Strength 6d

Agility 7b

Intellect 5x

Willpower 6d

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

A-10 Thunderbolt (v4): once the Joe team was reassembled back in '97, Brad was assigned a modified A-10 aircraft for his personal use. Like the Rattler before it (even if that was a Cobra design), this plane has full VTOL capabilities, as well as a staggering array of armament that both he (and his co-pilot, General Hawk) can use to pulverize the forces of evil. See its entry for more information.

Combat Jet Skystriker (XP-14F, v1): the Skystriker is the first actual fighter jet that was put into the service of the G.I. Joe team, and Brad was there to fly it from day one. This impressive combat aircraft can fly as fast as Mach 2.3 at 60,000 feet (Mach 1.3 at sea level), and has more armament and airborne sensors than you can shake a really big stick at. See its entry for more information.

Conquest X-30 (camo model, v5): though this was Slipstream's baby for years, the design has been proven effective time and time again, and once Brad got done with his modified A-10 Thunderbolt, he assumed the use of one of these babies back in '98. This nifty craft has a top speed of Mach 2.42 and flight capabilities that positively boggle the mind. See its entry for more information.

Flak Jacket (v2, v3, v4, v6): for a large portion of his career as a Joe fighter pilot, Brad has taken to wearing a bullet proof vest, should he get shot down over hostile territory; this happened several times during Brad's career, despite his best efforts. While wearing this jacket, Brad receives +2 protection against any assault that strikes him in the torso - front or back.

Flight Helmet: nicely complementing his flight suit, this helmet gives Brad all he needs to dogfight with the best of 'em. Like his suit, his helmet varies depending on just what he's flying, but the helmet itself is armed with shatterproof glass, giving him +6 protected senses on his vision - including being polarized to resist light flashes - and +2 resistance to any sort of head shot.

Flight Suit: though his flight suits have varied over the years, they've all had the same capabilities. They're all armed with +4 resistance to both cold, heat, and pressure variance, allowing Brad to withstand intense aerial maneuvers, and extreme environments should he have to eject in a hurry. Further, its got a special breathing apparatus that allows normal breathing at almost any altitude.

G.I. Joe Battle Copter (v2): after years of being a fighter jockey, Brad got himself trained in the proper use of helicopters, expertise he used behind the stick of the Joe team's very own Battle Copter. This offensive VTOL weapons platform is more than effective for the purposes of putting Cobra in its place, and Brad found that he liked it almost as much as his airplanes. Almost. See its entry for more information.

Ghoststriker X-16 Fighter Jet (v3): in the last couple of years that Brad flew for the Joe team before its temporary deactivation, he traded his Skystriker in for a newer aircraft, the one and only Ghoststriker. While it did have similar capabilities, the craft was engineered with the advances in Cobra aircraft in mind, and as such, Ace used it to great effect. See its entry for more information.

the Joe-Com*: this is a new device given to all Joes since the group's reactivation. This high-tech wristband functions as an audio/video transceiver with an intensity 6 - 250 mile - range, is equipped with a G.P.S. system, a heart monitor, and can store up to a terabyte of raw data - not bad, eh? Not only is the thing a nice, high tech video phone, though, but it can also save one's life in a pinch!

You see, this device also stores a variety of nutrients it can use to supplement activity, which are absorbed directly into one's pores (think of this as intensity 1 life support, where food is concerned).

Knife: every self-respecting fighter pilot carries a blade on his person at all times, should he be faced with a runaway parachute upon ejection, and need to cut the straps before he drowns or is pulled over some cliff or another. Brad can use this blade as a +2 weapon with each deadly strike, or cut through objects of any material strength up to 10.

Pistol: holstered on his right ankle, this handgun is a handy replacement for his submachine gun should Brad run out of ammo or similarly lose the weapon. In battle, Brad can use this pistol to as a +4 weapon when firing single shot, +5 in a semi-auto, clip-extinguishing burst of lead. He usually only wields this firearm as a last result, however - his SMGs are more effective.

Submachine Gun: though the exact models have varied over the years, Brad has always carried a submachine gun on him during missions, should he get shot down over hostile territory. He can use these guns as a +4 weapon with a single shot, +5 in a semi-automatic burst. He also carries several clips on his person, in order to fight for lengthy periods of time.

the Tigerhawk (v6): even smaller than Cobra's old Firebat, the Tigerhawk is a marvel of modern engineering, a fighter jet the size of a subcompact car - you could probably carry one on the back of a large pickup truck! Despite its diminutive stature, the Tigerhawk is a very deadly weapon with Brad in the cockpit, thanks to its exceptional maneuverability and armaments. See its description for more.

* The Joe-Com is something that the Joes started using in their new (as of 2001) comic, and hasn't been featured on an Ace action figure... yet.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Aerial Combat: a pilot since he was a wee youth, Brad naturally can fly almost any plane out there. However, it takes a special person to actually perform fighter to fighter combat - and win - like Brad does. When he's operating any aircraft, though especially fighter planes, Brad may reduce the difficulty of any applicable combat roll by one difficulty level.

Boxing: though he prefers to fight with an airplane all around him, Brad's military training includes the ability, should he find himself in a pinch, to defend himself bare-knuckled. When engaged in unarmed melee, Brad can divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action. He makes said attacks at a lower difficulty, as well - comes in handy when you're out of ammo...

Marksmanship: one essential military skill that Brad picked up in basic training is the ability to fire any standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol effectively. When utilizing a gun in battle, Brad may do so at one difficulty level lower than is usually necessary, though he rarely makes use of this skill, other than during target practice; he's a good enough pilot that his fights never come to that.

Military: the skill that has made most of his other skills possible, this represents Brad's years in the military, offering him an intimate knowledge of military protocols, basic leadership and instruction training, and of course, has given him more non-Joe military friends than you can shake a stick at. Brad can make any action dependent on such knowledge at a reduced difficulty level.

Piloting: though it goes without saying, Brad is one of the best fighter pilots in the Air Force - much less the G.I. Joe team. He's so good, in fact, that he was a fighter pilot instructor before hooking up with the Joes! When piloting aircraft of any stripe, Brad can make any maneuver - reasonable or otherwise - at one difficulty level lower than would otherwise be required.

Calling:

Thrill-Seeker: Brad is a competent fighter pilot, to be sure, but he's constantly pushing his abilities further and further every time he gets in the cockpit. One could go so far to say he takes crazy risks, but the sheer truth of it is that the man knows planes so well that he can do the impossible with them - and come back to try again the next day. What do you expect... he used to be a Hollywood stunt pilot!

Costume:

The uniforms that Brad wears while on the job with the Joes are flight suits. For instance, his first suit is a primarily white flight suit, one with gray racing stripes down the outsides of the legs, gray wrist straps, gray torso pieces, red pockets on the sides of the biceps, a powerful breathing apparatus (in white and red), and a very large, dome-like shatterproof and polarized glass helmet.

Brad's second flight suit was a notable departure from his first, essentially consisting of a completely different style altogether. It consisted of a light blue, long sleeve shirt covered by a cornflower blue, padded jacket and pants, both of which were then covered by a light blue flak jacket and leggings. Brad complemented this outfit with black leather gloves and a nifty, less dome-like helmet.

Brad's third flight suit was rather similar to his second, albeit with a change in color scheme. It was a red shirt covered by a natural green padded jacket and pants, both of which were colored by an identically colored flak jacket and leggings. Brad similarly complemented this flight suit with black leather gloves and his cooler helmet, which still offered him the same amount of protection from injury.

Brad's fourth flight suit, donned after he rejoined the Joes in '97, saw yet another color scheme to this ensemble. The undershirt were of a slightly more Crayola (TM) brand of green, and were topped by a brown jacket and brown pants, both of which were then topped by a similarly colored flak jacket and leggings. Brad still utilized his cooler helmet and black leather gloves with this suit.

However, Brad reverted to a variant of his original suit's style when he started flying the Conquest X-30. This version of the uniform is primarily a gray flight suit, one with black racing stripes down the outsides of the legs, black wrist straps and gloves, gray pockets on the sides of the biceps, a powerful breathing apparatus (in metallic hues), and a very large, dome-like shatterproof and polarized glass helmet.

Brad's sixth flight suit is an all new affair, not being a mere recoloring of his previous suits at all. It consists of light gray trousers, a light gray jacket under a dark gray, accessory-laden vest with yellow trim, a gray leather belt, black leather gloves, black leather boots, and a light gray flight helmet with a black visor and dark gray air hose. Scattered across the flight suit is an inordinate amount of straps and webbing.

Personality:

Brad is a highly skilled and highly dedicated pilot, capable of combat feats that would make other fighter jockeys cringe in terror. He's also a good guy, never rubbing in the fact that he's saved the Joe team from certain doom on numerous occasions with his airborne savvy. Unless, of course, you find yourself opposite him on the poker table; if you do, you'd better look out, because Brad NEVER loses at poker!

Real Name: Brad J. Armbruster, Grade O-3 (Captain), later O-4 (Major)
Occupation: fighter pilot
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Wendell L. Armbruster (as he's known on some dossiers)
Group Affiliation: G.I. Joe

Height: 5' 9"
Hair: brown
Eyes: blue
Weight: 160 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Brad was a natural born pilot. He's had a love for flying since high school, during which time he worked late into the night so he could afford flying lessons. Once he'd graduated, he got a job flying various jobs that allowed him to flex the muscles of his piloting skills, such as a year run on the Alaska Pipeline, and a two year job flying as a Hollywood stuntman.

Brad decided to do some real flying eventually, and at the tender age of 22 he enlisted in the Air Force, where he continued to excel as a pilot. In fact, he was so good at flying that he became the lead instructor at the USAF Fighter Weapons Squadron affectionately known as the 'Aggressors' (a fighter pilot training school). His service here eventually earned him a spot on the G.I. Joe team.

Immediately upon hooking up with the Joes, Brad's piloting skills were put on the test, and they were repeatedly tested for years as the man served as the G.I. Joe team's only fighter jockey. He was virtually all the team's air support - when Wild Bill wasn't on the scene - and kept most of Cobra's air forces away from the team's ground pounders while they were going about the business of fighting the forces of evil.

Over time, however, Brad was joined by several other fighter pilots, and he wound up flying increasingly complex missions with them as they got better acquainted. Through the years, Brad became exceptionally good friends with Slipstream and the man you can't help but forget (the pilot code-named Ghost Rider, for those of you that are copyright-impaired).

Many of the missions that Brad participated in involved Cobra Island, some of which were shortly before that blighted land came into being (a part of which Brad himself was unwittingly responsible for). Various missions afterward involved reconnaissance missions flown by himself, or flown as cover for other pilots (like Ghost Rider) while they did the dirty spying deed.

Though the Joe team had numerous pilots over the years, all of which flew various aircraft in the fight against Cobra, Brad tended to be known as the leader of the bunch, having been around the longest and, most importantly, being the most skilled. He was active for the duration of the team's actions against Cobra, and flew missions up to the day the Joe team was disbanded in '94.

When this happened, Brad returned to regular Air Force duties until the Joe team was resurrected three years later. When Hawk began to reassemble the team anew, Brad was one of the very first of the Joes to hook back up with the unit, and both he and Hawk began flying as a two man team in the A-10 Thunderwing, blasting Cobra goons from here to eternity with their superior skill and firepower.

It is assumed that Brad is a member of the Joe team to this very day.