A Skiff (小型艇, lit. Small Boat) is a vehicle from the 2014 Strider, inspired by the Flying Tortoise from the original game.
The Skiff is a small personal aircraft employed by Meio's Army. Manufactured by the army, these small airships are used by the Light Troopers to patrol the skies of Kazakh City. Large numbers of them can be spotted around the city sky, usually carrying a single trooper aboard. A group of them also serve as the escort of the Flying Battleship Balrog, flying alongside the huge airship high above Kazakh City.
There are two known models of Skiff: An aircraft model for personal use and a chopper-like "transport" model to deploy troops.
Standard model
The Skiff has a simple appearance similar to a floating platform with a small cockpit at the helm. They fly thanks to two small plasma propellers installed at the back end of the ship, which allows them both to fly around at high speed or to float still in a single spot. All Skiffs are yellow in color and present the number "4" emblazoned at the side.
Hiryu comes across these vehicles several times during his infiltration on Kazakh City, usually using them as stepping stones to reach specific targets, such as the Balrog.
Transport model
Besides the normal personal Skiff, there's also a larger chopper-like "transport" model used to carry troopers around. This variant is basically a helicopter with three propellers (two in front, one in the tail) and an open area in its rear equipped to carry four Light Troopers into battle. They are not as numerous as the smaller Skiffs, and are mainly visible flying in the outskirts of Kazakh City and the Balrog. They are also seen parked in the upper area of the Military Ring's fortress. When confronting Hiryu, the transport model flies down into his path and deploys its cargo of Light Troopers for a quick attack, after which it flies away. Much like Skiffs, Hiryu can't cause damage or destroy it.
A blue-colored "Research" variant can also be spotted parked in exterior areas of the Research Facility, though Hiryu never encounters these in battle.
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