R.H.I.N.O.
| This article is about the G.I. Joe vehicle. For M.A.S.K./V.E.N.O.M. vehicle, see Rhino. |
The R.H.I.N.O. is a heavily armored, neutralizing offensive vehicle developed by the U.S. military for use by G.I. Joe. It may or may not also be part helicopter!
Fiction[edit | edit source]
A prototype R.H.I.N.O. was stored in G.I. Joe's Bear Lake facility in Maine. Despite presumably being built for the top-secret Joe unit, the R.H.I.N.O. was showcased on a program on the Military Channel.
When Cobra agent Baroness caught word that a team of Joes were heading to the Bear Lake facility and took a squad of Vipers there to stage a surprise attack against them, one member of her team discovered the R.H.I.N.O. and hid inside of it. As the Joes arrived and discovered the R.H.I.N.O., the pilot suddenly started the engine and opened fire. With the Baroness standing in the back of the vehicle, the R.H.I.N.O. was escorted down the bunker's halls to serve as mechanized support for the rest of the Baroness' forces. Despite the vehicle's heavy armor, the Joes were able to deal with it by firing a disarmed Davy Crockett directly at the R.H.I.N.O., completely smashing the front of the vehicle and leaving it inoperable. G.I. Joe vol. 2 #5
Another R.H.I.N.O. was stored at G.I. Joe's base on Governor's Island. Homefront, Part 1
Shipwreck drove a R.H.I.N.O. while pursuing Zandar and Zarana. Threat Matrix, Part 2 of 4 After the twins used digital stealth technology to render themselves virtually invisible, Shipwreck fired the R.H.I.N.O.'s missiles at their motorcycle's approximate location, the explosions disrupting their cloaking device. Threat Matrix, Part 3 of 4
Notes[edit | edit source]
- The original R.H.I.N.O. toy from the 2005 Valor vs. Venom toyline had an integrated helicopter component that could detach from the main vehicle. However, there's no indication that the IDW R.H.I.N.O. has this helicopter. While the vehicle's initial appearance and later cameo in G.I. Joe vol. 3's first issue depicted it with the helicopter component's canopy, it's second full appearance only had the armored vehicle component.
- Given the lack of helicopter, the IDW R.H.I.N.O.'s name presumably doesn't stand for "Rapid Heli-Integrated Neutralizing Offensive Vehicle".
