Mammoth tank

The Mammoth Tank is the pinnacle of classic tank technology, whose first versions were developed during the Great World War II by the USSR. Since then, GDI has acquired the schematics and produced their own versions of the behemoth. Interestingly, the Mammoth tank is the only peice of offensive technology from the Great World War II to have survived into the Third Tiberium War, albeit changed, but still the very same in essence.

Great World War Two
During the Great War, acting on the orders of Joseph Stalin, Soviet engineers created the Mammoth Tank, the heaviest tank ever produced in that conflict. It mounted 120 mm cannons, Mammoth Tusk missiles, and extremely heavy armor. It was slow, which made it vulnerable to hit and fade assaults, but its ability to self-repair to 50 percent armor, as well as its raw power, meant that it was a great threat on the battlefield. It was highly effective against aircraft, infantry, and armor.

In keeping with Soviet tactics at the time, Mammoth tanks were used in huge tank rushes to overwhelm enemy forces and enemy defenses with the sheer power of their tank cannons, grinding enemy forces under their treads. Mammoth tanks were manufactured in large amounts, but the massive numbers of Allied tanks eventually overwhelmed even the Mammoth brigades.

The First Tiberium War
During the First Tiberium War, a few minor changes were made. These changes were the subject of one of the first X Weapons Projects of GDI. The basic design was kept the same, with twin 120 mm armor piercing cannons and Mammoth Tusk missiles, but the missiles were altered. They were larger and heavier, which meant that though they were more effective against tanks than infantry, they had a much longer reload time.

The new generation Mammoth tanks were developed at a secret GDI facility in South Africa, but nothing can be kept secret for long when the Brotherhood is involved. A sneak attack of infantry and support from an artillery managed to destroy the production center and the prototype, delaying the arrival of mammoth tanks on the battlefield.

The Second Tiberium War

 * Main article: Mammoth Mk. II

By the time of the Second Tiberium War, the original X-66 Mammoth Tanks were decommissioned and not available for construction by GDI commanders.

Certain units, however, were seen under the control of The Forgotten in the field and GDI forces occasionally found old, but still working units and used them to their advantage. Compared to other tanks of the time, the Mammoth's power had diminished. As a response to the Mammoth losing its power, GDI researched and developed its successor - the Mammoth Mk. II.

The Third Tiberium War
Controversially, GDI command decided to recall existing Mammoth Mk. II units and put a new model, heavily based on the First Tiberium War X-66 Mammoth in production. Critics, including the famous GDI commando Nick "Havoc" Parker, said that this was potentially a mistake, because it effectively ignored the walker technology of the Second Tiberium War. The production of the third generation tank designated Mammoth 27 started in 2039 in Reykjavík, despite protests and controversies from conservative officers and commanders surrounding its introduction.

The tank has been designed with long-range operations in harsh environments in mind. Its design is a return to the basic, four-tread system with a thick, hexagonal armor to match enemy tanks head-on and defeat them in open combat. The tank is initially equipped with dual 150-mm cannons on the turret (which can be later upgraded to railguns) and comes, in the vein of earlier models, with two 4.75-inch missile pods specially designed to attack infantry and aircraft. While on articulated mounts, they are designed to hold four rockets instead of the earlier twelve. Its firepower is more than enough for it to take an Avatar or an Annihilator Tripod head-on and succeed (albeit heavily damaged). Its sheer size means that it can also crush smaller vehicles like the Nod Scorpion tank beneath its treads.

The tank is very fast, possessing lightweight (but extremely durable) armour and an enormously powerful engine, even being able to jump over small gaps. It is designed to be the core of GDI assault forces and provide cover for weaker, less armoured units. The performance of the tank in the field has proven that the return to the roots was a good decision for the tank.