C710 Broadsword-class Heavy Starfighter

The Broadsword Heavy Starfighter is the newest and most deadly ship in the UNSC arsenal. It has been in the making for years, and has finally been released to select elite squads. This ship features new technology and weapons in a familiar shell. 
==Body==
The hull of this ship is exactly the same as the C709 Longsword. It has the same dimensions, but has a radically different inside. Crew space has been reduced to make room for more ammunition and missiles. All bomb bays have been turned into shield generators, and the leftover space is used for more missiles and ammo. It has a radically different cockpit; it only seats one, as that is all that is needed to fly the ship. The ship links to an upgraded version of the standard UNSC neural implant, allowing a single person to fly it. 
==Technological Advancements==
The biggest and most visible advancement (in combat anyway) is the shields. The Broadswords shields are much like the Spartan armors shields, and have the same golden color to them. They are stronger than the shields on Seraph fighters, much like the Mjolnir shields are stronger than those on the elites. The shields can resist quite a bit of overal damage, such as a Seraph or Tarzan fighter's main cannons. It could be noted that the damage taken can be around the same amount that Mjolnir shield's would be damaged if they were hit with a single plasma pistol shot. Other comparisons cascade, such as pulse lasers being plasma rifles, and plasma torpedoes being wraith mortar blasts. Other advancements include higher thrust in both space and atmostphere greatly surpassing both Tarzan's and Seraphs, more manuverability, higher firepower, including higher power 180 mm rotary cannons, as well as new ASGM-11 Missiles (stronger version's of the more common missiles). In addition, dozens of other new technoolgys are crammed into the ship. The ship has artificial gravity, which means that the G forces of combat are better compensated and make more maneuvering possible in combat. The ship also has liquid metal ammo stores, which lower the space needed to hold ammunition and allow for the new guns. It has an experimental reactor core similar to the one on most modified Halcyon class cruiers-specifically the pillar of autumn. In addition, it also has one more advancement in weaponry: the ENDRW, or Energy Sheild Draining Ray Weapon. THis device fires out a high particle ray of radiation that completely strips covenant energy shields but has been configured to leave human ones unharmed. THis means that the covenant can't use it against the UNSC. This weapon is pherhaps the most phenomenal thing about the craft. Yet another advancement is the development of a slipspace drive for a ship of this size. This makes the Broadsword able to jump into slipspace without help from larger capital ships. 
==Usage==
So far the Broadsword has only been given to select few squadrons—most notably the 112th Naval Squadron. Other units have been assigned them in small numbers, but only for testing purposes.
Also, few select units of the 14th Nomad Fleet have access to it.
==First Deployment==
The Broadsword was deployed for the first time on November 3, 2552, in the battle of Onyx. It was tested by the 112th Naval Squadron, who participated in the battle and barely survived the Covenant ambush and the attack of Sentinels. However, thanks to its slipspace drive, it managed to escape the planet.
==Post War==
After the end of the war in 2553, the UNSC began efforts to rebuild, but kept it's military strong to deal with rebels, and began a campaign to modernize all forces. In 2558, the Broadsword was introduced as the standard line UNSC fighter, and would be used for dozens of years afterwards. During its years of service, the Broadsword received numerous upgrades to its weaponry as better and more powerful weapons were produced. The first advancement was the MK.2, which had higher thrust and more powerful reactors. The Mk.3 replaced the twin superheated 180mm rotary cannons with pulse laser cannons, and it had an added pilot intigration suite that allowed for easier use. The Mk. 4 had an even newer reactor, stronger shielding, a more accurate and fast slipspace drive, more powerful pulse lasers, and instead of the ASGM-11 missiles, it had ASGM-12/B Missiles, which had a higher yield. The Mk. 5 was truly the most powerful design, as it incorporated a slipspace drive that was faster and more accurate than the drives of covenant ships in the great war, had shields twice as strong as the original broadsword, could nearly triple the speed of Seraph fighters used during the war, had a larger bomb bay, a more powerful ESDRW, and above all, a warhead based Molecular Disruption and Destruction Device Some models of the Mk. 5 were upgraded with a beam based version of the MDaDD, but most just used the warhead. In 2589, the Broadsword was retired from active duty, and most ships were either disassembled for scrap or placed in museums. It was succeeeded by the C711 Cutlass Fighter.
Category:Vehicles
Category:UNSC Aircraft