Apocalypse tank (Red Alert 3)

"Armageddon is here!"

- Apocalypse Tanks

The Apocalypse tank is the USSR's heaviest land hitter in Red Alert 3.

Background
While lacking the anti-air weapons and 'still' possessing the horrendously low speed of the previous generation of the Apocalypse tanks, this new successor appear and functions to be as fearsome than it was before. The chain-like Myasorubka (Meat Grinder) cutting treads built underneath the tank, gives it greater traction for its massive weight, and can be combined with a new (yet deadly) feature: the Shchuka Magnetic Harpoon, a product of Soviet research into the military applications of magnetism.

Smaller to medium- sized vehicles caught by the Shchuka (Pike) Magnetic Harpoon, are dragged underneath the cutting treads, destroying them completely. In addition, the harpoon can be used to drag the Apocalypse towards an anchored structure OR to any vehicle/battle walker bigger the tank itself, increasing its notoriously low speed. The drawback however: the harpoon is extremely energy hungry; thus requiring the tank to power down the main guns while the M- harpoon is activated. Vehicles may still fire (perhaps futilely) at the Apocalypse while being dragged helplessly towards the tank's grinder treads. Even without the M-Harpoon, the Apocalypse Tank is still capable of crushing smaller vehicles by simply rolling over them- like most infantry.

The Apocalypse Tank has 16 layers of heavy armour, and extremely powerful twin 125mm Drakon HEAT cannons. The original designers of the Apocalypse: the Archangelsk Tank Plant, assures the Soviet public that the name Apocalypse refers to the tank's purported ability to survive anything. As one may imagine, they are very expensive to construct and require significant technical skill. The tank also features a Tesla reactor that eliminates 70% of emissions, but despite that drastic change, they still emit a lot of exhaust smoke. The turret also tends to wobble a little as the Apocalypse rumbles along, which significantly inhibits firing accuracy while it moves through. Soviet tamper with time stream backlashed by disabling them from nuclear technology, this affected the Apocalypse Tank design as well as nuclear engines no longer being in existence, making the tank slower, noisier, and bulkier.

The Apocalypse tank is not amphibious, given it's huge weight, and is much more specialized and less mobile than it's counterparts: the Empire's King Oni along with the newer Steel Ronin battle walkers, as well as the Allies' Assault Destroyer amphibious battleships, and its massive Future Tank X-1. However, it is possible that the Apocalypse is a better anti-armour platform than any of these. The Assault Destroyer, King Oni, and the Future Tank X-1 are, however; inferior to the Apocalypse Tank on a strict one-to-one basis.

Also, if and when an Apocalypse is promoted to Heroic level, instead of utilizing conventional cannon rounds; these improved rounds- detonates like a high yield explosive with a mushroom cloud- like explosion, more than double the size of its explosive yield on contact- could instantly kill any infantry; effectively removing one if its few vulnerabilities. The cannons also increase to a speed in which they alternate with almost no pause, making them incredibly effective land monstrosities against enemies of the Soviet Union.

According to additional information, the Apocalypse Tank even became popularized in a morning cartoon show and toy line ("They Are Not Allies"), at which point it truly became an icon not only in the Soviet Union's military arsenal- but all over the world.

All Apocalypse Tanks are built only at the War Factory with a Battle Lab in place.

Tactics and Counters
"The Instrument of Doom."

- Apocalypse

The latest Apocalypse Tank does not have a great defense against most aircraft and infantry - the worst of which is that the Tank can be easily bribed to join the Allies for a fee of $1000. Anti- armor and anti- heavy unit menu like Shrink Beams, Tankbusters, Javelin Soldiers, Hydrofoil's Weapon Jammers, Steel Ronin, Harbinger Gunships, Giga Fortresses, Yuriko, Spectrum Towers, and Future Tank X-1s were additional reasons why Apocalypse Tanks require support.

If they are under attack from naval units, the Apocalypse Tanks can't do much other than to run away inland- where they can't be shot at. Their M-Harpoons are effective on only vehicles and structures, however: for any enemy ships that are closer to the shoreline- the Apocalypse tank can utilize it's special ability because non-amphibious units in the water which are reeled in by the M-Harpoons are dragged towards the shore and destroyed.

Deployment History
"So, you managed to destroy the Iron Curtain? No matter. My Apocalypse Tanks will grind you to dust, with or without it!"

- Oleg

Oleg Vodnik was the Soviet Tank General who widely used these ground behemoths, as seen in the Allied mission- The Famous Liberation. However, all were either bribed or destroyed by Commander Lissette Hanley and the Allied Commander. On a scouting mission called The Great Bear Trap, Allied Squadron Commander Giles Price, along with the Allied Commander; disguised a Mirage tank as one of these behemoths- however the trick didn't fool the Soviets for long. This made little difference, since many the of Soviet units in the area were bribed by the Allied spies, including a pair of real Apocalypse Tanks. When the Allies invaded Leningrad in the last days of WWIII to capture Soviet Premier Cherdenko and General Krukov for their crimes against humanity, the Apocalypses were called to battle once more to stop the rallying Allies through its Mirage Tank divisions. In the end, all were either bribed or destroyed by the Allies.

The Apocalypse tank was first granted to be used by the Soviet Commander during the mission- "To Tame a Living God" in assisting the assassination of Emperor Yoshiro. From then on the tank was available in the rest of the Soviet missions, including the Soviet Union's 'Blight on the Big Apple'.

In Crumble Kremlin Crumble, General Krukov sent these tanks to eliminate the Empire's Shogun Executioner super battle walker, but they all succumbed to the robot's katanas, implicating that the Apocalypse tank wasn't the toughest armor in the world and were no longer the best anti- armor platform. Also, two Sudden Transports disguised as the tank approached and released the Imperial Warriors to attack the Conscripts, but one of them got zapped by a Tesla Coil. After capturing unguarded Soviet VIP Bunkers in the vicinity, the Imperial Commander was able to build these Soviet Monsters in an attempt to eliminate the Soviet leaders and put Moscow and Kremlin in ruins- and the Imperials succeded in doing so. In The Last Red Blossom Trembled, these monstrosities were summoned by former Soviet Chief Scientist Gregor Zelinsky, and were the last remains of the Soviet Army to help the Allies subdue the rallying Imperials- but all were annihilated by the Imperial Elite Force consisting of Mecha Tengus, Rocket Angels and King Oni battle walkers.

In some Uprising missions, the Imperial Commander captured an unguarded Soviet VIP Bunker, which grant him access to the Soviet War Machine- including these behemoths. They were used to help Commander Kenji Tenzai fend off Soviet General Oleg Vodnik from capturing Sakhalin Island. The Imperial Commander manages also to capture a Soviet base to act as their stand-off point, and used these land behemoths to eliminate both Soviet General Oleg Vodnik and Soviet Warlord Nikolai Moskvin, as well as to recapture the Russian Port City of Vladivostok- part as a punishment for invading Sakhalin and Oki Island in Japan, and were victorious with the help of the Empire's new Giga- Fortresses.

In the Soviet war campaign during the Uprising, these tanks were deployed in Murmansk, Northern Russia, in order to destroy the Future Tech Research Facility in the area and liberate the imprisoned Soviet citizens, along with other Soviet units. The units were also deployed at Yucatan to eliminate the Future Tech Research Facility responsible for sending the Allied reinforcements back in Murmansk. Later on, as the Soviet Underground Resistance staged a full- scale assault on Sigma Island, where the Future Tech's Sigma Harmonizer Experimental Device is being prepared to permanently debilitate the Soviet Union; several of these Soviet behemoths rallied to debilitate all Future Tech Unit Production Facilities as well as to either capture and/or destroy the Allied bases in the area. These tanks have also met their new Allied counterpart- the Future Tank X-1, but none of these new Allied tanks stop these tanks, as well as the full might of the Soviet Resistance Movement from completing its mission. In the end, they proved victorious- proving that none can stop these tanks in doing their sworn duty for the Union.

Trivia
"You cannot escape!"

- Apocalypse Tank using its special ability


 * Conceptually, the M-Harpoon is similar to Yuri's Magnetrons; the only difference between the two is that the Apocalypse uses it to drag vehicles underneath its grinders, while the Magnetron lifts the victim unit in the air and pulls it towards the Magnetron.
 * Their grinders are similar to those found on the Grinder (Red Alert 3) tanks- giving a hint that the tank's compact grinder treads, was used as a basis for this advanced Soviet behemoth.
 * Its Grinders are similar to Yuri's Grinder- only that it is meant for grinding tanks not infantry, nor does it provide any cash from units ground. However, as of the Beta's patch 1.03, it became capable of grinding buildings as well.
 * In the "Tutorial" Datafile, an Apocalypse Tank drone happened to crush the Allied Prospector forcing the Guardian tank to build another one at the Alies Ore refinery and during the special abilities phase, 1 out of 3 Apocalypse Tank target drones went out of control, leaving the Guardian Tank no choice but to introduce the Hydrofoil's special ability, rendering the biggest Soviet tank vulnerable, allowing the Imperial Tsunami tank to move in for the kill. In the last phase, the Hammer Tank's driver in the Tutorial had to change tanks, and that's when he used this twin barreled monster to exact revenge on the Tsunami Tank for assaulting him throughout the datafile.
 * The Apocalypse is the Red Alert cousin of the Chinese Overlord Tank in Generals and GDI's Mammoth Tank in the Tiberium series. Due to the design of the Apocalypse, it was likely meant to subtly parodize the Overlord and C&C3's Mammoth.