GA-TL1 Longsword

Template:Ship The C709 Longsword-class Interceptor is the main UNSC space fighter-bomber.

Propulsion

There are four main engines visible on a Longsword fighter. Their exact nature is not known, but they are able of functioning in space and they are strong enough to reach Earth's and Installation 04's escape velocity. There are also likely multiple RCS points for maneuvering. It also states that the Longswords can have optional Cryo-chambers, suggesting that the Longswords are rarely fitted with Slipspace drives or that they go on long distance deep space voyages. Lastly, if one looks closely at the Longswords at the ending cinematic of The Storm, the tips of their wings leave thin white trails, similar to Banshee's. These are probably some form of atmospheric engine.

Weapons

Its main weapons are 110mm rotary cannons, as well as 120mm ventral guns, for dogfighting in space. This versatile fighter can be armed with an assortment of secondary weapons including ASGM-10 Missiles, bombs, Moray Space Mines, and even a single Shiva nuclear Warhead. The Longsword is usually deployed against Seraph fighters. It can also be used to escort Pelicans as they head for the surface of a planet. Simply put, it is a very versatile starcraft. Once it was used to destroy a Supercarrier by having Cortana arm its nuke and crash-land it on the Supercarrier with the nuke on a timer. The nuke went off and the ship was destroyed.

Trivia

The Longsword appears to be a part of a series of starcraft in a line. For example, the Shortsword Bomber (Introduced in Halo Wars), bears a slight similarity, and a related name. It also performs a function seen in a Halo 2 playable demo that was performed by Longswords, indicating that the builders have constructed various air/spacecraft with specific functions.
The external features of the Longsword greatly resemble a stingray.
Using saved films in Halo 3, Halo fans can get pictures of the Longsword in the levels "The Ark" (when the Longsword flies by when the Chief finds the crashed Pelican and some marines) and in the level "The Storm" (when the Longsword is shot down by the Covenant AA gun).
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the inside of the ship presents a small corridor leading to the rear, a stair, and a higher corridor to the cockpit. In the two corridors, there are several equipment lockers, along with two auxiliary crew stations. The cockpit consists of two pilot chairs and two more auxiliary crew stations. With an assumed total crew complement of six, along with the equipment lockers,and possible cryo-chamber compatibility, the ship presents itself as less of a fighter-bomber and more of a gunship or dedicated bomber, much like the B-17 Flying Fortress of World War II.
If one were to construct a life size, 1:1 scale longsword, its wingspan would be 5 meters longer than a Boeing 747 and would be 6 meters shorter lengthwise.