Rattler (G.I. Joe)

Rattler

Cobra Rattler with Wild Weasel
Affiliation	Cobra
Launched	1984
General characteristics
Class	Ground Attack Jet
Armaments	Twin 40mm multiple-fire cannons, EO-18 Electro-Optical Renegade missiles, AEA-56 quick thrust short-range missiles, PL-MK48 wave-sensor cluster bombs, CDV-9B "Jawbreaker" nose cannon, Lorads constant-scan ion-seeking missiles
Defenses	Titanium armorplate cockpit and engine skins
Propulsion	High-bypass continuous radio turbofan engine
Length	53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
Width	57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Height	14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)

The Cobra Rattler is a fictional VTOL attack aircraft from the universe of G.I. Joe.

Based on the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, it originally appeared in 1984 as the primary attack plane of the terrorist Cobra Organization. The toy came with a mercenary Cobra pilot codenamed "Wild Weasel" and was intended as Cobra's answer to the "G.I. Joe Skystriker," which had been added to the toyline a year earlier (which was itself a virtual copy of the USN F-14 Tomcat — the Skystriker was designated as an "XP-14F").

As mentioned, the Cobra Rattler was clearly based on the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Primary modifications included moving the A-10's fuselage-mounted engines to the wings (in order to facilitate a VTOL system in which the Rattler's wings pivoted on their axis to redirect engine exhaust downwards), the addition of a third engine, mounted on the back of the plane between the vertical tail stabilizers, and the addition of a dorsal-mounted, manned gun turret.

Although ostensibly remaining a ground-attack aircraft like the A-10, in both the cartoon and comic book the Rattler was often depicted more as a fighter. This was undoubtedly due in part to the lack of a more appropriate Cobra fighter being produced by Hasbro early on in the toyline; however, it was also likely due to the rivalry, depicted in both the comic book and cartoons, between the Rattler pilot "Wild Weasel" and the Skystriker pilot "Ace". Regardless, the plane would become Cobra's primary aircraft throughout most of the original cartoons and comic books, and indeed perhaps one of the most iconic and well-remembered models from the toyline.

The original toy version of the Cobra Rattler came armed with dorsal-mounted dual machine guns turret, a nose-mounted anti-tank Gatling gun, four air-to-air missiles, two large anti-tank bombs, two anti-tank bombs with detachable warheads, and two bomb racks with three bombs each.

The mold used for the Cobra Rattler was reused in 1988 to make the "Tiger Rat" as part of the G.I. Joe special missions force "Tiger Force" (with pilot "Skystriker"). In 1997, it was released again as the "A-10 Thunderbolt" (with pilots "Ace" and "General Hawk"), and once again in 2002 as the "Cobra Rattler" with pilot "Wild Weasel". Each new version has included a new paint job and new pilots. The 2002 model also included slight modifications to include electronic sound.