Bullfrog

"Bullfrog Transport Open for Business!"
 * Bullfrog

The Bullfrog is the new anti-air and APC unit for the Soviets, replacing the Flak Track, Amphibious Transport and Sea Scorpion.

Description and History
"Dasvidaniya!"
 * Bullfrog, using Man cannon

The KDB-2 Bullfrog is a unique all-terrain assault transport with significant anti-aircraft capability. Kiev-based Kazminov Design Bureau all but clinched its monopolistic role as the Soviet Union's favored manufacturer-designer of military vehicles with this particular model, which has proven itself time and again in more than seven years' worth of fierce combat worldwide. It features twin PVS 5-7 Tucha 23mm anti-aircraft cannon as it's main armament. Deployment of the Bullfrog only requires either a War Factory or a Naval Yard and each Bullfrog costs $900.

More Intel on the Soviet Bullfrog can be found here.

CC98 Hlopushka Troop-Deployment System
"Dust Be Dunia!"
 * Bullfrog using its special Ability

The Bullfrog is an amphibious variant of the obsolete Soviet Flak track and features a specialised version of its predecessor's feared anti-air weapon combined with an innovative infantry-launching device: the Hlopushka Troop-Deployment System (part CC98-HTDS), colloquially known as the "man-cannon". As the name suggests, this device is capable of launching a full-grown man across roughly a thousand meters, where he can drop behind the front lines using a basic parachute pack. Year-over-year safety statistics for this unorthodox transportation system continue improving at a rate of 40 percent, which surely would have delighted its inventor, legendary circus ringmaster and patriot Arkady Ilyushin, had he survived the Bullfrog's tragic maiden voyage.

One hotly-debated side effect of the CC98-HTDS is that the air lock used to build sufficient pressure in the firing mechanism means, in practice, that the only way for troops to exit the vehicle during combat operations is for all of them to launch out. After initial field tests, strict rules were imposed that greatly mitigated Soviet conscripts' complaints of whiplash, nausea, acrophobia, or general malaise at having to use this system. Pursuant to new Soviet combat regulations, the Bullfrog now comes standard with accommodations fit for larger passengers, such as trained War bears and Tesla troopers. The inside of the cannon is greased to ensure these forces are less likely to ignite from the friction of launch.

Notes from the field
• Cannot attack ground -- Essentially an armored car, the Bullfrog is resistant to small arms but vulnerable to anti-vehicle fire. Furthermore, its primary weapon is designed only for anti-air defense, which means the Bullfrog has no answer to enemy ground combatants.

• The remarkable "man-cannon" -- In addition to its anti-air weapon, the Bullfrog features the Hlopushka "Man-Cannon", which can launch infantry into battle or to tactically-advantageous terrain. For example, infantry can be launched onto high ground, over enemy base defenses, from sea to land, and more. Infantry automatically parachute down from the apex of the launch.

• One way out -- Bear in mind that once infantry units get into a Bullfrog, the "man-cannon" is the only way out, apart from death. Therefore it is ill-advised to use the Bullfrog as a troop transport in areas with heavy anti-air defense..

• Mass production -- Bullfrogs may be built from either a War Factory or a Naval Yard and perform comparably well both on land and at sea. Both on land and at sea, the Bullfrog is among the Soviets' best answer to enemy aircraft as far as surface vehicles go.

Assessment
The Bullfrog is a cheap and effective anti-air vehicle (and, in fact, the only one for the Soviets) and also served as an APC, carrying up to 5 troops at a time. The Hlopushka Man-Cannon allows it to shoot troops over considerable distances, bypassing enemy defenses. However, it is lightly armoured and cannot do anything against ground units, which means it cannot operate effectively without protecting forces, a weakness it shares with the Hydrofoil and Striker-VX. Also, troops shot out by the Man-Cannon may be shot down in-flight with anti-air weapons. It is broadly equivalent to the Allied Hydrofoil and while it lacks the latter's Scramblegun Jammer and speed, it makes up for this by being more versatile as a troop-hauler as well as possessing amphibious capabilities.