Orca (Renegade)

The ORCA assault craft is a jet gunship used by the Global Defense Initiative in Renegade.

Background
Employing a set of twin articulated jet engines as propulsion in place of the classic rotary wing, the ORCA has incredible maneuverability. These advantages came at the expense of armour, allowing the Orca to withstand only a few missile hits, provided it didn't outrun these missiles first.

The craft is armed with two weapons - a six barrelled, forward mounted gatling gun (equipped with a searchlight) and a pair of Dragon TOW missile launchers on its sides, each containing nine rockets. Some later models had two forward mounted machine guns. Be advice, the gun is somewhat inoperable in game.

It's compact design allows it to fit in small passages such as canyons with ease, as well as be transported and deployed from freight trucks or specially designed resupply and transportation trucks. The fuselage dimensions limit the crew size to only a single pilot, limiting the craft's performance in combat somewhat.

Legacy
While it had its drawbacks, the design proved so effective during the First Tiberium War, that it served as a basis for GDI's air forces design up to the Third Tiberium War. It was found to be particularly effective against Nod M2 Bradleys and buggies, as they had no anti aircraft capability.

Overview
This vehicle appears as a background element in single player. On flying maps in Renegade multiplayer, it is one of the most powerful, universal vehicles on the field. It was added in multiplayer in patch 1.030.

Usage
Orcas are effective against all kinds of infantry and vehicles, thanks to their multipurpose loadout. Their speed and low health make it best to use in a hit-and-run. Orcas are great at scouting and securing large areas of the battlefield, as they can quickly pick off any enemy infantry or vehicle that ventures alone.

Orcas are excellent in large numbers to perform a rush. An Orca rush can reach the enemy base quickly and deal a huge amount of damage to buildings in a short time with rockets.

Counters
Having low health and armor, an Orca cannot last long to anti-aircraft fire and rockets. Sakura's ramjet rifle can down an Orca in a few shots.

Trivia

 * Initially, there was a special mobile helipad to appear in the game, but it was cut.