Kirov Airship (Red Alert 2)

The Kirov airship is a massive lighter-than-air bomber used by the Soviet Union during the Third World War and the Psychic Dominator Disaster.

Background
The pride of Soviet engineering, a Kirov airship is basically a large fortress floating in the air, carrying tonnes of high explosive bombs. At the beginning of the invasion of America, these aircraft carved a swath through American cities and military forces.

Game unit
By far the heaviest and most destructive weapon in the Soviet arsenal, the Kirov can take down even the hardiest land units with just a few bombs. It is also the slowest vehicle in the USSR's employ. Thus, while it can take down an entire base on its own, it can be destroyed, as its low speed allows opponents to effectively target it with anti-aircraft weaponry against which the Kirov can't defend itself fast enough.

Any effective assault using Kirovs should bear in mind that while these airships have extremely tough armor, they are not invincible. When attacking, do NOT bunch them up together; they'll take massive damage and splash damage from Flak Tracks, Flak Troopers, and Sea Scorpions. The units mentioned inflict area of effect attacks on all air targets. Also, make sure you do NOT have them attack just a single target. An effective tactic is to try attacking different targets, on multiple fronts as this can confuse the enemy response.

While extremely resistant, and has destructive firepower, Kirov Airships are dramatically useless for guard duties. They will only drop their bombs when the target is directly underneath, meaning that by the time the bomb reaches the ground and explodes, the hostile unit went far away, therefore, force-firing the ground is a favored tactic.

Aftermath
After the Psychic Dominator Disaster, the Soviets introduced a new design of their Kirov airship. It was still powerful, but more vulnerable to anti-air defenses.

After Cherdenko's trip to 1927, Kirov airships were modified and somewhat less heavily armored than their predecessor, but were still able to sustain a great deal of damage. Also, they were slightly faster, and didn't have to alter their height to be in position to bombard.

Pros

 * Very effective against infantry and structures
 * Very heavy armor
 * Causes splash damage
 * When elite, drops Tesla bombs
 * Unimaginable power in large numbers
 * Causes heavy damage even when hitting the ground
 * Causes unimaginable damage when above most building except base defenses.

Cons

 * Extremely slow
 * Expensive ($2000)
 * Can only target ground units, when above them
 * Splash damage may also cause friendly fire
 * Vulnerable to massed anti-air defenses
 * Unable to chase or outrun any unit

Trivia

 * Interestingly, while the opening of Red Alert 2 depicts massive groups of Kirovs attacking the United States, none are encountered in the Allied campaign until the final mission in Moscow. In the Soviet campaign, the player doesn't get to use them until the second to last mission, which is also set in Moscow. In Yuri's Revenge, one can be seen in the first Allied Mission, if playing on medium or hard difficulty.
 * The painted devilish faces of the Kirov are not always seen during the opening of Red Alert 2.
 * In Yuri's Revenge, it is used in the Black Forest assault when the Soviets came back from time, but they were never seen used in the Red Alert 2 Allied Commander's time.
 * A single bomb from a Kirov can destroy any structure except naval yards if the bombs are dropped right in the middle of the building, making a green Kirov  capable of destroying even a Construction Yard in one hit.
 * The nature of Kirov's immense armour is not all fiction. In one experiment, the British tested a single blimp as an air target for anti aircraft guns shooting a large amount of armour piercing bullets (about 200 rounds). The ship safely continued its navigation and landed on its designated target without major setbacks. However, a single direct hit with anti-aircraft missiles would completely shatter the Kirov's structure (which doesn't happen in-game). It is possible that some sort of miniaturized Iron Curtain technology would be equipped inside the airships to strengthen their hulls and thus greatly increase their structural integrity.
 * The Germans did use bombing airships in World War One. They dealt high damage, but were inefficient due to their construction and running cost, its explosive gas fill (mostly hydrogen), and British invention of incendiary rounds and a vast network of search lights.
 * In C&C Reloaded, the Kirovs can land down. This ability can make Kirovs affectable by Iron Curtains, Chronospheres, Ion Cannon, etc. The ability of landing down can save the Kirovs from Ion Storms, too. The Floating Discs and the Jumpjet Infantry are still unable to land down in that mod, however.