The Quinjet is a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) stealth aircraft created by Stark Industries and used by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers for transport and combat.
History
The Avengers
The Quinjet is an advanced air craft used by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers for personal transport and aerial combat. It is unknown when they were first created, however, there were several present during Steve Rogers' arrival on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
In Stuttgart, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived in a Quinjet to intercept Loki. Natasha attempted to take Loki out with the Quinjet's forward turret but couldn't target a clear shot. Tony Stark later hijacked the Quinjet's speaker system to play "Shot to Thrill" as he made his entrance and swiftly took Loki out. However, as they were on there way back to the Helicarrier with their prisoner, the Quinjet was intercepted by Thor, who managed to force his way inside and make off with Loki.
Shortly after the attack on the Helicarrier, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye "hijack" a Quinjet in order to get to New York City and head off Loki and the Chitauri, however, shortly after arriving they are easily shot down by Loki and are forced to make a crash-landing.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
After the battle of New York, the government granted S.H.I.E.L.D. more funds to invest in homeland security. The Quinjet became more heavily armed to have more new weaponry than the previous ones. When Steve Rogers escapes the Triskelion, Jasper Sitwell deployed a Quinjet to try and capture him. Steve was able to use his shield to bring down the aircraft. Later, HYDRA sent a Quinjet after Sam Wilson when he and Steve try to take control of the Insight Helicarriers with three control chips.
"Shadows"
Director Coulson sent Melinda May, Skye, and Antoine Triplett in to a government facility that had multiple Quinjets in order to steal one. He wanted the Quinjet for its cloaking capabilities, which Coulson's team needed in order to be fully mobile.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The redesigned Quinjet has a more militaristic look this time around and the pilots are now able to have a good look at the environment around them while flying. The design of the canopy was based on a helicopter cockpit with glass in front and below, which will give audiences a tremendous sense of speed when the Quinjet is flying through city airspace. The interior has been stripped down to a more utilitarian, sleek space as well, with many of the luxurious finishes and padding removed for an edgier look.
Capabilities
The Quinjet is a unique, hybrid-wing aircraft with similar flight capabilities as modern VTOL aircraft and serves as a personnel transport and versatile attack vehicle. The Quinjet is able to reach unknown speeds through two powerful jet engines located at the rear of the ship. It possesses two large, angle-adjustable rotors, one housed in each wing, which grants the ship its vertical take off and landing capabilities. The Quinjet also has adjustable wing tips that can be angled down to intensify the lift of the wing rotors and movement of the ship. This gives the Quinjet unprecedented manoeuvrability as it can make full stops mid-air, hover in place, and make incredibly tight turns that conventional aircraft cannot. The Quinjet also has a variety of weapons, the most prominent of which is a mini Gatling gun style turret mounted on the forward underside of the jet. Quinjets were also equipped with advanced cloaking technology, which could render them invisible and undetectable to humans and radar.
Later versions of the Quinjet were more heavily armed than earlier ones, and could carry missiles and bombs, in addition to the standard mingun turret.
Trivia
- The Quinjets used in The Avengers are slightly different from the (presumably newer and upgraded) ones used in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Quinjets in the latter are more heavily armed and lack the adjustable wingtips found on the older Quinjets, giving them a shorter wingspan. The new Quinjets also had linear aerospike engines across their tail, in addition to the usual turbojet engines. The aerospike engines were used for lower speed stealth flight, in combination with the turbofans in the wings.
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