Stealth tank (Tiberian Twilight)

The AT-5 Stealth Tank is an Offense Class tank used by the Brotherhood of Nod in Tiberian Twilight.

Background
This latest incarnation of Nod's feared Stealth Tank is not a direct creation of the Brotherhood's scientists but is instead based on an advanced vehicle designed and created by the mysterious White Lady known as Alyssa. The newest version features many of Alyssa's modifications to the earlier design (rumoured to be based on Scrin technology), including some derived from her modified stealth generator design. Her stealth tank was a great improvement of the previous design and returned to using four treads. The use of the three thread configuration, as employed by the third generation Stealth Tank had a number of flaws, including the fact that the loss of a single tread pod to enemy fire was a crippling blow the third generation tanks, thus the return to a four thread configuration allowed an increase in stability as well as reliability. Furthermore, it was ideal in travelling through harsh environments such as deserts and tundra environments (such as Siberia where Alyssa operated). In addition, the design also allowed it to hold greater weight to be carried which in turn gave it the capacity to possess heavier sloped armor that afforded the AT-5 with increased protection.

A notable improvement in its stealth tech is that while the new stealth tank must still decloak to fire, it only partially decloaks while its stealth generator maintains scrambling, making it hard to accurately target and hit the vehicle. Combined with its reinforced armor, this feature increased its survivability greatly. While much was gained from Alyssa's prototype, much of the technology could not be reverse engineered, which included her use of stealth bubble systems. These were an improvement over the disruption tower and cloaking fields, as they did not suffer the drawback of being incapable of shielding themselves or harming infantry when activated. However, the Brotherhood managed to make use of some of the technology to allow the AT-5 to cloak others in addition to itself and even cloak infantry without harming them. Furthermore, it gave some of its stealth scrambling qualities to its comrades that resided within the bubble thus giving them the same advantage the AT-5 uses.

Similar to the previous versions, the AT-5 uses missiles as its primary armament. However, it is configured to fire all in quick succession, creating a powerful volley capable of dealing a great deal of damage to both aerial as well as ground based targets. A downside to this is the fact that it takes several seconds for the pilot to reload all its rockets but an option was available that allowed the driver to fire the missiles individually as they are loaded rather than wait for the entire rocket rack to be replenished.

History
The Brotherhood has a long history of Optic Camouflage use, which descended from the first generation vehicles used during the First Tiberium War such as the Ezekiel's Wheel Stealth Tank. These early Stealth tanks were used to great effect during the war against the Global Defense Initiative. By the Second Tiberium War, Nod had developed a second generation Stealth tank, which saw usage in the second global conflict between GDI and Nod. Following the war, after Nod had rebuilt its stealth databank, they went to work on a third generation version which would be used in the Third Tiberium War.

After the alliance between Kane and GDI, there were no new improvements to the stealth tank design. Instead, effort was focused on the creation of the Tiberium Control Network. However, around 2071, GDI convoys carrying equipment and supplies for TCN construction started to disappear while en route to the Siberian Wastelands in the barren tundra where TCN Node #51 was to be established. GDI dispatched numerous convoys of construction vehicles but each disappeared enroute. Even further investigations by Orcas were lost in the snowstorms that plagued the Wasteland. A third ground team was later assembled who reported no sign of the previous expeditions but they were also lost when their transmission was cut off. This was followed by a fourth expedition conducted by a Mammoth Tank but this group also disappeared without a trace. The constant disappearances led to panic amongst the nearby GDI garrison with most refusing duty to travel to the area of the local TCN Node. Reports even persisted of a mysterious White Lady seen at the distance during the violent snowstorms which became a popular horror story. Eventually, the GDI commander of the local garrison decided to call in a Nod recon group to find the fate of their missing personnel rather than risk any more of his men.

Of the fifteen members of the Nod group, only three returned after several days of searching and they were accompanied by a mysterious young woman. Records of the encounter were later sealed under orders from Kane himself though the few witnesses present reported that the woman identified herself as Alyssa. Furthermore, she stated that she had a gift for Kane and later revealed a highly advanced new Stealth Tank which decloaked behind her. More heavily armored than the third generation version, Alyssa, who was the mysterious White Lady revealed that she was the vehicle's designer and claimed sole responsibility for the destruction of the GDI convoys in the region and said they were all conducted singlehandedly by her tank alone. After this event, both Alyssa and the tank were transported to an unknown Nod location which some believed was the headquarters for Project Omega. There, Alyssa's stealth tank became the basis for a new fourth generation Stealth Tank, designated the AT-5 Stealth Tank. The fate of the original was unknown though some reports indicate that it was returned to Alyssa after several years of extensive study of the vehicle.

In-game
Stealth Tanks are highly mobile hit-and-run units, available once Tier 2 is unlocked for a Nod Offense commander. They fire an initial large salvo of rockets and individual rockets if they continue firing at the enemy, in a similar manner to the GDI Orca Mk. V. It is highly advisable that the Stealth Tanks are retreated to completely reload the rocket pods after firing that initial burst of rockets, unless one is trying to finish off a badly damaged unit. Stealth Tank rockets excel at destroying GDI medium aircraft like the Orca, and are a serious threat to most ground forces too.

The Stealth Field upgrade allows the Stealth Tank to cloak any friendly units in a small radius around it, including friendly Crawlers. It does not cloak air units, however.

It is also highly advisable that Stealth Tanks be put on "Hold Fire" mode in order to prevent them from betraying their presence too soon by opening fire. They can also be used to sneakily capture undefended nodes.

The Stealth Tank's closest GDI equivalent is the Sandstorm MLRS, which also uses rockets, is unlocked at Tier 2, but is not stealthed. The Sandstorm does, however, have the cliffjumping ability.

Quotes
Stealth tanks operational.

Hell yeah.