Athena cannon

"Athena SatNet, how may I assist you?"

- Athena Cannon rolling out of the Armor facility

The Athena Cannon is the Allied artillery unit in Red Alert 3 and Uprising.

Background
Created by the Stockholm-based Angstrom Defense, the Athena Cannon is an integral part of the Allied Orbital Defense Network designed by Lydia Winters. The name "Athena Cannon" refers to both a network of orbital beam weapons and their eponymous target-designating vehicles. Unlike traditional artillery units, the Athena vehicle does not attack its targets directly. Rather, it merely designates targets for an Athena satellite in orbit using a target painter, which then fires a powerful proton beam at the target.

Alternatively, an Athena Cannon can order a satellite to fire at its mounted collector dish, allowing it to absorb the energy of the beam and project an "Aegis" energy shield, which protects it and any surrounding units from enemy fire. The shield does not hinder movement, however. And the Athena must remain immobile while the shield is up.

Despite initial controversies regarding its exorbitant development costs, the Athena SatNet proved instrumental in cracking the defenses of the Soviet Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun during the war. However, the limited satellite coverage prevented its wide usage, prompting the FutureTech Corporation to develop an alternative field artillery unit: the Pacifier FAV.

In-game
The Athena Cannon is a versatile artillery vehicle. Its Aegis Shield ability can protect nearby friendly units from up to 2000 points of damage. The longer the shield is active, the smaller the area of protection gets. The shield is useful for defense from air attacks, but the unit cannot fire during the time the shield is active. Athena Cannons can target through walls, making them useful for destroying power plants and base defenses protected behind walls.

Once the Athena is in position, it will take 5 seconds to lock onto the target. It is less effective against moving targets, as the beam it summons is stationary. One trick is to make the Athena target a spot on the ground in front of a group of enemies so that the beam strikes them when they move to the spot. This takes good timing, but the beam causes splash damage and can take valuable health off of groups of units.

In groups of five or more, Athena Cannons can destroy any structure or unit, including superweapons, in one strike before the enemy has a chance to react. This is a very useful tactic when attempting to make a quick run at an enemy construction yard or superweapon.

Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.3:
 * shield HP reduced to 2000 from 4000
 * shield duration increased to 20 seconds from 10
 * shield reload time reduced to 20 seconds from 60
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.05:
 * now has unique firing FX when heroic
 * now has an extra health bar to indicate the strength of its shield and/or point-defense drones
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.11:
 * no longer requires line of sight to attack
 * can now fire over walls

Upon exiting an Armor facility

 * Athena SatNet, how may I assist you?

Select

 * Athena cannon!
 * Full satellite access!
 * Orbital defense network!
 * How can I help?
 * Standing by!
 * Sat link initialized!
 * We're connected!
 * GPS signal clear!
 * Can I be of assistance?
 * Your call is important to us!
 * Space cannons on line two, sir!
 * Orbitals on line two, sir!
 * Orbits on line two, sir!

Moving

 * Confirmed!
 * Understood, please stand by!
 * Updating position!
 * Certainly!
 * Thank you, please hold!
 * Scanning for reception!
 * My pleasure!
 * Anything else I can do for you?
 * One moment sir!

Trying to move when shield is active

 * Shields are still engaged sir!
 * Can't move while the shield's are up sir!
 * Negative sir, not while the shield is up!

Attacking

 * Begin sequence!
 * Patching it through sir!
 * Focusing reticles 
 * Powering up!
 * Call for fire!
 * Recursive firing!

Active shield

 * Defense systems on!
 * Shields are enabled sir!
 * All powers into shields!
 * Nothing can get through the Aegis!
 * Shields are enabled!

Move to attack

 * Moving to targeting range!
 * Get ready orbital!
 * Stand by for coordinates!
 * Yes sir, approaching!
 * Ready the fire sequence!
 * Set up the target array!
 * Target acquired!

In combat

 * Locking coordinates!
 * Reloading, please wait!
 * Link established!
 * Sat link check!
 * We're live!

Retreating

 * Confirming retreat codes!
 * Code Olympus!
 * Falling back for repairs!
 * This call will not be recorded!

Under fire

 * Our position is compromised!
 * System are damaged!
 * We're losing signal strength!
 * We can use some help here sir!
 * Can anybody hear us?

Trivia

 * The Athena Cannon's appearance may be based on the Swedish BV-206.
 * The Athena's quotes are based on phrases said by telephone operators.