Air Raid (Movie)

Air Raid is an Autobot from the Transformers portion of the movie continuity family.

I can breathe in space with a gaping hole in my chest.

Before the war, Air Raid was a decorated and proud officer of the Cybertronian Security Forces. He believes that respect for the law is a defining characteristic of sentient beings that separates them from non-living drones. Seeing Megatron and his Decepticons as little more than common criminals, Air Raid is disgusted by their disregard for the laws of their own home planet.

Having zero tolerance for a superstitious, cowardly lot such as this, Air Raid has dedicated his life to tracking down the worst of them. His flight capabilities allow him to travel to star systems beyond even Cybertron's extensive astronomical charts.^[1] Having spent centuries pursuing Decepticons all throughout the galaxy, Air Raid intends to keep this up until every single one has been brought to justice.^[2]

Sometimes, he combines with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.

Fiction

IDW movie comics

Like some vast, khaki bird...

Many years ago, Air Raid was a member of Cybertron's Science Division under Optimus. After a strange relic was uncovered and aliens from the Eshems Nebula attacked, Protector Megatron declared a military dictatorship, demanding the full cooperation of the entire population. Air Raid was one of those who heeded Optimus' plea for them to not abandon their society's ancient traditions and beliefs. Defiance #2 After Optimus Prime and his followers were declared traitors, civil war erupted across the planet. Air Raid joined Optimus Prime's Autobots and led aerial missions against the Decepticon fliers. Defiance #4

Years later, following the defeat of Megatron on Earth, Air Raid was part of a small Autobot unit led by Arcee that tracked Starscream, now the leader of the Decepticons, to his base on Mars. The Reign of Starscream #2 Air Raid took to the skies in the ensuing assault but was shot down by Thundercracker. Smokescreen attempted to evacuate his badly damaged comrade, but they were both blown to oblivion by Starscream. The Reign of Starscream #3 His lifeless body was later found by Soundwave. Convergence chapter 4

Toy bios

Air Raid is one of the most skillful aerial soldiers among the Autobots. He prefers to fly into the middle of the enemy rather than shoot out from a distance. Air Raid's technique for firefighting breaks enemy lines and finds a way out for victory. Air Raid (Deluxe)

Games

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game (Xbox 360/PS3)

Voice actor: Rick D. Wasserman (English), Martial Le Minoux (French), Francisco Javier Martínez (Castilian Spanish)

Air Raid is that guy on the right who's basically Spawn.

As a result of increased Decepticon activity, Stratosphere was tasked with transporting early MechTech samples from a NEST base in the Himalayas to Optimus Prime's location for safekeeping. Air Raid was one of the officers there, and intercepted a Decepticon intruder who had been surprised by a NEST trap. To his surprise, the intruder turned out to be the high-ranking Decepticon Starscream, who had been ordered to track down and destroy the MechTech.

Air Raid briefly engaged Starscream in the base proper along with a squad of Autobots and NEST helicopters, but when Starscream proved too powerful, he retreated to the runway where Stratosphere was preparing to lift off. Despite leading Starscream on a merry chase through the mountains, with NEST forces launching ambushes with anti-aircraft fire and missiles, Air Raid was unable to either disable or lose his pursuer. He did, however, manage to warn Stratosphere of Starscream's approach and board his comrade before the Decepticon arrived.

When Stratosphere's fighter escort and anti-aircraft gun proved unable to bring down Starscream, the massive Autobot unleashed the Aerialbots, made up of Air Raid, Breakaway and Silverbolt. Now ready for round two, Air Raid confidently assured Stratosphere that they would not fail.

While the Aerialbots put up a good effort, they fell one by one after a lengthy dogfight. When Air Raid was shot down, Starscream offered him a backhanded compliment, noting that, "You're fast, Air Raid, but not fast enough!" Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)

Toys

Transformers (2007)

Well, he can blend into the skies over Los Angeles, at least.

• Air Raid (Scout Class, 2007)

• Acccessories: Cannon, jet boosters (all combine to form a spear)

Part of the third wave of Target-exclusive Scouts, Air Raid is a redeco of the Energon Skyblast mold, transforming into a Cybertronian fighter jet. He is decorated with digital woodland camo, making the alternate mode into a substantially more "Earth-like" aircraft in comparison to the original figure. He comes with multiple accessories that can attach to his jet mode for rocket-boosters and an under-slung cannon. In robot mode, these parts re-assemble to form a giant spear, although if preference desires, you can leave them separated and have the spear handle as a hand-held rifle, with the head split in half and clipped to his wrists. Fittingly enough, he has an Automorph gimmick on his chest and head, where rotating the chestplate into position would likewise rotate the head.

Much like many other Target-exclusive Scouts, Air Raid's only faction marking (aside from his spark crystal and molded but unpainted Autobot emblems) is a Sector Seven logo. How he could possibly hide in their motor pool is a mystery. Perhaps he used a scan of Ghost 1.

Even though Air Raid is a redeco of a toy released several years earlier, the stock photos on the back of his packaging depict him in the old prototype design for Energon Skyblast, featuring the original feet with human-like "toes" that were changed to more robotic feet for the production model of Skyblast.

This toy was also sold as a Farmers exclusive in New Zealand.

This sculpt was also used to make his fellow movieverse Autobot Skyblast, which was repurposed as Shattered Glass Star Saber. It was also used as the basis for the non-transforming Attacktix Decepticon piece Thrust, as well as the CGI models for Backslash and pre-beast Terrorsaur in "Theft of the Golden Disk".

In 2009, a rebranded version of this toy was released in the Walmart Black Friday exclusive Universe "War of the Waves" two-pack as a Unicron Trilogy-based character also named Air Raid.

• More info on Target Scout Air Raid at TFU.info

Revenge of the Fallen

"I'm the long ARM of the law, if you catch my drift."

• Superion (Multi-pack, 2009)

• Accessories: 2 dual-barrel cannons, connector piece, Autobot-type energon star

Available only as a component of Superion, Air Raid is a dark grey and black redeco of the Energon Windrazor/Treadshot mold, transforming into a small, futuristic fighter resembling an F-22 Raptor. He can also form a leg or arm to any Energon-series "Powerlinx Combiner" super robot, though his nominal placement is as the left leg to Superion. He comes with two double-barreled guns and a connector piece, which can form hand-held weapons as well as become a footplate or "hand" for his combined mode, plus a blue "super energon" Autobot-style energon star that fits over his spark crystal. His mold was retooled to round out the nosecone, and does not attach as tightly as previous uses of the mold, or as well as his pack-in teammates.

Air Raid shares his mold with fellow Superion pack-mate Airazor.

This mold was also used to make Fun Publications Transformers Collectors' Club-exclusive Breakaway and Universe Airazor. Air Raid's deco is identical to the Universe Superion component Air Raid.

• More information on Air Raid at TFU.info

Dark of the Moon

He's in one bloody comic years ago, and he never stops milking that to try and get money from fans!

• Air Raid (MechTech Deluxe Class, 2011-05-14)

• ID number: DA12
• Accessories: MechTech Blaster/Shot Cannon

Released only in Japan, Dark of the Moon Air Raid is a redeco and slight retool of Revenge of the Fallen Thrust, adding MechTech ports to his arm/top of the jet and the undersides of his wings. He transforms into approximation of an F-35 Lightning II/Joint Strike Fighter and has a non-firing cannon with rotating barrel on his right arm, activated by a gear-wheel embedded in his forearm. His Mech Alive gimmick is located in his upper arms; turning his forearms makes the machinery inside his biceps turn in time. Air Raid's MechTech Blaster weapon is a retool of Topspin's, replacing the claws with two halves of a barrel, which form the "Shot Cannon".

Air Raid comes packed with a character card and an accompanying transparent plastic card of his MechTech weapon for the MechTech Wars online game. TakaraTomy's stock photos of Air Raid (shown on this page) don't show the MechTech ports under his wings.

The original version of this mold was first used for Revenge of the Fallen Breakaway.

Notes

• If this article seems haphazard, it's no coincidence. Four apparently different movie continuity jet Autobots named Air Raid were created over the years by multiple different parties. The Transformers Wiki has elected to assume they are all the same character for simplicity and hilarity. There's also a fifth, but TakaraTomy came to their senses and made him a different character.
• Air Raid's Dark of the Moon video game model is a reuse of the Seeker Warrior's body from the Revenge of the Fallen game with the Protectobot Sniper's head (see image right).

Foreign names

• Japanese: Air Raid (エアレイド Ea Reido)
• Mandarin: Kōng Xí (空袭, "Air Raid")

References