F-290A Cutlass

F-290 Cutlass

"There were some naysayers at first. Too expensive they said. We could by more regular fighters for the cost of one of these things. Then we had our test of fire at the battle of New Danzig, and ended that battle with a victory tally of 14:1. Everybody knew then, the Cutlass rules these skies."

- Captain Henrik Argyll

The is the UNSC's most advanced starfighter. Currently exiting the prototype phase, the Cutlass utilises technology reverse engineered from the Covenant, such as Impulse drives, Hyperscanners, and energy shields, and combines them with advanced stealth features, powerful weapons, and a miniaturized slipspace drive. To expensive for widespread distribution, the Cutlass instead serves as the UNSC's top fighter, with the few operational squadrons being reserved for the UNSC's best aces.