Referred to as "the so-called 'Rival Aircraft'" by the Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook, this small enemy resembles a blue aircraft with two large guns and a checkerboard pattern on both wings. It plays very different roles in its two appearances in Video System games, Turbo Force and Sonic Wings 3. It shares its checkerboard design with the checkered craft boss.
Turbo Force[]
The Rival Aircraft in Turbo Force.
Stage: Stage 2 and 5
The Rival Aircraft is a common enemy throughout Turbo Force, and it serves no special purpose. It attacks by firing ammunition at the player but is easily defeated. Its attacks are a delayed homing missiles and a rear twin barreled turret that is a 4-round burst.
Sonic Wings 3[]
The Rival Aircraft in Sonic Wings 3.
Stage: Stages 1, 4, and 7
The Rival Aircraft returns in Sonic Wings 3, this time to fulfill a vital function: it allows the player to choose their route through the game. After the final boss of stage 1, 4, or 7 is defeated, the Rival Aircraft will appear. It does not attack but instead hovers in place until the player damages it enough to break off one wing. The other wing breaks off immediately after, and the aircraft disappears
The game's next stage is determined based on which wing is shot off first. The Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook points out that homing ammunition can interfere with the stage selection, because the player cannot control which wing of the Rival Aircraft is hit.
Translated Route Branch Chart from the Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook.
The guidebook provides the Route Branch Chart to the left, showing which stage is encountered if the player goes to the left or the right. Only shooting the Rival Aircraft's left wing throughout the game will always lead to the Bermuda final stage, while exclusively shooting the right wing will always lead to the Mars final stage.
In Sonic Wings 3, each checkered plane bears a round blue eye, which clings to it using red and blue tentacles; the eye is not present in Turbo Force. The same style of eye is seen on the Hildroid creatures in Spinal Breakers, and the Sonic Wings 3 final boss Pseudo-Bagarius has a similar, green eye. It seems likely that the blue eye creature is controlling the Rival Aircraft, the way Pseudo-Bagarius controls the submarine and other mechanical wreckage in which it nests.