Century bomber

The B2-X Century Bomber was an Allied heavy bomber used during the Third World War and The Uprising.

Background
As the threat of another war with the Soviets loomed, the Allies needed a long-range bomber that can be permanently maintained in contested airspace and, in the event of Soviet aggression, launch bombing runs against high-value targets as a counter. As a result, the B2-X Century Bomber was born.

A large, durable strategic bomber, the Century was designed for maximum fuel efficiency and could support an in-flight team for weeks at a time. It can carry more than enough iron bombs to level an entire city block--or a heavily fortified enemy compound. Its large cabin also makes it an effective troop transport, suitable for para-dropping infantry behind enemy lines. Its VTOL engine configuration facilitates operations in urban environments and speeds ammunition load-out and troop deployment. Due to weight and cost concerns, however, they have no weapons beside their bombs, and are intended to fly with escort craft.

Due to the many sophisticated systems on-board, the Century Bomber is designed to detonate and combust on impact in the event of a crash, in order to prevent vital data from falling into the hands of the Soviets.

To fly a Century Bomber is a source of great pride for many Allied airmen, especially those hailing from the bomber's home state of Texas, where it's affectionately known as the 'Flying Bull'. Century pilots are some of the best in the world, known for being cool under pressure and for bearing the burden of their responsibility with plenty of wry humor.

Game unit
The Century bomber is the Allied equivalent to the Kirov airship. Like the Kirov, it is completely helpless against fighters and should always be escorted if there is a significant enemy air threat. If shot down, it causes significant damage to whatever it crashes into. In order to construct Century bombers, an Airbase with access to Max Clearance is needed. Century bombers must also reload at an Airbase after dropping their bombs.

The Century bomber is significantly faster than the Kirov, but is not quite as tough. It is also somewhat more versatile, being able to carry troops as well as bombs. The only Imperial weapon which can be considered an equivalent to the Century Bomber (and the Harbinger gunship) is the Giga Fortress. The Soviets also have the Badger Bomber, which has similar carrying capacity. However, this type of bomber cannot be deployed directly, despite its superior maneuverability.

Its main role is to carpet bomb enemy bases and unit formations and paradrop infantry onto the battlefield. It can carry bombs and paratroopers at the same time, which means that it is possible to bomb a target and then use the infantry to finish it off. If the Century is shot down, all infantry onboard will be lost. The Century drops its bombs in a line, so some care must be taken in choosing the direction of attack in order to maximize damage.

Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.3: bomb damage radius reduced to 25 from 50
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.05: now properly receives the additional ammo if grounded when the advanced aeronautics upgrade is purchased
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.08: reload time increased by 50%

Created

 * Just give us a target, and we're on our way!

Select

 * Coming in, loud and clear!
 * Fine as cream gravy!
 * Century here, I'm all ears!
 * Come in, HQ!
 * Just give us the orders!
 * They are counting on us, boys!
 * Ready to do what needs to be done!
 * Century Bomber, ready for our first mission!

Moving

 * Heading over!
 * WILCO!
 * Confirm, HQ!
 * Copy, there new coordinates!
 * Yes sir!
 * Roger that!
 * You can count on us!
 * We've got new orders!

Evacuates the passenger

 * Do us proud out there!
 * Out you go!
 * Good luck out there, boys!
 * Careful on the way down!
 * No more belly aching from them!

Move to Attack

 * Well boys, I reckon this is it!
 * Let's give 'em whats coming to 'em!
 * Coming through!
 * We have visual contact!
 * We got our mission!
 * We've got clearance, gentleman!
 * Hang on, boys!
 * Check those bomb doors!

Retreating

 * Change of plans!
 * Let's set her down!
 * Returning to base!
 * Get that repair crew ready!
 * Spark up the barbecue, we're coming home!
 * Ready that damage report!
 * Let's get the heck out of here!
 * Well shoot, let's go then!

Under Fire

 * Oh horse feathers, they're onto us
 * We're taking some flak, sir!
 * Sir, I think we've been hit!
 * Put out those fires back there!
 * We'll need some repairs after this one!
 * Dog gone it! They're firing at us!!

Shot Down

 * Oohh oohh oooohhhh!!!
 * Yeehaw!
 * Yaaahoo!
 * Yaahoooo!!!
 * Oohh man!
 * Pull her up! Pull her up!

Behind the scenes

 * "Norwell-Hucks" is probably based on Rockwell, an aviation company in real-life that produced the B-1 bomber.
 * Several of the quotes from pilots are reminiscent of quotes from "Dr. Strangelove".