Death Header is a rhomboidal-winged black plane that debuts in Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive and it looks somewhat like F4U Flying Pancake of the Second World War, but differs in various ways. Later in Raiden Fighters Jets, its color scheme has been changed into red.
History[]
Death Header was originally designed as a carrier-based fighter with STOL (Short-Take-Off-Landing) capability. However, the revolutionary's Navy which Death Header belonged to was devastated in the First Great war against the Dictator's military, thereby halting the further development of the Death Header. The project was nearly scrapped, until revolutionary's air force, Gun Dog squadron's commanders expressed interest in STOL aircraft and blended wing designs. But the Great War ended before Death Header had a chance to come into existence and prove its worth in the battle.
Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive[]
Death Header would have its day in Operation Hell Dive: 4 years have passed since the dictator and its military had been routed from the capital. Revolutionaries which Death Header belongs to have seized the power, formed a new government and built a new military from scratch. But the ousted dictator and his loyalists refused to acknowledge the new government and established their own militarist nation. Using 4 years to rebuild their military, the dictator's forces launched a general attack upon the new government and occupied many of regions that are supportive of the new government. Gun Dog's fighters including Death Header, were ordered to scramble to counter the enemy military and liberate occupied territories.
Should Gun Dog's counterattack succeeds, this would give the new government's military a decisive advantage against its enemies. This counterattack is to be called Operation Hell Dive. Inheriting abilities from Devastator's firepower and laser-based sub-weapon, Death Header was more than up to the challenge. Delivering destruction upon the dictator's military along with its sister Gun Dog fighters, Death Header and its fellow fighters penetrated into the enemy's capital, braving the savage resistance from dictator's elite guards and destroying the enemy's ultimate weapon, Red Eye. Thanks to Death Header and Gun Dog fighters, enemy forces have once again been dealt an immense blow and were forced to retreat from regions which they occupied. While no doubt that Operation Hell Dive would go down as greatest military victory in history, The enemy would one day rise up again as it did in the past.
Raiden Fighters JET[]
Death Header returns as one of playable aircrafts in Raiden Fighters JET. Here Death Header along with its prop-engine sister fighters had retired from frontline service since they became obsolete in an era of jet fighters. Still, Death Header had been converted into a simulator device that trains pilots to be efficient and if they are lucky, one of them may even be chosen to pilot the new air force's latest state-of-the-art jet fighter, Ixion. If a pilot performs their simulation training poorly, the simulation will end prematurely and the game ends. If a pilot performs better in his/her simulation, he/she will be tested in level 45: if the pilot performs level 45 training excellently, the pilot will pass the simulation and then is ordered immediately to fly Ixion to wage a real battle against remnants of the dictator's military. But if level 45 is completed with difficulty, the simulation takes the pilot to level 50 - which is another dead-end level. Here a pilot is told that while he/she got a passable grade, he/she can still aim higher before ending the game.
Powers and abilities[]
The Electric Lock-On Beam behaves similarly to the RF1 Devastator's Electro-Zapper Beam, including the Charged Laser. The Heat-Seeking Missiles spin around in place for a while before homing into an enemy. Its defense is quite good.
Gallery[]
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