Aircraft carrier (Red Alert 2)

"The largest ship in the fleet!"

- Aircraft Carrier

Aircraft Carriers are massive vessels, designed as floating airfields. Eschewing standard warship armaments for aircraft offers them vastly increased range and immense destructive power; though said aircraft are often easy prey for anti-aircraft fire. The Allied Forces have replaced Cruisers with the Aircraft Carrier.

Description
"Slow and steady!"

- Aircraft Carrier

"Commencing attack run!"

- Aircraft Carrier

The largest naval vessel in service of the Allied Forces is the aircraft carrier. A fully fledged capital ship, it is the equivalent of the Soviet Dreadnought.

The ship carries a contingent of three Hornet VTOL attack jets and a specialized industrial plant capable of repairing, rearming and rebuilding the jets. Before launch, the jets are prepared on the launch pad in front of the ship and are deployed according to the orders of the commanding officer. The carrier has no offensive systems of its own and has to rely on supporting vessels to protect him while it is rearming. The Hornets aren't able to inflict as much damage the missiles fired by Dreadnoughts and Boomers, but they're greater numbers and health made them harder to shoot down.

Though intimidating, the carrier was rather easily sunk by Typhoon Attack Submarines, Boomers, and Giant Squids, as they lacked anti submarine weaponry. They were also ironically vulnerable to aircraft as their Hornets were built as bombers which prevented them from engaging any enemy aircraft. The Hornets could be easily downed by even the lightest of anti-air weaponry, as they had very weak armor. This was evidenced as Soviet commanders can down the Hornets of a carrier with Flak Troopers. However when large numbers of Aircraft Carriers attacked it was almost impossible to shoot down all of them.

During the Fourth World War a new design was put into production. It could carry fiveSky Knight UCAVsmore and was armed with an EMP missile known as the Blackout missile.

Game Unit
The carrier itself does not gain veterancy, but the Hornets do.