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The FANG II was one of only two propeller driven vehicles flown by either GI Joe or Cobra, and the only airplane used by either side that utilized turbo-prop engines.

Cobra had come to realize that a suitable replacement was needed for the original FANG, which was slow and fairly armed at best. M.A.R.S. was contracted to produce an aircraft that would be considerably faster as well as more maneuverable and at the same time more heavily armed. These could all be achieved with ease by using a turbofan or turbojet engine(s), however with cost being a major concern, the only way a balance could be achieved is to take a different route.

        A turbo-prop engine is effectively a small turbine-jet engine that spins a propeller, it can produce tremendous amounts of power for it's size while still substantially cheaper than a jet engine. Because of Cobra's operating strategies, a VTOL feature was added, making the FANG II as versatile as it was deadly. The FANG was listed in Cobra's strategy manuals as being capable of both ground attack and, at a lesser extent, air-to-air operations.
      The FANG II had nearly no armor protection, an open cockpit (the slipstream was designed to bypass the pilot) and no ejection seat. This is yet another example of Cobra's lack of concern for personnel. In spite of these things, the tiny plane with it's twin 800 horsepower turbo-prop engines could achieve over 250 mph in level cruise, and nearly 450 mph in shallow dive. It also could carry a brace of 6 AIMZ-33 missiles which proved to be equally capable as an air to ground weapon as anti-aircraft. The 20mm automatic cannon was the FANG pilots favorite weapon as it was capable of a tremendous amount of damage, even if at a limited range. 
      The FANG was most infamously known for its precision attacks and successful operations during the Battle of Benzheen, where it knocked out dozens of armored vehicles, communications centers and naval units, bringing about a very quick surrender of the Benzheeni government to Cobra. 
     Note: During the first day of the Cobra invasion of Benzheen, A FANG pilot,  Aeroviper 1st-class Phillip McNeil made history. During the opening stages of the attack, three squadrons of FANGs were ordered to fly ground support during the attack while Hurricanes provided air superiority. McNeil noticed a pair of Benzheeni MiG-21s flying north at a much lower altitude and dove down  at them. Using his cannon, he shot one of them down while the other punched his afterburner and escaped. This marked the second time in history a propeller driven aircraft had shot down a jet-powered one, the first occurring in 1965 when a USAF A-1 Skyraider scored a kill against a North Vietnamese MiG-17.
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