Guardian tank

The MBT-X8 Guardian Tank is the Allied main battle tank in Red Alert 3 and its expansion, Uprising.

Background
A main battle tank of British origin, the Guardian became the mainstay of Allied forces on the ground worldwide after besting the Grizzly, an American-made design, in field tests across the board.

The Guardian boasted an impressive balance of power, durability, and maneuverability and had a molded frame that helped keep production costs down. Its 90 mm main gun could punch through Soviet armor reliably and packed more firepower, though a slightly lower rate of fire, than the Guardian's Soviet counterpart.

In addition, each Guardian tank was equipped with a target-designating module, which replaced the exposed machine gun mount found on older models. Designed to complement other Allied weapons platforms, the Spyglass target designator (colloquially called the "target painter") relays targeting information to nearby Allied forces. By automatically interfacing with their weapons systems, the target painter could make other forces more accurate and deadly by compensating for wind direction, visibility, and more than 100 marginal factors--all of which add up.

A Guardian tank was unable to maintain the beam through the recoil of its main gun's firing sequence, so Guardian crews must coordinate well to decide which unit within the column is going to "cast the lure" (as Guardian technicians put it) while the others press the attack.

In-game
The Guardian tank is slightly cheaper than the Hammer tank and the Tsunami tank. In terms of overall abilities, it is well balanced, having the fastest speed and the strongest firepower of all three MBTs (not counting Hammer tank's leeched weapons), while also being the second most durable. Like all other tanks, it is vulnerable against aircraft and anti-armor infantry, and need to be protected from them by other units.

Its target painter is an extremely valuable support weapon. Painted targets take 50% more damage from all weapons, or 100% more with the High technology upgrade. Since the target painter has a much longer range than the main cannon, it is a good idea to always have one Guardian tank switched to target painter at the back, while other Guardians engage the target. The effects of multiple target painters do not stack.

Guardian tanks will still lose to Hammer tanks one on one so never use Guardian tanks in fewer numbers against the Soviet tanks.

Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.3: target painter reload time increased to 2 seconds from 0
 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.5: cost increased to 950 from 900
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.11:
 * vision range in target painter mode increased
 * fixed a bug that occasionally prevented veteran Guardian tanks from painting targets correctly in target painter mode

Created

 * Guardian tank, awaiting deployment!

Select

 * What's on the agenda?
 * Guardian tank!
 * What can we do for you, sir?
 * Could we be of help, sir?
 * Guardian tank, good to go!
 * Guardian tank, at your service!
 * Ready as always!
 * What's it gonna be?

Moving

 * Affirmative sir!
 * Gentleman, let's move!
 * We'll be on our best behavior.
 * Approaching area!
 * You heard the boss!
 * Move it out, lads!
 * We're on it sir!
 * Come on boys!
 * Of course sir!
 * Capital! 

Attacking

 * Open fire!
 * Send 'em home!
 * With pleasure!
 * Let 'em have it!
 * They'll get theirs!
 * Another one ey?
 * Take it to 'em boys!
 * Commence firing!

Use Target Painter

 * Got 'em in our sights!
 * That's the one!
 * We have him lit!
 * Target set!
 * Spotlights on that one!

Move to attack

 * All the lads have been waitin' for this, sir.
 * We'll show 'em out.
 * They causing trouble?
 * Dispose of this rubbish.
 * Coming right up!
 * Well let's have it then!
 * Time for a switching, boys!
 * That's him, light 'em up!
 * They've been asking for this!
 * A little tidying up, ay?
 * Take it to him, boys!

In combat

 * Don't let up, lads!
 * This it is, boys!
 * Settle down boys the command's on the line!
 * Come on! Come on now!
 * Hold 'em a mess you sir!
 * You had enough?!!
 * There more where that come from!
 * Keep at it, lads!

Retreating

 * Back it up, we're done here!
 * Outta here, on the double!
 * Make way!

Under fire

 * They messing with the wrong bloats
 * We're got some incoming!
 * They firing at us!
 * We'll give it right back!

Trivia

 * The body and 3 sets of treads of the Guardian resembles the Scorpion tank.
 * The Guardian tank's special ability is similar to that of the Avenger's in Generals.
 * The Guardian is the most common enemy vehicle seen in the unit profiles of Soviets and Imperial units.
 * In the Red Alert 3 Tutorial, a Guardian Tank is seen along with a Tsunami tank and Hammer tank, teaching the new commander how to play. Though the Guardian tank in the tutorial appears to be voiced by the Multigunner IFV's voice actor instead of the Guardian tank's.