The Mantis Fighter, sometimes called the Area 6 Fighter, was a fighter craft created by Venom to defend itself from enemy invasions.
The Venom A6 Mantis Fighter was an offshoot of the lighter Viper fighter craft. Reinforced with heavier armor and light shielding, the Mantis was geared towards defense rather than invasion. Many of these craft were manufactured and deployed in the Area 6 Airspace Defense zone during the first Lylat War and could go toe to toe with the Arwings. After the death of Andross, Venom ceased producing these craft although the surviving fleet remained a part of their forces for nearly a decade.
The Mantis is a Defense craft, rather slow for its size but loaded with durable armor plating and a light shield generator. Although it can take enough punishment to go against faster fighters, the craft is perhaps best used in an anti-capital ship role where it can unload a powerful payload while shrugging off turret fire. The Unique Weapon of the Mantis is the Hullbuster Warheads; slow moving projectiles that deal extensive armor damage. If they fail to hit their target before they detonate, several smaller warheads will break free and seek out the nearest target.