Sickle

"Let's mow some people down!"

- Sickle

The KDB-5 Sickle security vehicle is a Soviet anti-personnel walker in Red Alert 3.

Background
An anti-infantry walker designed by the Ukrainian Kazminov Design Bureau, the KDB-5 Sickle was originally created for riot suppression and crowd control by police units in fringe republics of the Soviet Union. Inspired by the Sversky Robot Works' infamous Terror Drone created a decade earlier, the Sickle demonstrated its efficiency in police operations when it contained riots by gunning protesters down in record time. The fact that the Sickles likely caused the riots when they were deployed in response to an already volatile situation was ignored. Impressed by its performance against soft targets, the Army pressed the sickle into service as a dedicated anti-infantry weapons platform.

KDB first attempted to turn the police walker into a heavy combat walker with anti-armor and anti-aircraft capability, however, the resulting Reaper was overengineered and too expensive to fit the intended role. Surviving vehicles were sold off to the Ministry of Experimental Science and mothballed, while Kazminov returned to the drawing board and continued work on the Sickle.

The resulting KDB-9 Sickle is a militarized variant manufactured from an inexpensive alloy that allows quick machining at a low cost and is effective against small arms fire. The pressurized stilt-leg suspension has been reinforced and redesigned to allow the walker to effectively jump over obstacles and terrain features, while maintaining its speed and maneuverability. The Sickle can easily jump into enemy troop formations and scatter them, while its machineguns take out any survivors.

Although its spindly appearance might indicate otherwise, the Sickle's three PKX 12.7 mm heavy machine guns are extremely accurate thanks to the sealed, swivel-ball canopies that move independently of the main hull. Their arrangement gives the Sickle 360 degree field of fire (130 per gun), though it also makes it unable to train more than two guns at a single target. Furthermore, the canopies cannot rotate vertically high enough to engage aircraft (critics maintain this is because Kazminov wanted to force the Union to purchase the KDB-2 Bullfrog). All guns share a single ammo supply from a sealed hold inside the Sickle, designed to prevent internal fires. For entertainment, the crew also receives an AM clock-radio.

The Sickle remains the mainstay of Soviet mechanized divisions and Soviet citizens continue to volunteer in droves for the chance to operate one. However, concerns abound in Soviet command about the effect it has on gunners. Sickle crewmen are reported to be twice as likely to commit acts of sadism, excess, and disregard for authority than typical conscripts, and the average life expectancy of each is a measly 31.8 years. Despite repeated safety video screenings, the gunners continue to engage in acts of violence and self-endangerment, including abuse of the jumping system, in practice affectionately termed "Flea Jumping". While disciplinary measures are being debated in military courts, all Sickles were outfitted with hardware limiters on jumping frequency.

Overview
Produced at the war factory, the Sickle is a versatile unit. It's one of the fastest vehicles in the game, allowing it to catch up with any infantry and cut them down with its machine guns. Coupled with its Flea Jump, Sickles can scatter incoming infantry waves and decimate them in moments thanks to its coverage (although it also means their performance is limited against single targets, due to only partially overlapping fields of fire). The Flea Jump is even capable of taking down enemy commandos with good timing. Of course, it's also excellent as a scout due to its speed and low cost.

Its flaws are the lack of any meaningful defense against heavy weapons and vehicles - they do to the Sickle what the Sickle does to infantry - and no defense against aircraft or amphibious capabilities. Fortunately, Sickles aren't too expensive, unlike the Reaper (Uprising), so they can be readily manufactured at expansions or discarded to delay the enemy advance a bit.

Abilities
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Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 beta patch 1.5: flea jump reload time reduced to 10 seconds from 20

Created

 * Sickle here! Ready guys?
 * Let's mow some people down!

Select

 * Sickle patrol!
 * What do you have, boss?
 * Quiet down! It's HQ!
 * Yup!?
 * We're right here!
 * Good, we have lots of ammo!
 * Infantry go down quick!
 * Yay boss!?

Moving

 * Got that HQ!
 * Who's next?
 * Anybody around?
 * On patrol!
 * You heard the boss!
 * Keep your belts on, boys!
 * We're going now!
 * Over here, guys!
 * Okay, that way then!
 * Bumpy ride!

Attacking

 * Harvest time!
 * It'll all soon be over!
 * Slice 'em down!
 * Good night!
 * Let's do 'em!
 * Shooting gallery!
 * That one, kill it!
 * Hurrah!

Jump

 * Hee hee hee!
 * Oh yeah!
 * Hahaha!
 * Heads up!
 * Hehe!

Move to Attack

 * There they are!
 * Don't let them go!
 * They're out of range, hurry!
 * Go after them!
 * We'll catch them!

In combat

 * Shoot them all!
 * Just mowing the lawn!
 * Aim for the injured!
 * Keep shooting, comrades!
 * Hah, getting pay by the bullet!
 * Watch the flanks!
 * Chew 'em up and spit them out!

Retreating

 * We're getting out of here!
 * It's no use, fall back!
 * Let's bolt!
 * I'm taking care of me!
 * That is it for me!

Under fire

 * Watch out!
 * We're hit!
 * Chyort voz'mi! (Russian for "Argh dang it!")
 * Keep your heads down!
 * It's heating up!

Trivia

 * In the cutscenes, the Sickle is depicted having a tank gun on the front instead of a PKX machine gun.