Apocalypse Tank

Description
"The Apocalypse has begun."
 * Apocalypse

The Apocalypse Tank was the most powerful tank in Great World War III, mounting a pair of powerful forward facing cannons. These cannons were loaded with high explosive shells which were devastating against vehicles, capable of eliminating IFVs or other light vehicles with a single double volley. Against infantry, the weapons were less effective, but the explosives would still cause some damage. Lt. Zofia once described them as 'War in a Can'. Like the earlier Mammoth Tanks, the Apocalypse was designed to meet any opposition and expected to be the last unit standing.

The tank itself was much larger than Grizzly and Rhino tanks, the better for mounting a massive turret. The turret also featured a pair of small missile launchers. Although these missile launchers were slow firing, they were more powerful against air targets than were the missiles found on IFVs, for example. This allowed the Apocalypse Tank to defend itself reasonably well against aerial threats, especially given its heavy armour. An on-board engineering crew allowed the Apocalypse tank to regenerate itself to full health.

Unfortunately, there were still a number of drawbacks. First, the Apocalypse tanks were very slow, though not nearly as slow as Kirov Airships. In fact, Apocalypse tank commanders often urged field commanders to 'be patient' when dealing with Apocalypse Tanks. The missiles themselves were also slow and were not especially suited to destroy the Allies' speedy Harriers. Lastly, like most tanks, the Apocalypse is relatively weak against infantry. Despite its primitive look, it is also clear that the Apocalypse tank is the next generation of the Soviet Mammoth Tanks used in GWWII.

Counters
The best defence was a long range naval strike using Aircraft Carriers, Boomers or Dreadnoughts, which avoided the entire problem of dealing with the Apocalypse's firepower. Failing that, the next best option was a massive network of Prism Towers. Enough prism towers, and the resulting massive beam would be enough to destroy an Apocalypse tank in a single shot. Tanya with C4 was also reasonably effective, as Apocalypse tanks were too slow to escape her. Guardian GIs were also reasonably effective. Apocalypse tanks are also extremely susceptible to Chrono Legionnaires provided a team of them gets close enough without being killed in the process. Many Soviet field commanders believed Apocalypses were nigh invincible and send them out in un-escorted columns, leaving them vulnerable to a Chrono Legionnaire counter-attack.

Usage
Once developed, Apocalypse tanks were a formidable foe with its dual 120 mm cannons and 14 Tusk II missiles, much so that the Allies considered it worthwhile to launch a special Chronosphere strike on the Battle Lab in the Ural Mountains where they had first been developed, although this attack was repelled. Premier Romanov believed Apocalypse tanks to be extremely formidable, and the Black Guard - which was formed of the most advanced and most powerful Apocalypse tanks anywhere in the Soviet Union, was an incredibly formidable force.

Changes made in WWIII
Recovered intel shows a new generation of Apocalypse Tanks. While lacking the anti-air weapons and possessing the horrendously low speed of previous generations of Apocalypse Tanks, these new vehicles are still as fearsome as ever. The chain-like Myasorubka cutting treads built under the tank give it greater traction for its massive weight, and can be combined with a new feature: the magnetic harpoon, an product of Soviet research into the military applications of magnetism.

Lesser vehicles caught by the Schuchka (Pike) Magnetic Harpoon are dragged underneath the cutting treads, destroying them completely. This is similar to the Yuri's Magnetron of the Psychic Dominator Disaster period, but the Magnetron had no means of harming vehicles besides dropping them on other vehicles, buildings or in the sea. Additionally, the harpoon can be used to drag the Apocalypse towards an anchored structure, increasing its low speed. However, the harpoon is very energy hungry; requiring the tank to power down the main guns while it is activated. Vehicles may still fire (perhaps futilely) at the Apocalypse while being dragged towards the tank. Even without the M-Harpoon, the Apocalyspe Tank is still capable of crushing smaller vehicles by simply rolling over them.

The Apocalypse Tank has 16 layers of heavy armour, and extremely powerful twin 125mm "Drakon" cannons. The original designers of the Apocalypse, the Archangelsk Tank Plant, assures the Soviet public that the name "Apocalypse" refers to the tanks purported ability to survive anything. As one may imagine, they are very expensive to construct and require significant technical skill. The tank also features a Tesla reactor that eliminates 70% of emissions, but despite that, still produces a lot of exhaust. The turret also tends to wobble a little as the Apocalypse rumbles along, which might inhibit accuracy while firing on the move.

The Apocalypse Tank is not amphibious, given it's huge weight, and is much more specialised than it's counterparts: The Allied Assault Destroyer and the Imperial King Oni. However, it is possible that the Apocalypse is a better anti-armour platform than both of them, to balance them.

The counters for these tanks include Assault Destroyers, King Oni, Mirage Tanks and aircraft or anti-tank infantry.

According to additional information, the apocalypse tank even became popularized in a morning cartoon show and toy line ("They Are Not Allies"), at which point it truly became an icon not in the Soviet Union's military arsenal, and all over the world.

Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Apocalypse Tank:

• Unstoppable -- The Apocalypse Tank can simply roll over anything that survives its main guns. Main battle tanks, let alone smaller vehicles, can easily be crushed under the Apocalypse Tank's treads.

• The sinister M-harpoon -- The Apocalypse can effectively spear and reel in other vehicles using the M-harpoon, or even drag itself toward structures. However, the magnet requires an extreme amount of energy, so the tank's main guns are rendered inoperable while the M-harpoon is active.

• Pure anti-armor -- While the Apocalypse Tank has nothing to fear from lesser vehicles, its crew's limited visibility combined with its armor-piercing ammunition means it is less effective against very small targets, namely infantry. Commanders also admit that the apocalypse requires anti-air support.

• Worth its weight in ore -- The Apocalypse Tank and its two main guns and 16-layer armor don't come cheap. On top of that, the schematics for manufacturing these vehicles in the field are authorized only by battle lab technicians required to study the tank's performance characteristics.

http://www.cncgames.com/redalert3_sovunits/ra3_sov_apoc.jpg

Behind the Scenes
This tank, in its early form, is reported to resemble the PLA Overlord Tanks.