Type-26 Banshee

"Banshees of legend warned of death, and today all UNSC veterans know the cry of this glittering alien terror."

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

Overview

Banshee blueprint.

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 vaporous exhaust trail while flying. The Banshee is capable of reaching a speed of over 100 km/h^[1], with a low flight ceiling estimated to be around 100-300 meters,^[2] and is extremely maneuverable. It is also able to perform highly aerobatic maneuvers, such as lateral rolls and vertical flips. While fast and agile, this aircraft is further enhanced by two weapon pods slung underneath the fuselage: Each pod contains a light Plasma Cannon that fires in the 100-250 KW Range and a Fuel Rod Cannon. ^[3] Due to its low flight ceiling, the Banshee is vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and well aimed infantry. 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 operated by either Brutes or Elites in combat situations.

The Banshee is commonly known for wreaking havoc on Human forces in ground campaigns: UNSC forces are always forced to deal with Banshees or abandon certain areas when Covenant air support comes into play. Banshees will often employ hit and run strafing tactics until an area has been cleared of enemy forces, while weaker targets or high priority targets will be chased after until destroyed. Banshees are rarely seen flying alone; even the lightest patrol will consist of two Banshees, while a common patrol may consist of five or more. The Banshee's Plasma Cannons, deemed "light", are understated. One bolt will instantly kill a light armored flesh based target. Even heavily armored targets like the SPARTAN-IIs would only be able to withstand a few bolts before being killed. A direct hit from the Banshee's secondary Fuel Rod Cannon would instantly blow any flesh based target into bits of charred flesh. In the context of the Halo games, all of the plasma weapon's strength and lethality are compensated for both the sake of ESRB rating, and gameplay.

Advantages

The Banshee is a versatile aircraft in the Covenant's vehicular arsenal, and, in the control of an experienced pilot, can be extraordinarily difficult to take out. Its twin, rapid fire Plasma Cannons are exceptionally efficient at taking out individual infantry, and a single Fuel Rod from its similarly named cannon can make easy work of an entire group of enemy infantry. The boosting capability of the vehicle allows for quick entry and exit from combat situations, or to catch up to a particular target. Boosting also allows a pilot to outpace a homing projectile, or slip away from opposing vehicles and small arms fire. Utilizing barrel rolls and flips, the Banshee is able to avoid slow moving projectiles at short or long range, while also facilitating quick turns around obstacles or close threats. As a support aircraft the Banshee is able to pin down enemy forces until ground forces can move in, or destroy light structures that may be obstructing ground forces from advancing.

Disadvantages

The Banshee is lightly armored and thus vulnerable to high velocity rounds, explosives, anti-vehicle weaponry, and even moderate small arms fire from human projectile weaponry. The Banshee's low flight ceiling makes it very vulnerable to weapons like the M41 LAAG, can easily punch through the armor of the Banshee and injure or kill the pilot. The Banshee is also prone to EMP devices which can disable the craft either temporarily or permanently and should the vehicles anti-gravity pods located on each end of the wing be destroyed the craft will crash. Maneuvering the Banshee takes a considerable amount of skill to do, an unskilled pilot may crash the banshee into the ground or another oncoming object by accident.

Tactics

Campaign

In Halo: Combat Evolved, besides another vehicle the rocket launcher is the only weapon powerful enough to down a Banshee with a single shot on the higher difficulty settings to increase your chances of defeating one without wasting your shots separate yourself from the rest of the action. You don't want to have to divide your attention between the banshee and your surroundings. Once you are in a relatively sheltered position, focus entirely on downing the banshee.
If need be get the Banshees attention with small arms fire with a capable weapon. Get the Banshee to turn and start a strafing run on your position; the pilot will not break off his run until he kills you, you kill him, or he gets very close to you.
Using the rocket launcher, when the banshee enters your range, aim slightly below the center of the "body", into an area that should be centered between the two cannons and slightly above them, and fire away. Because the banshee pilot will always strafe at a downward angle, he will fly directly into your oncoming rocket. Although one rocket will always bring down the banshee, it is a good idea to have your launcher fully loaded with two rockets before you intend to use it. Also be aware that the banshee will still have forward momentum after you bring it down, so watch out for it crashing because it can kill you ruining a good move.
On the level Halo you can use the pistol to take down the banshee, it will take 20 rounds to take it down, but by staying in the downed life-pod and shooting it at close range you'll be able to take one down.

Multiplayer

Alert your teammates as soon as you spot the enemy Banshee in the air.
Splattering with a Banshee is very tempting, however you can easily be stuck with a grenade, especially in tight quarters or even worse, hijacked.
Know when you are taking enough damage, if you suffer too much damage, the Banshee can be disabled and the enemy can use it in their favor.
The Banshee can be a big threat if not taken out quickly. To lessen the chance of being blown up, engage the enemy in a hit and run style.
The biggest bane of the Banshee is the Spartan Laser. Before charging with a Banshee, ensure that your team is in control of the Spartan Laser.
If you boost into a wall while damaged, the Banshee will explode and eject you with downed shields. This is a useful escape if being hijacked.
An easy way to fend off a hijacker is to watch when your opponent opens the hatch and does a flip. As you get ejected hold the boarding button, you should be able to jump back on your stolen aircraft to retake it.

Changes

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

It is no longer capable of hovering in mid-air, which was featured in Halo: CE.
The iconic 'screams' of the Banshee can only be heard from a very short distance away in Halo 2, while it could be heard from very far away in Halo: CE.
The Banshee, including all other Covenant vehicles and the Master Chief featured in Halo: CE Campaign, no longer has a health bar similar to the player's.
In Halo 2, the ability to boost the Banshee's engines was added, but at the cost of maneuverability and weapon power.
In Halo 2, the ability to hijack, or "skyjack," an occupied enemy Banshee has been added.
The Banshee can now be used in Halo 2 Multiplayer. It should be noted, though, that it was also available in Halo PC.
In Halo 2, when damaged, the Banshee will lose parts and emit blue sparks.
The Fuel Rod Cannon control has been changed to "B" so a boost could be added to the Banshee.
The Banshee has gained the ability to move left and right without having to roll, allowing it to strafe more effectively.
The use of Banshee tricks has been added, possibly to balance homing rockets.
Overall, a Halo 2 Banshee that is not boosting is slower than the model from Halo: Combat Evolved.
High velocity impacts will now injure the player whilst in the Banshee.
The Halo 2 Banshee's plasma cannons are now more accurate than those in Halo: CE, but the bolts only travel half as far before evaporating.
The Banshee, once easy to kill with an MA5B Assault Rifle, is now near-impossible to kill with any basic projectile or plasma weapon.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

The Banshee in Halo 3 is largely unchanged from Halo 2; The most notable difference is the time in which a stunt can be performed and an increase in boosting speed.
The Fuel Rod Cannon has been added for use in Multiplayer.
The Banshee can no longer face any lower than 45 degrees, to prevent it from overpowering ground players and for more airplane-like strafing runs.
In Halo 3 the Banshee's wings cannot be fully shot off, as the fiction states that without the anti-grav pods the Banshee has nothing to keep it in the air.
NPCs can now fire the Fuel Rod Gun which can home in to vehicles.
Along with the Wraith, the Banshee has received a substantial visual upgrade. Its canopy now has a green iridescent sheen, which appears almost insectoid. It resembles a true alien alloy and adds to the verisimilitude of Halo 3.
Its plasma trail that it forms in the air looks more plasma-based than in Halo 2.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3: ODST

The Banshee will now hover when not being moved.
The Banshee can now face nearly completely downwards.
The Banshee can now rotate 360 degrees in mid air.
The engines on the Banshee's body are much more noticeable.
There is a new engine inside the Banshee's canopy.
The fuel rod projectile doesn't arc down, instead it stays straight.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

The iridescent sheen is less noticeable.
The canopy appears wider.
The propulsion pods are flat and hidden inside the wing.
The shafts that hold the cannons are bigger and more primitive in appearance.
The plasma cannons have two extra tubes that look like range-finders.
The two wings are bent and partially merged together.
The overall size appears smaller.
There is an actual seethrough windshield instead of the scanners.
There is now a bomber variant and a fighter variant, each only being able to attack in a way that fits their role, (Eg. Bomber: Fuel rod, Fighter: Plasma cannon)

Halo Wars

File:HW banshee.jpg

The Halo Wars Banshee.

The Banshee appears in most Halo Wars levels and can be used by players in Skirmish mode when choosing a Covenant Leader. They can be built inside the Summit at a price of 200 resources and have up to 3 available upgrades:

"Boost": the Banshee has now a speed boost ability that can be activated with 'Y'. Costs 200 resources and requires tech level 1.
"Repeating Cannon": Increases fire rate of cannons. Costs 400 resources and requires tech level 2.
"Sacrifice": when destroyed, the Banshee crashes against a ground target to inflict impact damage. Costs 700 resources and requires tech level 3.

Banshees are effective against ground troops and most vehicles. 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. Banshees become the fastest unit in Halo Wars while they boost. A common strategy is to create an army of about 20 Banshees and swarm the opposing army, especially if his forces are mainly composed out of vehicles.

Banshees are extremely vulnerable to Wolverines and Vampires.

Trivia

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 Heretic version of the Banshee appears in Halo 2 its only notable difference however is its golden trim, colors of the Sangheili home world, Sanghelios.
Banshees are seen in the three part series Halo: Landfall. 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. This may be to add the illusion of fast-paced action, similar to how camera movements appear to add realism to visual media, mostly in battlefield-themed media. This could also be a gameplay measure.
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. Players can also achieve this maneuver. It is easily done on maps with accessible trees, such as Valhalla or Avalanche. The player could simply boost into a tree and the Banshee will explode on impact while the player falls to the ground without losing any of his/her shield.
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 is capable of carrying Master Chief and a second SPARTAN-II, Linda-058. 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.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the pilot's legs can be seen as they fly away and it is possible to snipe them out of the Banshee. If aimed at the right place, a headshot can be made, although this rarely happens.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, it is possible to drive a banshee upside down, for about a second or two if executed correctly.
On page 129 of The Art of Halo, Banshees are seen firing Fuel Rod Cannons on the Halo 2 map Waterworks, in the Halo 2 Beta.
On the cover of the Halo: Combat Evolved, the two Banshees appear to be un-piloted as the top canopy enclosing the driver is up. Also, the two Banshees that shot down Foehammer also had open canopies. These were probably related to the Banshee's scripted movements, while the former could be an early version.
In Halo 3 if you manage to board a Banshee in the Scarab fight on 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. Strangely, a hijacked Banshee in the aerial battle above Tower 3 won't detonate when the player exits it.
This may only be done on Halo 3: if you do a backflip and get out during the backflip, the Banshee will wiggle about before diving. This may be due to the physics engine.
If you look closely at a Banshee you will find that it somewhat resembles an Elite's head, with the cockpit as its skull and its blasters as its "mandibles."
When you are attacking the Control Room on the last level of Halo 2, if you get out of your Banshee and destroy it and then destroy one of the two Banshees by the Control Room, it respawns into a Heretic Banshee.Template:Fact
In the Halo novels, the Banshee is simultaneously weaker and stronger. Stronger in the sense that it's plasma and cannon are at their most realistic strength, but weaker in the fact that the mounted plasma turrets must charge, and it is prone to losing control of itself with only minor nicks to it's canards.
In Halo: First Strike, Linda-058 was able to kill Banshee pilots with perfect ricochets from her Sniper Rifle, a feat impossible in gameplay.
If you observe carefully, the Heretic Banshee's Plasma Cannons have a higher rate of fire than the normal Banshee.
On The Arbiter, if you land a Banshee on any of the platforms, whether it is destroyed or not, another one will always spawn. The same is true of the level Two Betrayals in the first game.
On Delta Halo, you can't seem to board the Banshees. If you kill the pilots inside, you also can't enter them. However, in one guide for Halo 2, it says that you can skip half of the level with a Banshee.
In Halo 3, the Katana's sword hilt can be seen jutting out of the right side of the Banshee canopy.
If you destroy a Banshee while it is boosting, the boost lights are still visible on the destroyed wreckage.
If the tail fins are touched by the environment objects in Halo: CE, the pilot will instantly be ejected from their vehicle.^{[verification needed]}

Gallery

BansheeH3.png

The Type-26 GSA as it appears in Halo 3.
Halo-3-Banshee.jpg

A Banshee on Sandtrap.
12413077-Full.jpg

An exploding Banshee on Valhalla.
Two Banshees on the level Assault on the Control Room.
1209950359 Underbelly.jpg

Underside of a Banshee, seen dodging an incoming missile.
A Banshee performing a barrel roll.
Banshee concept art from the game Halo Wars.
Bansheegowhee.JPG

A Banshee in full flight.
1220830927 Banshee inside.png

Close-up of a Banshee's control system in Halo: Combat Evolved.
Hereticbanshee containment.jpg

A Banshee without its cowlings.

Sources

^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 4
^ The Art of Halo, page 128
^ Halo: The Flood, page 51

Related Pages

Template:Covenant Vehicles

[1] Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 4

[2] The Art of Halo, page 128

[3] Halo: The Flood, page 51

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