The Archangel is a purpose-built fighter, designed as an alternative to the popular Hades series of combat planes, and the logical extension on the Angel design. The Valkyrie Mk-II base was selected for its smaller profile and impressive forward gun, which allows Angel pilots to deal with enemy craft from safely outside the range of return fire. The Archangel's main gun is slightly more powerful than its predecessor's, but the real advancement comes in its maneuverability, allowing it to dance away from all but the best gunners. The Archangel sacrifices some of the durability of the Angel model, and its stall speed is not so remarkable, but the improvements in other areas were deemed worth the sacrifice by the design team.