Assault destroyer

The assault destroyer was an Allied warship of the Fourth World War manufactured by Gerhardt-Giraud Shipworks.

History
As the Soviet Union further encroached on its neighbors from every direction, the Allied Nations sought a versatile solution to coastal threats that could press onto the shore to secure a beachhead. Years of design conducted in secret, headed by the finest panel of international military vehicle specialists ever assembled by the Allies, resulted in the assault destroyer--an amphibious warship featuring a highly accurate armor-piercing cannon suitable for land and sea warfare, as well as layers of specially-designed armor that can be activated to draw enemy fire away from otherwise-unprotected targets.

Assault destroyers are so massive that only Allied seaports are large enough to manufacture them, even though the vessels themselves are fully as capable on land as they are at sea. In fact, on land, the relative girth of assault destroyers is such that they dwarf most other vehicles, including the Soviet Union's own main battle tanks. These vessels all are fitted with a swivel-mounted armor-piercing main gun, more powerful and no less accurate than that of virtually any modern tank, and their performance characteristics on land rival all but the Soviet Union's own apocalypse tanks. Of course, unlike apocalypse tanks, assault destroyers can traverse land and sea with equal ease, which recently has come into play throughout numerous combat encounters between Allied and Soviet forces near the Strait of Gibraltar as well as near the Allies' science facilities in Mykonos.

In spite of the assault destroyer's raw power as an amphibious armored assault vehicle, its greatest strength may be its defensive capability. First and foremost, this vessel's reinforced hull can shrug off all but the most violent of concussive blasts--the assault destroyer is probably the single most heavily armored element of the Allied military, rivaling even manufacturer Gerhardt-Giraud's own aircraft carriers. Yet while heavy armor is nothing special to the modern battlefield, magnetically-charged "black hole armor" most certainly is. Each assault destroyer has the capability to activate a special field, which causes nearby ordnance to gravitate toward the assault destroyer instead of its intended target. While purposely drawing enemy fire may seem like lunacy, the assault destroyer's extremely durable hull absorbs most enemy fire as a fine sponge soaks up a spilt beverage.

Assault destroyers' black hole armor makes them probably the single most reassuring sight that other Allied forces could hope to encounter on the battlefield. Even though activating the black-hole armor field means having to avoid use of their main guns for fear of internal combustion, assault destroyers still are extremely powerful when not attacking simply because they can prevent more-vulnerable Allied forces from coming to harm. Thankfully, at least, Allied forces tuned to the same encrypted frequencies as assault destroyers need not fear damaging their brothers-in-arms, and may fire through the black-hole field as normal.

Description
"Send them to hell!"

- Assault Destroyer in battle

The assault destroyer provides the Allied fleet with heavy anti-surface and anti-submarine defense. To assist the taking and expansion of beachheads, the ship may deploy onto land on four treads as a tank. Befitting its immense mass, once on land it may simply run over lesser vehicles, destroying them instantly.

The assault destroyer is equipped with black hole armor, a magnetic force field that alters the trajectory of nearby enemy fire toward the ship. This allows the destroyer to absorb fire that would otherwise impact less durable friendly units. The armor only works on material weapons such as bullets, shells, and missiles. It has no effect on beam-type weaponry such as lasers and tesla-bolts. When the armor is active the ship's cannon may not be used. The technology may be based on stolen Soviet research.

Of note is that the black hole armour also attracts V4 and Dreadnought missiles, which means that they will be assured of hitting a destroyer with the armour activated, even if it is moving.

Notes from the Field
Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Assault Destroyer:

• Amphibious assault -- Assault destroyers have similar handling characteristics both at sea and on land, though their typically-gruff, typically-proud captains scoff at this suggestion, pointing to myriad nuances such as how the vessels can only move in reverse while on land, and so forth.

• Black-Hole armor -- The "secret weapon" of the assault destroyer is some sort of field that draws fire into it while supercharging the vessel's defensive strength even further. Some allege that Allied spies stole this technology from the Soviets, who have been researching military magnets for decades.

• For surface use only -- While powerful, the assault destroyer's main gun is only effective against surface targets, leaving the vessel with no direct response against enemy aircraft. Soviet subs also pose a threat to assault destroyers. Debate continues over whether these vessels are evenly matched.

• Stay out of its way -- On land, the assault destroyer can simply crush smaller vehicles, let alone enemy foot soldiers. Infantry are still considered a threat to these vessels, however, since its main gun is too bulky to be effective against them.

Game Unit
The assault destroyer is somewhat similar to the Red Alert 2. It is similarly armed, but no longer needs an onboard aircraft to attack submarines. It is fully amphibious, but can only be constructed from an Allied Seaport with access to Heightened Clearance. It is much slower on land than at sea. The assault destroyer cannot fire when the black hole armor is activated (but gains much increased armor) and, like its Red Alert 2 counterpart, cannot attack aircraft. The main gun is effective against vehicles and buildings, but highly ineffective against infantry.

The main role of the assault destroyer is to provide anti-submarine protection, support Allied beach landings, and to use its black hole armor to protect more vulnerable units (such as Mirage tanks or Athena cannons) from incoming fire.

Its closest analogues on sea are the Soviet Akula submarines and the Imperial Naginata cruisers. While lacking the raw firepower of either one, it has the advantage of being amphibious. In addition, it is somewhat cheaper to produce. With black hole armor activated, it is also significantly tougher.

Its closest analogues on land are the Soviet Apocalypse tanks and King Oni. The assault destroyer is significantly weaker than either one, but is cheaper, available earlier (tier 2, as compared to tier 3 for the others), and is amphibious.

Quotes

 * Make me proud!


 * Send em to hell!


 * Making landfall!


 * Lets get up on there!


 * Time to get wet people.
 * They're not getting past this ship.
 * Plot this course!
 * We got a new heading.