Air Raid (G1)
| The name or term "Air Raid" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Air Raid (disambiguation). |
- Air Raid is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Some might call Air Raid reckless, the way he dives out of nowhere, charging enemy units head on. Air Raid would laugh at that. A rash and fearless young warrior who loves surprises (especially those that leave his foes too stunned to fight back), he has only one real goal in life: to have fun. Needless to say his attitude puts him in a lot of danger, but you can be sure he's enjoying himself the whole time.
Air Raid combines with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.
- Japanese name: Air Rider
- French-Canadian name: Bombardo
- Italian name: Tornado
- Russian name: Naletchik (Налетчик, Raider)
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Thanks to his previous connection to the Creation Matrix, Buster Witwicky began experiencing dreams and visions of new Transformers, beginning with an etching of Superion he made without even being consciously aware of it. Devastation Derby! By sharing his visions with Optimus Prime, Buster was able to clarify the images and understand the future of the evolution of the Cybertronian race -- amalgam model robots like the Constructicons' Devastator, capable of a more-streamlined merging into a more powerful form. It was these visions which allowed Optimus Prime and Wheeljack to conceive of and construct the Aerialbots. Second Generation!
Working on a plan to reverse engineer the gestalt technology the Decepticons used to create Devastator, Optimus Prime and the Autobots staged a daring raid on the Decepticon base of operations, giving Bumblebee enough time to digitally record the Constructicon's electrical transformation pattern for study. Command Performances! Working off that blueprint, Wheeljack successfully created Air Raid and the Aerialbots. During the new warriors' testing phase, however, the Autobots were alerted to a Decepticon operation at Hoover Dam. Only the Aerialbots were fast enough to reach the location in time, and so Prime was forced to send them into battle before their programming was completed.
Air Raid proved to be the most effective of the new Aerialbots in battle. After his fellow jets took a few hits in battle with the Cybertronian Seekers, Air Raid singlehandedly shook their formation and tore up Ramjet's nosecone with his torque rifle, giving the other Aerialbots time to regroup.
The Aerialbots eventually turned the tide on the Decepticons and drove them off, giving them time to focus on the energy siphon which was the core of the problem. At Silverbolt's command, they merged into Superion and began dismantling the drill device. A problem arose, however, when Bombshell's cerebro-shell controlled pawn Ricky Vasquez pointed Megatron (in his gun mode) at the giant Autobot. Because the majority of the Aerialbots were not programmed specifically to protect human life, Superion only saw a potential threat that needed to be eliminated. As the human fought against the Decepticons' control, Silverbolt too fought inside Superion's gestalt mind to protect the human. In the end, Silverbolt was forced to disengage Superion to keep him from destroying the human. Luckily, Ricky was more successful and managed to break the cerebro-shell's hold long enough to point Megatron at the drill and destroy it, ending the threat. Aerialbots over America!
After the near disaster at Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime had the Aerialbots shut down and their programming completely erased. Returned to a blank slate, he then inputed fully-programmed personalities for them with the Matrix before their next mission. It, uh...didn't help. In battle with Menasor as Superion, the Aerialbots were attacked by Circuit Breaker, deactivated, and captured by RAAT. It was only a lucky break that they were eventually freed. Heavy Traffic!
As Grimlock took over the Autobots, Air Raid and the other Aerialbots took an extended leave of absence from the war, since the Dinobot commander focused Autobot resources on repairing their fallen comrades and prepping the Ark to become spaceworthy again.
Sometime later, it was Air Raid, Skydive, and Fireflight who were the first to respond to a distress call from Buster Witwicky, the Autobots' old human ally who had been prisoner to the Decepticons for nearly a year. This led the combined Autobot and Decepticon forces into battle with Starscream, who had acquired the nigh-infinite power of the Underbase for himself. The Aerialbots were his first victims, wiped out in a single blast of cosmic power in the skies over New York City. Dark Star!
Along with the other deactivated Autobots aboard the Ark, Air Raid and the Aerialbots were eventually revived by the Nucleon super-energy Grimlock and the Dinobots recovered from Hydrus Four.
Generation 2
After the defeat of Bludgeon and his Decepticons on Klo, the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe. Once Optimus Prime and Grimlock learned of the threat posed by the second generation Cybertronian army, though, the Autobot forces reconsolidated under their command. Air Raid and the other Aerialbots were first seen after the Autobots had retreated to an asteroid sanctuary for retraining. They were, um, outsmarted by Hot Rod. The Power and the Glory
Animated continuity
- Voice actor: Rob Paulsen (US), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japan)
At one point during the eternal war with the Autobots on Earth, Megatron grew fed up with how his opponents ruled the roads and created a group of Decepticon cars known as the Stunticons. In order to give his new warriors life, he brought them to Cybertron and tracked down the ancient supercomputer, Vector Sigma, to input cybernetic personalities into the Stunticons. Thanks to a series of traps and drones in their way, the Autobots failed to prevent Megatron from succeeding and returning to Earth. Seeking to even the playing field, Optimus Prime conceived of the idea of retrofitting several broken-down Cybertronian ships into Earthen jets, and bring them to life as a team of Autobot flyers. With the help of his technical savvy soldiers, Hoist, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Prime's own creator, Alpha Trion, Optimus's plan was enacted and the Aerialbots were born. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2
Air Raid's daredevil antics often proved useful to the Aerialbots. He once willingly served a living bait, drawing Scourge and Cyclonus into chasing him with lasers blazing until he isolated them in an asteroid field, where the rest of the Aerialbots were waiting to ambush the Decepticons. Fight or Flee On another occasion, he was buzzing too close to Trypticon in battle on Earth, and the dinosaur city unleashed his full plasma breath. Air Raid's tail-fins were scorched and he had to set down in a small lake, but his sacrifice gave Silverbolt a chance to fly down Trypticon's throat now that his flame was temporarily used up. The Aerialbot leader was then able to cause serious internal damage to the giant Decepticon before flying back out again. The Ultimate Weapon
Toys
Generation 1
- Air Raid (Aerialbot, 1986/1991)
- Team ID number: A5
- Japanese ID number: C-54
- Accessories: "Torque Rifle"
- Air Raid transforms from a black F-15 Eagle to a white and red Scramble City style robot. He was available by himself or as part of the Superion giftset.
- In Japan, the Aerialbots were all made available again as mail-away items during Battlestars. The smaller toys cost 1000 yen (120 more than their original retail price!) and 2 robot points.
- Superion (Gift set, 1986)
- Japanese ID number: C-55
- All five Aerialbots were also available in many markets as a gift set.
Generation 2
- Air Raid (Aerialbot, 1994)
- Team ID number: A2
- Accessories: "Torque Rifle"
- The first Generation 2 Air Raid was a redeco of the original. His plane mode was primarily blue and featured stickers with a pattern reminiscent of the costume of a human superhero. His robot mode was mostly white and silver .
- Air Raid (Cyberjet, 1995)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- Air Raid's second Generation 2 appearance was a redeco of the Cyberjet Skyjack, transforming into an F-117A Nighthawk in a dark camouflage color scheme with light blue robot parts.
- The mold was used to make Robot Masters Delta Seeker. In Japan, this toy is the ex-Decepticon Aero Raid.
Universe
- Air Raid & Wind Sheer (Deluxe, 2004)
- Accessories: Missile
- For the Universe line, the Cyberjet Air Raid was redecoed again and released in a two-pack with the Decepticon Wind Sheer at the Deluxe price point. The lack of bios for Universe characters leaves open the possibility that this is not the original Air Raid. Then again, there's nothing that says it isn't, either.
