Kirov Airship (RA Universe)

"Bombadiers to your stations!"
 * Kirov

Kirov Airships were large bomb carrying zeppelins built by the Soviets during Great World War III and Real World War III.

History
"To Stop Kirovs build alot of Flak Cannons!"
 * Hint

Named for its maiden launch over Kirov oblast, these airships were first seen when the Soviet Union mobilized their forces to attack the United States in 1972. They played a vital role in all of the Soviet invasions, spearheading the assaults on New York and San Francisco.

Also on the War against Yuri the Kirov was vulnerable and unable to attack well defended Gattling Weapons.

Usage
Kirovs were used to bomb enemy bases and to a lesser extent, vehicles and infantry. They were equipped with a number of propellers which helped them to move under their own power, rather than being prey to the wind, but even so, were abysmally slow. Soviet engineers attempted to compensate this by creating a heavily armoured zeppelin: so heavily armoured that it would take dozens of missiles to bring down, while a regular plane could be eliminated in three or four. This made it extremely powerful against bases. Once the unit actually arrived at the base, the heavy bombs it dropped were extremely effective against all structures and any groups of infantry: once over a structure, a Kirov could eliminate even a command center within seconds and slaughter groups of infantry with a single bomb. Its armour even helped to defend it against Patriot missiles. Well-escorted Kirovs are probably the single most potent threat the Soviet army poses and their danger cannot be overstated.

Counters
IFVs, Rocketeers and other mobile rocket units were very effective in hunting Kirovs: their slow speed meant that they could not engage any vehicles, or counter air to air attacks, and also allowed the vehicles or airborne infantry to take potshot after potshot at the Kirovs as they spent the very long distance travelling to the enemy base. One possible counter to this tactic was the deployment of heavy units such as Apocalypse Tanks to cover the Kirovs' approach. Aegis Cruisers also work very well against them; provided that the Kirovs were traveling close to or over water.

Later developments


"Is that a Kirov?' Coming out of a Baseball Stadium?!"
 * Giles, witnessing a Kirov emerging from a Baseball Stadium

Later, in WWIII, Soviet engineers made a few upgrades to the old Kirovs. While they looked very similar to the first generation airships from the outside, but inside "Gastroburner" engines could be activated, burning a highly volatile gas giving it a brief boost in speed. However, excessive usage may cause fatal damage to the airship's frame with undesirable consequences. The Kirov still maintains its lethality, as a couple of bombs still destroy even the sturdiest of structures. The Kirov's main adversaries are the Hydrofoils and Sea-Wings, whose speed and maneuverability allow them to easily evade the Kirov's bombs, and the Apollo Fighter and Jet-Tengu, against which the Kirov has no defense. Multigunner IFVs and Striker-VXs also work reasonably well. As in the older version, if it is shot down and crashes on a building, it will do immense damage to the structure in question, making it a great, if somewhat slow, suicide weapon. The Kirov has an unlimited number of bombs and never needs to reload, unlike the faster but less durable Allied Century Bomber, though it is probably not as versatile. The Kirov is a remarkably specialized unit which does one thing superbly, but can't do anything else. Recent intel suggests the possibility of the Kirov being equipped with a Tesla bomb.

Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Kirov Airship:

• Luxury at a premium -- Kirov Airships are new and in high demand, and therefore in short supply. While increasing numbers of Soviet airbases are being given authority to manufacture these dirigibles locally, this process is time-consuming and expensive.

• Limitless bombs -- In spite of the huge size of the Kirov, it fits only a small number of individuals. Although it could conceivably carry hundreds of passengers, it instead holds thousands of bombs--more than enough for any single battle.

• Gastroburners -- Kirov pilots have access to a special chemical compound that, when released into the engine block, causes the mighty airship to reach a greater-than-usual top speed. The drawback is that the compound is toxic, and slowly corrodes the Kirov from the inside.

• Explosive Potential -- While no Kirov has ever been shot down according to official records, physicists theorize that the volatile chemical compound and sheer number of bombs contained within these vessels would likely explode catastrophically in the unlikely event one should ever fall.

Also in the Allied Campaign Oleg armed the Kirovs with a huge 50 Megaton Bomb which will destroy an Undefended City but the Allied Commander and Giles stopped them and destroyed the USSR Kirov launching facilities.

Behind the scenes
An Imperial King Oni is seen punching the Kirov. This is a mistake because ingame it will not hit aircraft.