For Halo's 25th anniversary, Asobo dropped the D77-TC Pelican into Flight Simulator 2024 with a new drone and jet flight model, a full cargo bay and 12 liveries. Claim it by November 17 and it's yours. Wait until the 18th and you pay.
You can fly a Pelican right now. For free. To celebrate Halo turning 25, Microsoft and Asobo Studio have added the D77-TC Pelican dropship to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and anyone can claim it at no cost from November 10 through November 17. Starting November 18, it costs $9.99 in the in-sim Marketplace, according to the official Microsoft Flight Simulator announcement.
This isn’t a skin slapped on a cargo plane. The Flight Simulator team says the Pelican comes with its own flight model that lets you switch between drone and jet propulsion, custom avionics inspired by the Halo games, a complete interior including the cargo bay, and 12 liveries. The announcement even stays in character, describing the Pelican as “a highly adaptable, multi-role vehicle that forms the backbone of United Nations Space Command (UNSC) transport squadrons in the 26th century.” In Halo lore, it carries a crew of three and up to 14 fully outfitted troops, with a clamp underneath for dropping a vehicle. Yes, you can finally do your own Warthog run from orbit, minus the Warthog.
It’s available on every platform Flight Simulator 2024 runs on, including Xbox Series X|S and PC, and that includes players who have the game through Game Pass.
How to claim it
Windows Central walked through it, and it takes a couple of minutes:
- Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and select Marketplace at the bottom of the main menu.
- Look for the banner for D77-TC Pelican (free trial). If it’s not there, search the full catalog for “Pelican” and pick the Microsoft/Asobo listing.
- Hit Get for Free.
- Find it in your aircraft list as Misriah Armory D77-TC Pelican, with a yellow “New” tag.
Microsoft hasn’t said what time on November 17 the free window closes, so MSFS Addons suggests not leaving it to the last evening. We agree. Grab it today.
Free last time, free for a week this time
Longtime simmers will recognize this bird. The Pelican first landed in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 in 2022, when it was a free gift with no expiry date, as MSFS Addons points out. That version had 13 liveries. The 2024 version has 12 and a one-week free window before the price tag kicks in.
Free Pelican in Flight Sim. Are you suiting up?
Vote and see what other Xbox fans think.
Like having a say? Get OnPoint Weekly or argue it out on Discord.
We’re not going to pretend $9.99 is a crime. It’s on the cheap end of the Marketplace. But it’s a little funny that the 2020 Pelican was a free-forever gift and the 25th anniversary Pelican is free for seven days. Our advice is simple: claim it this week and it’s yours for nothing.
The bigger picture is a fun one. Halo launched alongside the original Xbox in November 2001, and Xbox is spending this whole week celebrating 25 years. The Pelican joins the Game Pass drops, FanFest in Seattle and the classics landing on November 15 that we rounded up in our Xbox 25th anniversary week guide. Two Xbox franchises colliding inside one of the best-looking games on the platform is exactly the kind of crossover this anniversary should have. What a time to be an Xbox fan.
Image: Microsoft / Asobo Studio
Sources
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo’s 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican
- Xbox Wire: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo’s 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican
- X: @MSFSofficial announcement
- Windows Central: Microsoft Flight Simulator gets Halo’s iconic ‘Pelican’ ship for free, but it won’t last for long
- MSFS Addons: Halo’s Pelican dropship returns for MSFS 2024, but this time it’s only free for a week
- Neowin: Halo’s Pelican lands in Flight Simulator, and it’s free this week
- OnPoint 4 Gamers: Xbox’s 25th Anniversary Week Is Here
