Mantis Heavy Tank

2x Cannons

1x Red Directional Cannon

2x Chain Guns

Mantis Heavy Tank is the Boss of Stage 7. It's the only Boss that shares a level with another, different Boss.

## Appearance

This Boss appears to be an oversized battle tank. It is fully loaded with supreme weaponry and two dangerous Phases that quickly overflow the screen. A Railgun is the primary set piece, but there's many supporting armaments as well.

## Armaments

**Phase 1**

* 1x Railgun

The primary weapon of this Boss. It fires 2 heavy caliber Railgun shells that move very quickly. It deals ludicrous damage on contact and fires decently quickly as well.

* 2x Laser Turret

On the front of the tank is a pair of Laser Turrets that fires a stream of laser particles at regular intervals.

* 2x Cannon

Two Cannons at the back of the tank. Like most Cannons, it fires one bullet at a time.

**Phase 2**

* 1x Dodeca-Radial Cannon

On the back of the tank, just behind the Railgun, is a gun port that activates a Radial Cannon. This weapon fires a single bullet in 12 directions at the same time, similar to the Stage 3 and 6 Bosses' Phase 2.

* 2x Swaying Chain Gun

On each side of the Railgun Cannon, the tank will eject it's cover plating and reveal the Chain Guns. These Chain Guns aren't aiming at the player. Instead, they fire in a sinewave pattern without pauses.

## Combat Routine

This strategy assumes that the player does not have any Power-Ups to use, leading to a consistent strategy.

**Phase 1**

The Mantis Tank's primary cannon is very powerful and is likely capable of destroying the player's Plane in one hit. The Railgun rounds are very fast and the player has a very short amount of time to dodge them, but it's predictable. Therefore, the Player's primary focus should be that Railgun, as it does the most damage of any weapon on the Boss. Care should be taken so that the Player does not blunder into the bullets fired by the rear Cannons. The Player should also try not to be trapped in between the two lasers, because there is very little room to evade the Railgun. This is especially true if the Player is aiming for the 'Stay Untouched' medal. The time taken by the Laser Turrets to recharge is prime time for the Player to attack them head-on. However, once they start to spin up and fire again, the Player should retreat to the side and wait for the next opening.

The Missile upgrade is an easy way to deal free damage to the Boss. By hanging off to the side, usually the left, the Missile will deal consistent damage over time to the Boss's weapons. The main cannon is *very* sturdy, so this process may take some time. By swooping in to do damage to the Lasers, the Missile upgrade should've done enough damage to the Railgun to take it out entirely.

**Phase 2**

This Phase is marginally easier than the previous one, as none of the turrets in this Phase are actually aiming at the Player. The sheer amount of flak in the air makes movement difficult, but there's a pattern that can be exploited.

When the second Phase of the Boss fight starts, it is advisable for the Player to move to the side and drink a latte, as done with the first phase. Alternatively, they can use the time when the Swaying Chain Gun swings away from the plane to attack it, and eventually, destroy it. A similar strategy works for the other one and the Radial Cannon.

The Radial Cannon in the center is by far the most dangerous, cramping the available space by a significant margin. Following the defeat of said turret, the Boss is toast.

Once the obliteration phase is over, the tank blows up in a spectacular explosion, marking an end to the Boss fight and the Stage. By abusing the Missiles and consistently dodging the bullets, this is ironically one of the easiest Bosses in the game, even without Power-Ups.

## Gallery

Mantis Tank 1st Phase attackMantis Tank 2nd Phase attack
## Trivia

* A wreckage of this Boss appears on Stage 8 near the coast. The tank is completely broken, but one of a Laser Turrets is still intact and capable of firing. Destroying it is required to keep the Chain Bonus.
* This Boss shares similarities to the original Heavy Tank Boss from the first Sky Force, with the exception that the primary turret is different and the bullets have a steady velocity.
* The Boss itself has the second largest visible explosion in the game, crowned only by the Arachnotron.