Rhino tank (Red Alert 2)

"We will bury them!"

- Rhino after being ordered to attack

The Rhino heavy tank was the main battle tank of the Soviet Union during the Third World War and the Psychic Dominator Disaster, replacing the aging Heavy tank.

Concept
The Soviets mass-produced Rhino tanks to swarm the USA, hoping to win through sheer numbers and weight of firepower. It is possible that following this concept, the next stage became the Apocalypse Tank, derived from the Rhino but is bigger, heavier and carries more weapons. Of all the basic tanks, the Rhino was by far the strongest in terms of raw fire power and armour. The notable difference between it and its predecessor is a single, large cannon compared to dual cannon turrets seen on the heavy tanks of the Second World War. These changes may come from consideration that constructing a single-barrelled, but powerful tank was much more practical in contrast to the mechanical difficulties of constructing a dual barrel turret on a compact designed medium tank chassis.

Background
Rhino tanks were heavily armoured and mounted a large 120mm gun, but sacrificed speed in the process. Despite the fact that it was slower than its two counterparts, it was still quite speedy for a heavy tank, being able to mobilize quickly from one location to another. Its speed deficit in comparison with its counterparts were not as pronounced as the heavier Apocalypse Tank; it is believed that the Rhino was capable of upwards of three quarters of the Allied Grizzly tanks top speed.

Rhinos formed the bulk of the frontline vehicles fielded during the war. Like most other tanks it was capable of grinding infantry under its treads and was good at shelling buildings in groups. Soviet high command deemed the Rhino tank worthy of mass production, deploying it throughout the Soviet Union and to nearly all major battlefields during the war. While dwarfed in terms of power by the high tech Apocalypse Tanks, Rhinos remained a major asset to the USSR in all of Third World War major conflicts, using mass attack tactics to win the day. This tactic became even more viable with the invention of Industrial Plants, which allowed the tanks to be churned out at a much faster rate and, in the process, gave the Soviet Army many chances to both outgun and overpower their enemies.

Usage
The Rhino tanks are very useful in early PVP (player versus player) online games due to its cheap production cost and medium-high power aganist vehicles and structures. The Rhino tanks are especially useful in a Soviet vs Allied PVP match: during very early gameplays, the player controlling the Soviet faction could easily build few of these tanks and defeat the Allied player if these tanks are focused on destroying enemy structures; as the Allied player spent much time in early game to develop his/her base. This tactic is called 'rushes' and are usually used by Soviet players early in game. Even in late-game matches, the Rhino retains its usefulness due to its high speed, heavy armor, and relatively inexpensive cost (especially if an Industrial Plant was constructed).

Counters
Against aerial threats, Rhinos had no effective response, being unable to hit them. Sometimes, a lucky Rhino could dodge missiles launched by Harriers or Black Eagles, but this required precise timing. Against Rocketeers, Rhinos were completely helpless. The German Tank destroyer was also more than a match for it, possessing much greater firepower, and costing the same amount of resources as the Rhino.

Rhinos were more expensive to produce then the Grizzly Battle Tank or the Lasher Light Tank and was often outnumbered by the smaller tanks. Large groups of deployed GIs could wear down Rhinos due to its lack of anti-infantry weapons, but the tanks themselves could easily grind the infantry under their treads if they weren't destroyed in the process.

After the defeat of the Soviet Union the Allies developed the Guardian GI which could take on armored units such as the Rhino much more effectively, especially if bunkered in an IFV or even the new Battle Fortress. During the Psychic Dominator Disaster the Guardian GIs were brought back in time and Rhinos had to overcome these challenges.

Aftermath
Following the Psychic Dominator Disaster, the Soviet Union replaced Rhino tanks with cheaper Heavy tanks during the Post-war Crisis. That design was later replaced by the more powerful Hammer tank during the War of the Three Powers.

Pros

 * Stronger than the Grizzly tank and Lasher tank in terms of raw fire power and armor.
 * Quite speedy for a heavy tank.
 * Can crush infantry.
 * Powerful in numbers.

Cons

 * The most expensive MBT ($900). This weakness is negated if an Industrial Plant is constructed however.
 * Not very effective against infantry, other than crushing or gaining Elite Status.
 * Helpless against air units.

Trivia

 * One of the Rhino tank's quotes, "We will bury them!", was taken from the "We will bury you!" phrase made famous by the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev.
 * In the installation video of Red Alert 2, the Rhino Tank appears on the Allied backround.
 * Even though the tanks moving into Colorado Springs are called Rhino tanks, they share a different design when comparing it to the design ingame and the schematic shown in the installer slide. The Colorado Springs model is higher with no apparent fuel tanks in the rear and has a different turret. And what seems to be four treads instead of two. However, the Rhino in the installation video has a larger turret and a longer barrel.
 * The ingame voxel looks like a mix of both, having the fuel tanks and the height of the tank in the installation slide while appearing to have a similar hull design to those seen in Colorado Springs. The turret however is different as it is larger and positioned more to the rear (when viewed from certain angles), which could be an unintentional oversight.
 * A stock Merkava model was used for the Alpha icon of Rhino Tank.
 * The Rhino Tank's seems to be named after the similarly named tank on the Grand Theft Auto series.