Operation North Star's Thunderbird might have the best Defender kit yet

We already knew Operation North Star was going to introduce a new Operator, but now we know who's joining Lesion and Mira as the next Defender in Rainbow Six Siege.

Thunderbird is going to be a fantastic addition to the title; Here's what we know.

Who Is Thunderbird?

Much with previous Operators, Ubisoft has opted to introduce Thunderbird through a statement of another Operator. This time, we learn about Thunderbird from Sanaa "Nomad" El Maktoub in some sort of communication/conversation with Harry, currently in charge of Team Rainbow.

Mina "Thunderbird" Sky is a risk-taker, but she's always in control of the situation and more than adaptable to any situation.

" Having someone who can watch your six, stitch you up, and fly you out is quite the trifecta. I’ve worked with Specialist Mina “Thunderbird” Sky before and I’m confident with her at my back."

Read More - Rainbow Six Siege Thunderbird Preview

She works in Hydrology, inspired by preserving her Nakoda Territories' community traditions, and believes that understanding how water relates to the Earth is vital in ensuring everyone has access to essential water sources going forwards.

" Thunderbird is nothing if not resourceful. I’ve seen her splint a broken bone with two sticks and a shoelace. But in our line of work, we don’t always have time to tie shoelaces, let alone search for sticks. Her healing tech has come a long way since I first saw it. What impresses me most is the distribution method. She can’t be everywhere at once so I’m grateful to have another medic on the field, we can use as many friends as we can get. Sometimes a comforting presence while you heal is just as important as keeping you alive, luckily, she excels at both."

Equipment Kit Details

Although she was only just announced, we actually know quite a lot about Thunderbird's equipment and weapon's loadout. To put it bluntly, she looks like she's going to be one of the best Defenders yet.

Below, following leaks, we have confirmation that her loadout will be as follows:

• Movement: 3 Speed
• Primary Weapon: Spear.308 / SPAS-15
• Secondary Weapon: Q-929 / BEARING-9
• Throwable: Impact Grenade / C4
• Gadget: 3x Kona Station

Thunderbird's gadget, Kona Station, is a healing device that works on both teammates and enemies. It fires a charge on a 35s cooldown which can actually revive downed players nearby if necessary. She has three of these to use, but the fact that they can heal enemy players too makes their placement vital.

They can be destroyed fairly easily, but we don't have the full details on their health just yet. We're expecting full patch notes to drop sooner to the update's release on June 14th.

This, funnily enough, is just two days after Ubisoft's UbiForward at E3 2021. Could we see more from Siege there? Only time will tell...