The iconic R-9A Arrowhead was the first fighter to contact the Bydo Empire. This basic ship was so successful that parts of its design are integral to nearly every other R-craft created, and every mission features a fighter that is a direct descendent of the Arrowhead; because of this, the R-9A Arrowhead is considered the series' flagship model. The R-9A itself is only present in a few missions, including Operation: Last Dance.
The first R-9 prototype, the RX-9, was developed in MC 0042. At that point, it had an extremely powerful Wave Cannon compared to the original RX, with an increase in destructive power of 570%. It also was the first fighter to enable the use of Bit Devices. The R-9, created in MC 0050, was the first to integrate full-manual piloting, as well as an increased power output. The R-9 "Prototype", fully completed in MC 0051, became the R-9A Arrowhead. It was fitted with the first dual-charge Wave Cannon, the Standard Wave Cannon.
The R-9A is the most widely-used craft in the Space Corps to combat the Bydo in the Solar System, serving as both a mainline fighter and the framework for all other R-9 craft that followed it.
Appearances[]
History
The debut of the R-9A Arrowhead, at the time simply referred to as R-9, launched the R-Type series. Here, pilots were introduced many staples of the series, such as Bit Devices, the Wave Cannon, and the iconic Force.
Description
The R-9A Arrowhead appears in R-Type as the only ship available to pilots. It's given these stats in R-Types:
- Model Name: R-9 "The Savior" Mass Production Model
- Length: 16.2m
- Height: 9.8m
- Width: 5.1m
- Weight: 31.0t
- Crew: 2
This craft was used against the Bydo. It is equipped with the first version of space armor used in the Earth Civilization Bloc. The addition of both the "Wave Unit" and the "Force Control Device" were key factors in its development.
Early versions of the R-9A only had one crew, and could reach 208 km/sec speeds.
Parts
- Polarized Light Canopy: Protects pilot's eyes from both ultraviolet rays and x-rays. An element infused in the canopy adjusts the level of protection to compensate for the type and intensity of rays received.
- Wave Cannon: Developed to produce as much firepower as possible. The weapon's power is located and accumulated at the front of the craft. All of its energy is vectored to a single point, and can only be released with the firing of the cannon.
- Bit Conductor: Very similar to the one which the R-7 carried for testing. Offers slightly improved stability.
Armaments Force
- 1 x Standard Force
- 2 x Round Bit
- 2 x Homing Missile (NOTE: Not available in Game Boy Version)
Cannon:
- Standard Vulcan mk. 1
Requirements
The R-9A is available at the beginning of this mission.
Description
[General Purpose Fighter]
Mass produced in the war against the Bydo. Was the fighter of choice for the first trans-dimensional soldiers of the Earth Hegemony. The R-9’s development concentrated on including the Wave Cannon and the unique trans-dimensional Force Control Device.
Armaments
The Arrowhead, compared to later models, had very basic weaponry. Although the Wave Cannon was over 6 times more powerful than the original from the RX, it still pales in comparison to the later models. The vulcan is considered equal to most others installed on R-Series Fighters. All compatible weapons are shown below:
Force
- 1 x Standard Force
Bits
- 2 x Round Bit
or
- 2 x Shadow Bit
Missiles
- 2 x Homing Missile
or
- 1 x Depth Bomb
Wave Cannon
Cannon
- Standard Vulcan mk. 1
As a Boss
Bydo Lab
Class: Humankind
Designation: Fighter
HP Level: 5
Location: Summer Night
Fighter used against the Bydo. The first trans-dimensional fighter. It features a Wave Cannon, Force, and lasers.
Requirements
The R-9A is available at the beginning of this mission.
Description
[General Purpose Fighter]
Mass produced in the war against the Bydo. Was the fighter of choice for the first trans-dimensional soldiers of the Earth Hegemony. The R-9’s development concentrated on including the Wave Cannon and the unique trans-dimensional Force Control Device.
Armaments:
Force
- 1 x Standard Force
Bits
- 2 x Round Bit
or
- 2 x Shadow Bit
Missiles
- 2 x Homing Missile
or
- 1 x Depth Bomb
Wave Cannon
The Rwf-9A, codenamed Arrowhead, is a balanced fighter available at the start of the game. It has average speed, weapons, and wave cannon power.
Rwf-9A Arrowhead -Fighter-
Well-balanced main fighter of the Space Corps.
Units: 5
Fuel: 40
Charge: 3 Turn
Radar: 2
Speed: 3
Evade: 35%
Installations
Force Enabled (Standard Force)
Charge Enabled
Requirements
Directive 1 (RTT1 Only)
Discretionary Power Up (RTT2 Only)
100 Solonium
Armaments
The Rwf-9A has average range weapons systems, with Intercept-Capable weapons, a wave cannon with medium damage capacity, fairly high resilience, and a standard Vulcan.
Weapon
| Name | Ammo | Power | Ace Power | Range | Hit | Use | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan | 99 | 10 | 11 | 1-1 | 45% | A/B | Machine Gun | A short-range, rapid-fire cannon. Has low firepower, but can be used to intercept enemy attacks. |
| Tracer Missile | 7 | 25 | 29 | 2-3 | 70% | A/B | Guided | Missiles installed with high-powered homing devices for greater accuracy. Can intercept enemy fire. |
| Wave Cannon | 3 Turn | 105 | 123 | ►⬡⬡⬡⬡ | 99% | ATK | Particle | Designed to give standard fighters warship-class firepower. Multiple turns are needed to charge the cannon. |
| Force Enabled | ||||||||
| Anti-aircraft Laser | 14 | 40 | 47 | 2-2 | 40% | A/C | Optical | Bydo Energy fired by a Force. |
| Reflex Laser | 14 | 35 | 41 | 2-2 | 60% | A/C | Vector | Designed to reflect around walls and obstacles. |
| Search Laser | 18 | 43 | 50 | 1-1 | 65% | A/C | Vector | Short range Laser usable in space. |
There is a small variant to the standard Arrowhead that's only seen in R-Type Command. The only real difference, besides the color, is a 10% increase in evasion.
Rwf-9Abk Arrowhead bk -Fighter-
Custom Arrowhead with enhanced evasion.
Units: 5
Fuel: 40
Charge: 3 Turn
Radar: 2
Speed: 3
Evade: 45%
Installations
Force Enabled (Standard Force)
Charge Enabled
Requirements
Jurisdictive Dossier
Bydo Analysis 1
1 Rwf-9A Arrowhead
20 Solonium
10 Etherium
Armaments
| Name | Ammo | Power | Ace Power | Range | Hit | Use | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan | 99 | 10 | 11 | 1-1 | 45% | A/B | Machine Gun | A short-range, rapid-fire cannon. Has low firepower, but can be used to intercept enemy attacks. |
| Tracer Missile | 7 | 25 | 29 | 2-3 | 70% | A/B | Guided | Missiles installed with high-powered homing devices for greater accuracy. Can intercept enemy fire. |
| Wave Cannon | 3 Turn | 105 | 123 | ►⬡⬡⬡⬡ | 99% | ATK | Particle | Designed to give standard fighters warship-class firepower. Multiple turns are needed to charge the cannon. |
| Force Enabled | ||||||||
| Anti-aircraft Laser | 14 | 40 | 47 | 2-2 | 40% | A/C | Optical | Bydo Energy fired by a Force. |
| Reflex Laser | 14 | 35 | 41 | 2-2 | 60% | A/C | Vector | Designed to reflect around walls and obstacles. |
| Search Laser | 18 | 43 | 50 | 1-1 | 65% | A/C | Vector | Short range Laser usable in space. |
Trivia
In the original R-Type games, sources suggest the size of the R-9A to be over 16m long and nearly 10m in height. In Final 2, players can visit their ships in the R-Museum and look at them in pilot view. In retrospect, the R-9A appears only to be approximately 10-11m in length and 5-6m in height.
Gallery[]
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