Black Eagle

"Korea's finest!"

- Black Eagle Pilots

The Black Eagle is a high speed VTOL fighter-bomber employed by the Republic of Korea in Red Alert 2.

Background
It is an improvement of the Harrier constructed at the Airforce Command Headquarter.

The Black Eagle uses Maverick II missiles which have a larger explosive - one or two Black Eagles can take out a tank. It's advanced construction makes it less vulnerable to AA fire than typical Harriers, though massed AA still pose a significant threat.

Usage
Black Eagles are useful in most combat situation except for air engagements, despite its status as a Heavy Fighter-Bomber. They can attack every target on the ground and eight can take out just about any structures. In Elite Status four will suffice, though losses can be expected. They were best known for their role in eliminating Yuri's Cloning Vats in Australia.

Black Eagle's in flights of four to ten make for excellent harassment and raiding, with their high damage and speed making them a constant thorn in your enemies side. They can also be used to intercept armor columns before they reach your base or destroy the enemies harvester in seconds. A smart player will hotkey their Eagles as an immediate response to enemy movement.

Counters
"Easy target."

- Black Eagle, given attack permission

It may be a large improvement over the standard Harriers, but it is still vulnerable to anti-air defenses, albeit to a lesser degree. The Gatling weapons in Yuri's arsenal are particularly dangerous, and should be avoided. Other weapons that can destroy Black Eagles include very large amounts of Flak or Patriot Missiles, if faced against Allied enemies.

Trivia

 * The aircraft look like a "mix" of two real world designs- an American F/A-18 "Hornet" fighter-bomber and Russian Su-47 "Berkut" experimental fighter.


 * In real life, the Republic of Korea Air Force does use F-15K Strike Eagles as it's main Strike Fighter. However, the Eagles depicted in the game bear no resemblance to the F-15K Strike Eagle in the game.