A-61 Mantis Gunship

The A-61 Mantis Gunship is a new vehicle introduced in Mass Effect 2 that is a staple of mercenary groups and gangs. This gunship is seen in action on Omega, Illium, Bekenstein, and Zorya, and is mentioned in the planetary codex for Patsayev. On Zorya and many other exploratory planets, the Mantis can be seen either landed or taking off.

Specifications
The Gunship is driven by vectored-thrust engines. First rolled off the assembly lines in 2170, the Mantis remains in service in dozens of armies across the galaxy. Its modular construction means that the versatile Mantis can be reconfigured as a low-altitude gunship, a fighter, a high-altitude bomber, or even a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane that can engage enemy craft around a planet or a space station. The only role the Mantis cannot perform is that of a true deep-space fighter, as it has no FTL drive.

The Mantis houses an element zero core which lightens the engines with a mass effect field, allowing it to take off vertically and hover in place using minimum fuel. This also gives it far greater range and speed than the helicopters and jump-jet aircraft that once filled its niche.

Appearances

 * On Omega, while recruiting Archangel, Commander Shepard encounters a Blue Suns mercenary, Sergeant Cathka, repairing a gunship. Performing a Renegade interrupt will prevent the gunship being fully repaired, which aids the Commander in the coming battle. This particular Mantis severely wounds Archangel later on in the same mission.
 * On Illium, while recruiting Samara, Shepard will encounter an Eclipse gunship currently docked in a bay full of mercenaries. It will quickly pull away, but returns to attack the Commander on a large, exposed bridge later in the mission.
 * On Zorya, on Zaeed's Loyalty mission, if Shepard saves the facility, a Mantis Gunship is seen flying off with Vido Santiago and guards inside the passenger cabin. Zaeed fires at the gunship and a single round penetrates the hull, killing the guard next to Vido.
 * On Bekenstein, during Kasumi's loyalty mission, Donovan Hock will appear in the end with a Mantis equipped with a self-recharging kinetic barrier to kill Shepard and Kasumi. However, Kasumi eventually disables the shields, allowing her and Shepard to destroy it. Donovan is also much less accurate than the other gunship pilots with the machine guns.

Capabilities
Offensive

As the Mantis is a highly modular craft, it can carry a number of weapons load-outs. When used in ground-attack roles it is most commonly armed with two sets of two forward-facing missile bays over each wing, normally armed with Inferno PKRs (Precision Kill Rockets), and a pair of belly-mounted M350 mass-accelerator machine guns.

Defensive

Standard defenses include its armor plating, and often kinetic barriers, though these are often removed. It also houses a thermal decay system and an electronic countermeasures suite which help it to nullify surface-to-air attacks.

Transport

The A-61 Mantis has the capacity to carry and deploy several armed personnel or FENRIS Mechs.

Tactics

 * Shooting the cockpit does a little more damage than shooting the hull.
 * Anything that deals good damage to armor is useful for bringing them down.
 * The M-920 Cain will shorten the fight considerably, and in all instances, there is ample space to avoid blowing yourself up and ample time to get the shot off.
 * For more specific tactics and quirks to the individual fights, see the respective mission pages for where this foe appears.