defensive [[space fighter]] for use by the [[UNSC]] during the [[Battle for Earth]]. The vehicle would have little place in actual gameplay, and instead be a cinematic-only vehicle, similar to the [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] seen in the final game. For gameplay, the designers needed more of a "[[Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk]]-type vehicle", likely referring to the cut [[Falcon (deleted aircraft)|Falcon]] UNSC aircraft.{{Ref/Reuse|H2CE}}

Early [[Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards]] for the levels [[Cairo Station]] and the cut level [[Cut Halo 2 levels#covenantshp|covenantship]] show some more usage of the strike fighter; in the cut sections of ''Halo 2''{{'}}s early story, the strike fighters would have filled the role shown by the Longsword in the final game - performing an attack run on a [[Day of Jubilation|Covenant carrier]].{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/68xkw5|SiteName=ArtStation|PageName=Halo 2 storyboards}}

The strike fighter notably bears a strong resemblance space fighters designed by [[Bungie]] in the late titles; specifically the [[YSS-1000 Sabre]] in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' and the jumpships of the later ''Destiny''.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Strike Fighter.
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

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