The Cobra Night Raven S3P, or “Raven” as it is more commonly referred to, is regarded by many to be the most advanced, most powerful aircraft used by either G.I. Joe or Cobra during the course of conflict by both sides. The plane is capable of 2,310 mph (Mach 3.5) making it the fastest land based aircraft in the entire world, even faster than the Lockheed SR-71 blackbird, upon which the plane is based. The Viper turbo-jets are based around a ram-jet design that only increase in power as the aircraft moves faster.
No other plane used by either side could touch the incredible versatility of the Raven. During the course of time, Cobra Night Ravens were initially used for reconnaissance, where the planes limited stealth abilities and incredible cruising speed made it immune to interception. The Raven also found a place as a VIP transport, ferrying Cobra leaders to any location safely. The plane has also been used extensively as an interceptor, using long range radar-guided air-to-air missiles stored internally to shoot down attacking bombers and fighters. The least performed task of the Raven was as a supersonic bomber, where it could be easily converted to carry a thermonuclear weapon to wipe out large military installations with a single long-range mission. Any information regarded specific missions performed by these fine aircraft is strictly classified for security purposes. The Night Raven was the one and only aircraft in all of Cobra's forces that did NOT have a vertical take-off and landing capability, making a short runway a necessity.
The crew of a Raven consisted of a pilot, and a gunner/RIO (radio intercept officer.) Although it has never been documented to have occurred, the gunner controls a pair of rearward-facing 20mm automatic cannons to shoot down fighter aircraft. Cobra purchased only a small number of Ravens from M.A.R.S., the expense of the aircraft made larger numbers prohibitive and total number operational is thought to be less than ten.
One of the most infamous incidents involving a Cobra Night Raven occurred in May of 1987. During the first few months of 1987, Strato-Viper Lt. Ryan Haige (formerly of the British RAF) was sent up from Cobra Island to photograph military installations, and avoided interception every time. On the 4th mission, he decided to tangle with a pair of USAF F-15s and downed both of them using long-range missiles. On his 5th mission, he encountered Ace and Slipstream of GI Joe, and despite gaining the upper-hand and shooting down Ace while knocking Slipstream into a spin, he let his guard down and was shot down and killed when Slipstream recovered.
“Accelerate.” (Excerpt from Cobra raven flight manual on how to evade surface to air missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and interception.