Cosmonaut

The cosmonaut is the lunar campaign-only infantry unit for the Soviet Union and Yuri's army in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge.

Background
To the Moon was executed with heavy consideration of the extreme conditions encountered there. The combination of low gravity (hindering the use of projectile weapons) and the nature of space (inertia effectively banning almost all of air potency) gave the commander a reduced arsenal. Although most vehicles could be modified for operation, infantry could not (except for Iraqi Desolators).

Cosmonauts were equipped with all the necessary life support equipment to survive outside Earth's atmosphere and a jet pack not unlike those used by Allied Rocketeers, which allowed them to travel very quickly, but also with a mechanism that allowed them to hold position and resist inertia. They were armed with a high-powered laser, making them very effective against other cosmonauts and light vehicles, as well as (in groups of five or more) armoured tanks, space craft and structures.

The colour of the beam is determined by the faction the cosmonaut belongs to (i.e. red for Soviets, purple for Yuri). They are vulnerable to any anti-aircraft weaponry. In large numbers, though, they are more than capable of turning any attack force or base to dust in a matter of seconds. A cosmonaut costs 600 credits to train, same as the Allied Rocketeer.

Game unit
Soviet Cosmonauts are available for training at the Soviet barracks (and are the only type of infantry the commander can train apart from Desolators). Yuri's own corps of Cosmonauts was tasked to defend his lunar HQ and were available from his army's barracks.

They are not available in any other campaign mission, but they can still be incorporated into any map via INI editing.

When selected

 * Gravity suit secured.
 * Cosmonaut reporting.
 * Gravity? What's that?
 * Pressure gauges normal.
 * Russian space ace!

When moving

 * Rocket packs fully charged.
 * Boosters engaged.
 * Shifting thrusters!
 * Fuel mix optimized.
 * Light and fast.

When ordered to attack

 * Tracking target.
 * Beam intensity locked.
 * Lasers at full power!
 * Rid them from area![sic]
 * Time for laser show![sic]

When suppressed

 * We need more funding!
 * It's hard to maneuver!
 * Vacuum suit is failing!
 * Fuel cells damaged!

Upon death

 * Can't... breathe!

Cameos
In order: English, French, German, Korean, Chinese. Top row is standard, bottom row is veteran.

Trivia

 * Cosmonauts' original name was lunar rocketeer, as seen in their unused veteran cameo. Their Chinese-localized name (登月火箭員) is a direct translation of that.
 * When cosmonauts are killed, they fall down instantly instead of falling slowly, despite the Moon's low gravity.
 * Like Rocketeers, they have grounded animations. When they are placed on a map, they start out standing on their feet, but when they move (such as when they exit the barracks), they become airborne. These animations are also able to be used by spies. They also have many frames replaced by an idle airborne frame.