Kirov Airship

"Kirov reporting!"

- Overheard from both GWWIII and WWIII Kirov

Kirov Airships were large bomb carrying zeppelins built by the Soviets during Great World War III and Real World War III. They carried large gravity bombs and were, at one point, armed with a 50 megaton bombs capable of destroying an entire city.

History


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.

Deployment History
"Bombardiers to your stations!!"

- Kirov

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 armored zeppelin that would take dozens of missiles to bring down, whereas a regular plane could be eliminated with three or four hits. This made it extremely effective against enemy 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 armor even helped to defend it against Patriot missiles. Well-escorted Kirovs are probably the single most potent threat the Soviet army poses.

The most notable mission involving Kirovs is the mission where the Soviet Commander had to destroy the traitor Yuri. 2 Kirovs spearheaded the attack and once the Commander deployed a Nuclear Missile Silo, Yuri sent endless waves of Kirovs in an attempt to destroy the Silo.

Later developments (Red Alert 3)


"I'm a giver!"

- Kirov



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. The Kirov still maintains its lethality, as a couple of bombs still destroy even the sturdiest of structures.



Description (Red Alert 3)
"Aw... look, is that your house?"

- Kirov on a bombing rampage

The Kirov Airship looks very much the same as when it first appeared in the skies of New York, right down to the infamous shark mouth markings on the nose. It's also just as destructive as ever and repairs itself if it sustains damage, although it is slightly less heavily armored than it's predecessor. It is, however, somewhat faster (though still abysmally slow) and has also one major difference: the Gastroburner. Kirovs are now deployed from Airfields, instead of the War Factory in the past. They cost $2500 and require the construction of an Airfield and Battle Lab to deploy on the battlefield. It is still very much the iconic Soviet unit and the most feared aircraft in the Soviet arsenal.

Gastroburners
As mentioned above, the Gastroburner is the special ability for the Kirov which allows it to use a new volatile compound to propel it at much faster speeds. The compound damages the Kirov, however and slowly eats away at the structure. Prolonged use will eventually destroy the Kirov and the ability should be used sparingly. It still doesn't give the Kirov Airship enough speed to outrun fighters, however.

General Usage\Deployment History (Red Alert 3)
"Get away from me!"

- Kirov under enemy fire

The Kirov is the Soviets Heavy Bomber that strikes fear to all surface targets. They are effective against slow moving targets and the Structures. They can destroy Conyards and Superweapons in seconds if they get close enough. Their Iron Bombs kill all infantry in one hit and does not need to reload unlike the Century Bombers. They however are not used against Faster foes like the Multigunner IFV or the Striker VX.

The Kirov was first granted to the Soviet Commander during the invasion of Von Esling Airbase, Iceland, after General Krukov was accused of attempting to murder Premier Cherdenko. They also spearheaded the invasion of New York, destroying Fort Bradley.

In the Imperial Campaign, they were used to try to destroy the Shogun's Executioner and were a very dangerous threat to it that had to be guarded against. They were also used in an attempt to defend the Kremlin from invading Imperial forces but were shot down.

In the Allied Campaign, they spearheaded the ultimately failed attempt to invade Brighton and were used to carry 50 megaton thermonuclear bombs in a planned attack from Havana against American cities. They were launched from sports arenas and were only stopped once all the arenas were destroyed.

Notes from the field (Red Alert 3)
"I knew my top scores in the Academy would get us through this! Hold on a second...is that a Kirov? Coming out of a baseball stadium?!" "Thats right - a baseball stadium! EACH KIROV IS EQUIPPED WITH A 50 MEGATON BOMB AND IT IS HEADING FOR AN ALLIED CITY OF OUR CHOOSING! Dasvidanya!"

- Giles and Oleg

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.