RPZ-22B Storm Tiger
Type: Griffin
Total Length: 21 meters
Total Height: 9 meters
Weight: 60 metric tons
Speed:
Airborne
4655 kilometers per hour (Mach 3.8)
1293.302 meters per second

Overland
260 kilometers per hour
72.22 meters per second

Equipment
Strike Horn
Crusher Beak
Electron Claws x2
Strike Claws x2
60mm Heavy Machinegun x2
AZ120mm Accelerated Cannon x2

Armor Description:
The Storm Tiger is an old, yet high-tech design by the Republic. It proved somewhat cost-ineffective in its day, and may be one of the reasons Helic favors power and simplicity over complexity today. Its structure is highly tight and refined, making it very difficult to damage – or modify. Its armor, unlike most aerials, is similar to the composites found on land Zoids, since it has to feasibly compete on both terrains. Because of this, the Storm Tiger is even more difficult to destroy than a Hound Soldier. In the world of land Zoids, that's very impressive. In the world of aerials, that's insane.

Mobility and Power Source
On the ground, the Storm Tiger compares well with the Blade Liger for maneuverability. In the air, it compares well with the Glaive Quama. While it's extremely responsive, the off-center mass limits its ability to roll and its mass makes for a wide turn circle. The Storm Tiger's maneuverable enough until the mid-subsonics, after which its ability to maneuver sharply drops off. Still, the wings are laced with magnesser strips that assist the craft in eagle-like takeoffs and landings, granting the "Stormie" the ability to effortlessly and smoothly transition between ground and aerial functionality - better than any other ground to air Zoid available. If it operates at its own regal pace, the gryphon is really quite graceful in its movements. Finally, the Stormie has positively excellent endurance, and can fly or run for ages at high subsonics and 260 kph, respectively. It's not advised to push this Zoid too hard, despite its incredibly powerful engines and endurance, as the Tiger's superior acceleration could pulp an inexperienced pilot.

- The Storm Tiger, bearing the head of an eagle, has excellent visual acuity and a standard aerial radar, both of which can extend up to thirty kilometers. The Tiger has an automatic zoomfinder which zooms up to what the pilot is looking at; using it can be highly disorienting for the pilot who hasn’t played around with his zoid before fighting.

Equipment:
Strike Horn
Mainly because it looks cool, the Storm Tiger has a Strike Horn mounted on its forehead. Capable of spearing opponents, it is handy for that down-and-dirty melee combat. Should you wish to get the horn out of the way, it can shift upwards and around to face the rear. This both very slightly helps with aerodynamics and strikes a bold statement about style.

Crusher Beak
The Crusher Beak is a solid chunk of sharpened metal on the front end of the Storm Tiger’s face. It's an extension of the skeletion itself and is both very sharp and slightly hooked, making it excellent for surgical precision and stabbing blows alike. Like those of the birds of prey, the beak is good for delivering killing blows to enemies after a dive.

Electron Claws
The Electron Claws are the front talons of the Storm Tiger, able to slightly grapple onto things. They can charge up with electrostatic energy to deliver a serious, numbing blow to a Zoid it hits. It's a system not unlike the Blue Redler's tail blade in that it doesn't add that much more damage, rather, the claws can each discharge a large spark to numb the part they hit. It's an effect similar to what a salmon might feel like when an eagle drops from the sky and nails it in midair. It's not advised to keep the system on too long, especially when contact's already been made with an enemy, as the energy tends to just ionize or flow out of the claws and suck down the Storm Tiger's power.

Strike Claws
Situated on the rear paws, these are simply sharpened claws of the ordinary sort. They can also assist the Tiger in grappling, and allow it to race along the ground at 260 kph with excellent maneuverability.

60mm Heavy Machineguns
Big guns designed to lay down a lot of hurt, these guns mount below the Accelerated Cannons. They fire six cannon shells per second each, accompanied by a deep, satisfying "heavy machine-gun sound." Not like those pansy laser guns - these things vibrate the craft ever so slightly and let you know you're firing off a bad ass weapon. The Heavy Machineguns are the mainstay of the Storm Tiger’s armaments for most duties, and the barrels retract into the breach when not firing. They require half a second to deploy and undeploy.

AZ120mm Accelerated Cannon
Known to pilots as a railgun on crack, the Storm Tiger’s AZ120mm Accelerated Cannons fire rockets instead of shells. (A certain pilot went on record as disliking the term "rocket" because he claimed "it didn't sound bad ass enough." Authorities eventually managed to pry him from the cockpit.) These are inert rockets designed simply to deliver high amounts of kinetic energy at the impact site. They have high-density nosecones, steel jackets, and a quartet of small rocket thrusters. The nosecones shatter on impact, breaking up layered armor rather effectively whilst dealing lesser damage to solid plate armor. The steel jackets are necessary for the railgun mechanism to accelerate them up to their supersonic velocities, while the quartet of nosecones spin the rocket, making it fly in a straight line and maintain velocities up to and exceeding Mach Six. Needless to say, these puppies hurt a lot. The Storm Tiger mounts two of these cannons, each cannon packing seven shots. Each can fire once every six seconds, to a total of one shot every three seconds from the set. Each shell reduces the Storm Tiger’s speed by twenty-five percent, but it's not adviseable to fire them singly when airborne. When on the ground and moving at a relatively safe speed, one can fire them separately. Using these guns against flyers is just plain mean. The Accelerated Cannon, due to its speed, is highly accurate even at long distances. The barrels retract back into the breech when not firing; they require half a second to deploy and undeploy.