Alignment: Republican
Registration Number: RZ-010
Height: 8.2 Meters
Length: 10.3 Meters
Weight: 21.6 Tons
Top Speed: Mach 2.2
Weapons: 16mm Machinegun (Nose-Mounted), Twin dual rocket pods, Twin Air-To-Air/Surface missiles
Special Abilities: None
Originally the finest of the Republican Air Forces, the Pteras is one of the first Aerial Zoids ever built and is still widely used today. Although it is not nearly so impressive compared to the more modern aerial Zoids, it is still adequately armed for its size, and is very dependable Zoid for reconaissance and bombing missions. An oddity of the Pteras is that its wings appear to be very poorly-constructed, and wouldn't appear to be able to support flight at any speed.
The answer is in the magnesser components that the wings are constructed of. Essentially an antigrav system, this allows the Pteras to fly at a relatively high speed, while retaining a reasonable amount of maneuverability, although there is no comparison with a stunt flyer or a dogfighter. The wings are also surpisingly tough, again due to the magnesser technology, and can take some damage without being shot down; not to mention that it's very difficult to hit the wings in the first place. The rest of the Zoid has a decent amount of armor plating for its size. Since it's most often used in the role of a bomber or recon unit, it wouldn't do much good if it were shot down before even getting to its target.
Weapons:
16mm Machinegun
Located in the nose, this small-caliber weapon is intended as point-defense for the Pteras against aerial attackers. Although it's not a very impressive weapon, it has enough of a rate of fire to surprise the unwary.
Twin Dual Self-Guided Missiles
On either side of the Pteras's neck is a two-shot missile pod. These missiles are designed to support the Pteras in its role as a bomber, and while they can only hit ground-based targets, the missiles themselves are self-guided, meaning that the Pteras need spend no time locking them onto its target.
Twin Pursuit Missiles
The Pteras mounts a pair of missiles underneath its body. Like the self-guided missiles, the pursuit missiles are designed to select their own target after being fired; unlike the self-guided missiles, however, they're also designed to hit aerial targets.