Twinblade

The KA-65 Twinblade was a gunship used by the Soviet Union, first seen during the Third World War.

Background
A sturdy, well-armored mainline combat helicopter, the Twinblade was armed with swivel-mounted dual heavy machine guns, as well as four rocket pods slung under the wings. Further, its three-rotor design (two main rotors with one in the tail) gives this gunship unparalleled stability among similar aircraft.

A remarkable power/mass ratio gave the Twinblade the ability to pick up and tow most other combat vehicles, although the towing system and the passenger compartment use mutually-exclusive systems. This means a Twinblade can airlift a vehicle or some troopers, but not both at once.

However, because of the precious cargo they may be carrying, as well as the fact that all of its weapons were aimed at the ground, Twinblades were particularly vulnerable to fighters. In one incident, an entire Twinblade squadron carrying a hammer tank platoon was ambushed and decimated by a wing of Allied Apollo fighters, causing the Soviet Union to fervently re-declare war against France, Germany, and Great Britain in a harshly-worded announcement.

Twinblades were used to enforce the Soviet Union's infamous "zero-tolerance" policy toward battlefield deserters, due to its ability to hover over the battlefield in an optimal position to quickly identify and deal with those attempting to flee from the front lines. Perhaps because of this, all Twinblades carried Soviet commissars on board as copilots, men well-versed in the Soviet doctrine who do not hesitate to goad their enemies or motivate their brethren by any means necessary.

Game unit
The gunship itself is a sturdy, armoured mainline combat helicopter with three rotors (giving it unparalleled stability and lift), swivel-mounted dual PKX machine guns and four 60mm rocket pods mounted on wing pylons. Its design is considered very Russian by field commanders, in the meaning that it's direct and uncompromising (although the amount of ammunition it carries on board and delicate engineering needed to make it fly make it susceptible to anti-aircraft fire). Soviet commissars are co-pilots on each Twinblade in Soviet service. Twinblade is designed for easy refill, either from its fellow airplane or winched up from the ground. They have foldable compartment to haul up to 5 infantry or Terror drones.

The most strategic use is as heavy haulier for Soviet forces. It can haul infantry, tanks, and support vehicles while maintain its speed, providing Soviet with "jumping" element that enable them to deploy leapfrog styled tactic or surprised assault on enemy base from any directions. This capability is somewhat related with its intermesing rotor and dual engine. However, its capability is limited to medium weight vehicle (such as Hammer Tank) and cannot haul extreme weight vehicles such as Assault Destroyer, or MCVs.

The helicopter does have weaknesses. While brimming with firepower, all of it is directed to the ground, making it a favorite target of Allied Apollo Fighters. Also, vehicles and structures able to fire back from the ground are threats the Twinblade, due to its weak armor and its machine guns' ineffectiveness against armor. Sufficient numbers of Twinblades can compensate for this weakness. Additionally, when carrying important units, the loss of the Twinblade results in the unit's destruction, as well.

Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.5:
 * removed transportslotcount so the Apocalypse tank can be lifted by the Twinblade
 * health increased to 600 from 400
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.05:
 * fixed a bug where the Twinblade would sometimes go underground when attempting to pick up passengers
 * fixed a bug where the terror drone would sometimes have difficulty garrisoning inside a Twinblade
 * Twinblades will no longer be damaged when picking up a vehicle infected with a terror drone
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.08:
 * health reduced to 500 from 600
 * fixed a bug that caused garrisoning units to follow a Twinblade from the ground if a stop command was given to the Twinblade during the garrison
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.11: if a player has multiple Twinblades selected but not all are garrisoned, pressing the secondary ability button will now only cause the garrisoned Twinblades to descend

Creater

 * Twinblade inspection complete!

Select

 * Twinblade!
 * We have full authority!
 * In control!
 * We're watching!
 * On full alert!
 * This is our premises!
 * We enforce Soviet will!
 * What shall it be?!!

Moving

 * Where are those vermin?
 * Ahh yes!
 * The orders are clear!
 * Quickly pilot!
 * Yes, let's look over there!
 * Moving now!
 * Did you see something?
 * Let's proceed!
 * We go then!

Attacking

 * Clean up this place!
 * Fire!
 * That one, there!
 * Say goodbye, maggots!
 * Eliminate them!
 * Pathetic scum!

Move to Attack

 * What do we have here?
 * We've spotted them!
 * Ahh, found them!
 * There!
 * We're make it example on that one!
 * Overtake them!
 * Ready all weapons!
 * You may fire when ready!

In combat

 * Don't let them out of your sight!
 * Do not hold back!
 * They will not escape!
 * Remove this litter!
 * Put them down!
 * They deserve no quarter!

Retreating

 * We must fall back!
 * As necessary!
 * That's enough!

Under fire

 * This insolence will be noted!
 * They're trying to shoot us down!
 * This little uprising must be quelled!
 * How dare they attack me!
 * We're taking fire!

Shoot Down

 * But I'm a Romanov...!
 * I've been good...!
 * DON'T LAUGH AT ME!
 * Ahhh...!

Trivia

 * The Twinblade is based on the Soviet Kamov series coaxial helicopters, prefixed KA as well.
 * The Twinblade resembles the Russian KA-27 Helix for its basic purpose: a transport gunship. Their design resembles both Hammerhead from Tiberium universe (due to their intermeshing rotor)
 * They also resembled the MI-24 Hind. Both have similar design and similar purposes (infantry transport and gunship). In fact, the Twinblade was referred to as "Hind" in one of the comments in the game's source file.
 * In the exclusive walkthrough of the last Soviet mission in an episode of Command School shown only in the Red Alert 3 Premier Edition DVD, it is revealed that, during the early beta phases, the Twinblade had had only one rotor and was named "Hind". Also, during the beta phase, each Twinblade used up an Airfield slot, much like the MiG Fighter.