Aircraft
From the Metal Gear Wiki
This article covers a group of items without enough details to merit separate articles.
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[edit] Airplanes
[edit] F-16 Fighting Falcon
First flown in 1974, it's the backbone of the U.S. Air Force. During the beginning of Solid Snake's infiltration mission of Shadow Moses, the U.S. military sends two F-16 fighters from Galena AFB to Shadow Moses Island as a diversionary tactic. The plan is to begin the infiltration while the terrorists have their eyes on the F-16's. In response, Liquid Snake departs to engage them with his Hind-D. Incredibly, he is able to shoot them down with the Hind-D. Apparently, the diversion seems to work.
[edit] F-117 Nighthawk
The world's first operational stealth warplane. Developed to evade Soviet air defenses with radar absorbant material, it has become the pioneer in aviation stealth technology. F-117s are deployed along with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to destroy Shadow Moses Island and any incriminataing evidence concerning the development and deployment of Metal Gear Rex and the Genome Army, however, the airstrike is called off by Roy Campbell, who has the secretary of defense Jim Houseman arrested.
[edit] AWACS
AWACS stands for Airborne Warning and Control System. It's basically a flying Radar Platform that can be used to communicate with other airborne aircraft. Jim Houseman was on board one when he ordered the destruction of Shadow Moses by nuclear weapons.
[edit] AC-130H Spectre/MC-130 Combat Talon
There is some confusion over this aircraft as it's fully armed but it is called a combat talon when unarmed. The Combat Talon is based on the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. During the Virtuous Mission it is used to transport Naked Snake and his Fox support team to Tselinoyarsk. The aircraft is equipped with the Fulton Recovery System which allows personnel to be picked up by the plane using a balloon attached to them.
[edit] M-21
Mother ship that carried the D-21 the area where Naked Snake was going to be deployed in Operation Snake Eater. based in the A-12 'Oxcart' that would later become SR-71 'BlackBird'. the A-12 was designed by Lockheed Martin Skunkworks as a reconnaissance aircraft for the CIA. the A-12 can fly Mach 3+, much faster than any aircraft or missiles that may be used to intercept it.
For the purposes of Operation Snake Eater a D-21 reconnaissance drone was modified carry a passenger so it could be used to insert Snake into Tselinoyarsk. This was necessary because of heightened security.
[edit] Bartini Beriev VVA-14 (WIG)
WIG stands for "Wing In Ground effect" and is used to describe a phenomenon whereby an aircraft flying extremely low to the ground generates an air cushion beneath its wings, which can be used as a method of sustaining flight; this type of aircraft is known in Russia as an Ekranoplan. The Bartini Beriev VVA-14 Vertikal`no-Vzletayuschaya Amphibia ("vertical take-off amphibious aircraft") was a Soviet project aimed at producing an amphibious aircraft able to engage and destroy American Polaris missile submarines, which produced two prototypes between 1972 and 1987, when the remaining prototype was retired. Despite being designed for vertical takeoff, the fan allowing this was never fitted to either prototype.
VVA-14 aircraft appear in Metal Gear Solid 3 as another of the advanced vehicle projects Volgin has carried to completion much earlier than occurred in real life, using the massive funding of the Philosophers' Legacy. A number are seen on the main runway of Groznyj Grad and one is later used by EVA and Naked Snake to make their escape.
[edit] MIG-21 'fishbed'
Used to control the airspace over Tselinoyarsk. Snake avoids them with the D-21 and when him and EVA try to escape a couple of MiGs threaten to shoot them down but Nikita Khrushchev calls them off. In the battle with The Boss MiGs have been ordered to bomb the area giving Naked Snake and The Boss a time limit for their battle.
[edit] Helicopters
[edit] Sikorsky Helicopters
A modified Sikorsky-type helicopter , the Gigant, was developed in Zanzibar Land, for the purpose of airlifting Metal Gear D into battle. It is equipped with 5 turbo-shaft engines, and is capable of lifting over 60 metric tons. For air transportation, hooks are attached to Metal Gear, and it is hung from the helicopter on wires. Metal Gear is most vulnerable under this situation, so it is always accompanied by a few escort gunships. Transportation is performed at night, with Metal Gear D being deployed 20-30 km from the target destination, from which it then travels on its own (at a maximum speed of 45 km/h).
Another Sikorsky-type helicopter, the Sikorsky HH-64 Dragoon, was used during the Zanzibar Land Uprising. The Sikorsky HH-64 Dragoon, like the Gigant, was a modified version of the Sikorsky Stallion Helicopters that was used primarily by the United States Marines and NATO. It's primary purposes are for the carrying of heavy cargo, as well as carrying goods, transferring troops, and rescuing combatants, and so on. In the case of Operation Intrude F014, it was used for the extraction of VIPs under special duties such as Dr. Kio Marv. Due to its heavily modified design from regular gunships for the purpose of carrying cargo, the Sikorsky HH-64 Dragoon is often installed with three turbo shaft engines as well as having massive firepower in the form of .62 mm machine miniguns equipped on either sides of the chopper as well as the rear. The .62 mm machine guns are also capable of firing 4000 rounds per minute, and the fact that it took down an entire platoon of Zanzibar Land troops is a testament towards the magnitude of it's firepower. It's crews also include Parachute Jumpers (PJs), special force members that use parachutes to cover the Rescued.
The HH-60 Seahawk was used by the US Navy to transport the SEAL Teams to the Big Shell. Both helicopters however, were shot out of the sky by the Harrier controlled by the terrorists and ended up 'in the bottom of the harbor", as the Colonel put it.
[edit] Metal Gear Solid 4 Helicopters
At least four distinct helicopters are seen in MGS4; these include (what appear to be) Blackhawk helicopters with coaxial twin rotors, these are mainly used by the US military forces and at least one seems to be in possession of Philanthropy. The second is a smaller single rotor helicopter that can be seen in acts 4 & 5. The third, operated by Liquid Ocelot's PMC forces, appears a hybrid of two modern helicopters, resembling a cross between the Super Stallion and Chinook.
The fourth type are hybrid fixed / rotary wing gunships used by the PMCs, which have a large two-blade rotor which is capable of being locked in place and used as a wing surface for high-speed flight. They are seen mostly in helicopter configuration, though a few in jet configuration are seen in Act 1. They are based on the Boeing X-50 Dragonfly, a failed project aimed at producing a helicopter that could transition to fixed-wing flight in mid air which was cancelled in 2006.
[edit] Hind D
For the full article, see Hind D.
While infiltrating Shadow Moses Island during the FOXHOUND Rebellion of 2005, Solid Snake did battle with a Hind D, piloted by his own brother, Liquid Snake, and a Genome Soldier. Earlier, Liquid Snake had used the Hind D to shoot down two F-16's. As usual, Snake was able to destroy the Hind and seemingly kill Liquid in the process, yet later, upon discovering a parachute hanging from a nearby tree, it was evident that Liquid had ejected and survived the crash.
[edit] UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)s
[edit] Cypher
Reconnaissance drones that act as flying surveillance cameras in outside Areas. Can be disabled temporarily with a Chaff grenade or can be shot down with a rifle or handgun. There is also an armed version with a machine gun.
- These are used to guard the Oil Fence and Raiden must use the PSG-1 to destroy them.
- At one point in the game a cypher has a C4 sensor above it's camera. which must be shot out before Raiden can proceed.
- Snake uses a cypher for vertical recovery in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
An unlockable trophy describes the Cypher thusly:
An unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle used by the U.S. Army. It uses a fan in the center of its body to hover and a camera on its upper fuselage to monitor from the skies. It has a number of models, including the armed Gun Cypher and the remodeled Cypher II. Its small size and continuous flight ability make it extremely effective in guarding against intruders.
[edit] Other
[edit] Flying Platform
Used in the Soviet Union, it is based off an American design but uses solid fuel, and is propelled by jet engines so advanced, they can catch up to a W.I.G. near take off. Guards use these in areas where it's difficult to get to such as the canyon, up in the mountains and in the jungle. Provides greater mobility to the guards and provides a shield for them to hide behind. It often comes with a light which can be used to blind intruders as they attempt to target the pilot. However, its main weakness lies in its design: as it is a flying platform, the body of the pilot is exposed and therefore vulnerable to gunfire. Also, as one hand is required to pilot the platform, the pilot can only use one-handed weapons.
