GA-TL1 Longsword (Earth-5875)

The GA-TL1 Interceptor/Strike Fighter, better known as the Longsword, is the primary space fighter used by the UNSC Navy, filling a series of roles at the same time.

Design details
The GA-TL1 Longsword is designed primarily as a fighter, though it can also be used for interception, suppression, bombing, or direct attack. There are a number of variants of the craft, with some variants measuring 64 meters (210 feet) long and 75 meters (246 feet) wide. All Longswords feature a crew of four: a pilot, a copilot, a navigator, and a systems operator; the crew may be assisted by an onboard executive Auton synthetic

While there are several noticeable external and presumably internal differences among variants, all Longswords share a common overall architecture. The craft features a wide, manta ray-like design with a rear-facing boom apparatus protruding from the center of the fuselage. The exhaust ports for the Longsword's twin fusion engines are also visible at the rear of the fuselage. The C709 variant features a large, diamond-shaped air intake underneath each wing, though these are much smaller on the C712, instead fitting flush with the fuselage. Furthermore, the C709 possesses a non-polarized canopy, though other variants feature a much larger, black-polarized canopy.

Inside the Longsword is a small corridor leading to the rear, along with stairs and a higher corridor that lead to the cockpit. Several equipment lockers are installed in the corridors, along with two secondary crew stations. The cockpit contains the pilot's and copilot's stations, which include control interfaces and information readouts, and may incorporate a synthetic interface.

The Longsword can be remotely piloted, as was performed during the Battle of Chi Ceti in 2525.

Armament
The standard armament of the GA-TL1 is the M9109 50mm cannon, which can be retracted into the hull. The Longsword can also accommodate any of several supplementary weapon systems, including a single Shiva-class nuclear missile; when remotely piloted, the Longsword itself can be used as a delivery system for the Shiva warhead.

Operational history
The GA-TL1 Longsword was manufactured in the 25th century by Armat Battlefield Systems, and rose to become the primary space fighters used by the UNSC Navy, seeing service during the Secession. With the outbreak of the First Contact War, Longswords saw use in the front lines and many other capacities. Longsword Squadron Delta was assigned to protect the Paris-class heavy frigate UNSC Commonwealth during the Battle of Chi Ceti, marking the first space battle of the war.

During the Battle of Paraíso, the Conestoga-class destroyer UNSC Sulaco carried one Longsword, nicknamed the Smart Ass. It was later interfaced with the Auton synthetic Bishop in order to save the surviving Marines on the surface of Paraíso and take them back to the Sulaco.

At the Fall of Reach, the Halcyon-class light cruiser UNSC Pillar of Autumn remotely launched Longswords with Shiva-class nuclear missiles against a RPV-class light destroyer. After the Autumn took down all of the destroyer's energy shields, the Longswords crash-landed against it and destroyed the warship.

During the Battle of Installation 04, seven Longswords protected the Pillar of Autumn against the ships of the Fleet of Particular Justice. At the end of the battle, one Longsword, Knife 26, was used by John-117 and Cortana to escape from Installation 04 before its destruction. They later boarded the Covenant DDS-class carrier Ascendant Justice with the Knife 26.

At the Battle of Voi, sixteen Longswords escorted three Charon-class light frigates into attacking the Dreadnought and kill the Prophet of Truth, but their attack was unsuccessful when Truth activated the Excession.

On March 11th, 2564, many Longswords escorted the UNSC Infinity and later defended it against the Insurrectionist freighter Pilgrims' Pride.

During a counter-piracy operation on Ven 3, on May 8th, 2564, the UNSC Normandy, escorted by three Longswords, ordered the space fighters to rescue Kaidan Alenko, who had been stranded on the planet and fighting against the kig-yar pirates there. One of the Longswords deployed a HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon against the pirate settlement, killing all of them.

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