YSS-770 Masamune

The YSS-770 Masamune was an extremely high-performance spaceplane that saw limited usage throughout the. Named after a master swordsmith of Japan, the Masamune is the first vehicle that's been specifically tailed to the capabilities of augmented personnel. As a result, the Masamune was the fastest and most maneuverable fighter in the UNSC's inventory, exceeding the established safe limits for regular pilots. Although designed principally for engaging large numbers of strikecraft while disrupting or distracting the point-defense on enemy ships, this strikecraft has an extensive number of hardpoints allowing it to be retooled into a strike bomber on occasion.

Developed alongside Project JAVELIN, the Masamune would be unveiled a year after JAVELIN was officially deployed, when the early prototypes had to be deployed to fend off a Covenant task force. Succeeding in driving off a Covenant battlegroup, the Masamune would enter mass-production to replace the traditional craft previously used by the JAVELINs, with their numbers steadily growing throughout the conflict.