Century bomber

The B2-X Century Bomber is an Allied tactical bomber used during the War of the Three Powers and the Uprising.

Background
Built by Norwell-Hucks Corp., the B2-X is the embodiment of Allies' policy of managing contested airsapces. With a VTOL design, superior amenities and a high fuel capacity, the Century bomber is able to carry a large payload of high explosive bombs to rain on the enemy. The service on the Centuries is an honour, with many airmen vying for the job.

It sports a highly sophisticated design, making use of many advanced systems and engineering advancements, notably jointed wings for optimal storage and brushed-aluminium outer hull to resist soot and rust. To protect Allied secrets, each Century Bomber is programmed to explode in case of crash landing.

Game unit
The Century bomber is the Allied equivalent to the Kirov airship. Like the Kirov, it is completely helpless against fighters and should always be escorted if there is a significant enemy air threat. If shot down, it causes significant damage to whatever it crashes into. In order to construct Century bombers, an Airbase with access to Maximum Clearance is needed. Century bombers must also reload at an Airbase after dropping their bombs.

The Century bomber is significantly faster than the Kirov, but is not quite as tough. It is also somewhat more versatile, being able to carry troops as well as bombs. The only Imperial weapon which can be considered an equivalent to the Century Bomber (and the Harbinger gunship) is the Giga Fortress. The Soviets also have the Badger Bomber, which has similar carrying capacity. However, this type of bomber cannot be deployed directly, despite its superior maneuverability.

Its main role is to carpet bomb enemy bases and unit formations and paradrop infantry onto the battlefield. It can carry bombs and paratroopers and the same time, which means that it is possible to bomb a target and then use the infantry to finish it off. If the Century is shot down, all infantry onboard will be lost. The Century drops its bombs in a line, so some care must be taken in choosing the direction of attack in order to maximize damage.

Pros

 * Highly destructive bombs
 * Can take on board up to 5 infantry units and paradrop them behind the enemy lines.
 * Heavy armor
 * Can be upgraded with Advanced Aeronautics which increases it's bomb capacity
 * Much faster than Kirov Airship
 * A squadron of 4 century bombers with Advanced Aeronautics can destroy even the toughest buildings in a single bombing run
 * Perfect for dropping Tanya in the middle of an enemy base.

Cons

 * Expensive ($2000) and Requires Maximum Clearance (Tier 3)
 * Limited Ammo
 * Production is limited to the amount of empty slots on an airfield
 * MiG fighters, Jet Tengus and rouge Apollo fighters pose a threat
 * Not as tough as Kirov
 * Paratroopers are dropping down slowly thus they are an easy target for anti-air
 * Can't RTB on Command

Gallery
 Centurybomber1.jpg|Concept art RA3 CenturyBomber.jpg|Render

Behind the scenes

 * "Norwell-Hucks" is probably based on Rockwell, an aviation company in real-life that produced the B-1 bomber.
 * Several of the quotes from pilots are reminiscent of quotes from "Dr Strangelove."