Badger bomber (Red Alert 1)

The Badger bomber is a tactical support aircraft used by the Soviets during the Second World War.

Background
Similar in appearance to the real-life Tupolev Tu-16 (albeit with a different cockpit design), the Badger bomber is the primary long range multi-role aircraft of the USSR during Second World War. The aircraft has a swept-back wing design and two turbojet engines providing it with superior speed as well as a cargo-hold, large enough to carry an entire paratrooper unit or a compliment of conventional and parachute bombs. However, its armour is rather weak against anti-aircraft fire.

Also, it seems the Allies had somehow acquired some of these aircraft, and used them to a certain extent. It's likely that the planes in these cases were captured and pressed into Allied service, or were reverse-engineered copies. The black market is another possibility or their could be Allied-friendly nations that sold them by third party.

Legacy
It was phased out and replaced by Kirov airship during Third World War. Soviet time travel also created a different Badger bomber in the new timeline.

Game unit
The plane cannot be built by the player and will only appear if any of the support powers are used (parabombs or paratroopers). Occasionally, in single player missions, it will appear in pre-scripted sequences

It is somewhat slow, and its lack of armor can make it a snack for any enemy AA-guns that may be guarding the target.

Trivia

 * Badger is the NATO reporting name of the Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bomber.