AH/G-24 Banshee

The AH/G-24 Banshee is a terran air unit set to appear in StarCraft II.

Overview
The Banshee is a terran aircraft designed by Procyon Industries in response to the Terran Dominion's requirement for a dedicated ground attack aircraft. Experience had shown that it was unlikely that adapting an existing design would prove satisfactory. Thus, Procyon designed an entirely new craft.

The design was heavily optimized for its intended role. Armament was limited to air-to-ground Backlash cluster rockets, eschewing any anti-aircraft weapons. As the Banshee was never intended to operate outside of an atmosphere, only relatively low-thrust turbofans were fitted, wholly unable to achieve escape velocity, but much cheaper than engines capable of achieving space flight. Later Banshees were fitted with cloaking devices taken from Wraiths.

The Banshee has proven successful in service. Easily transported from world to world, its mobility and firepower has proven most useful, especially in inhospitable terrain and against hostile irregular forces. The Banshee has also acquired a reputation as a Dominion terror weapon, a result of a significant number of civilians being killed by Banshees employed in urban combat.

By 2502 the Banshee was already in service with the Kel-Morian Combine.

Game Unit
The Banshee's attack strikes single ground units. Because it moves during the attack, it has trouble hitting units directly underneath it.

Banshees can quickly destroy buildings, even powering through anti-air defenses. Other races should deploy specialized anti-air units like corruptors and Phoenixes to keep them in check. Ground unit counters include marines, thors, hydralisks, stalkers equipped with blink and high templar psionic storms.

Development
In early builds, the Banshee delivered an area of effect attack, though this has since been removed as of March 2008.

The original portrait was female, but was replaced by a male as of April 2009. By June 2009, the portrait was female again.