| “ | They won't see us comin'! - Rocketeer | ” |
Rocketeers were Allied flying infantry utilized during the first and second iterations of the Third World War.
Background
Equipped with a high powered jetpack and high-calibre semi-automatic carbine, these brave men can stay in the air almost indefinitely.
During the war, their first notable deployment was to assist Tanya in retaking the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from Soviet control.
Judging by their noticeable accent, they are likely recruited from the southern United States.
In-game
Rocketeers are a good choice for scouting due to their speed and low cost. They are most useful when massed, especially for taking down Kirov airships and enemy harvesters.
Rocketeers are one of only three infantry units that cannot enter the Infantry Fighting Vehicle, as they are constantly flying (the others being cosmonauts and brutes).
Rocketeers have high enough health to survive a few splash damage attacks, but point defenses like gatling weapons present a significant problem. Due to their inability to withstand sustained fire, are primarily used behind more durable units such as IFVs and Grizzly battle tanks.
Since they are an air unit, the rocketeer is completely immune to attacks to most ground troops, even with mind control. They can only be easily taken out by anti-air units such as IFVs, Flak tracks, and Aegis Cruisers.
It is worth noting that the Rocketeer was one of only a small group of air units capable of attacking other air units, along with the (campaign-exclusive) Cosmonaut, the Soviets' Siege chopper, and Yuri's Floating Disc, being an excellent counter to the latter when massed.
Groups of five or more rocketeers can usually overwhelm an IFV. Groups of nine or more are powerful against many ground targets.
Rocketeers are a decent defensive unit. If a player is attacking only with units that cannot target air units, groups of rocketeers are an effective counter. They are especially effective against Allied GIs and Soviet Conscripts as they cannot fight back.
The rocketeers can be seen grounded in Eagle Dawn and Mirage, as when placed on a map, they start out standing on their feet. When moved, they lift off. The only instance in standard gameplay where a rocketeer is seemingly observed walking is when a spy disguises as one.
Aftermath
They are not known to operate after the events of the Psychic Dominator Disaster. After Anatoly Cherdenko altered the timeline, these flying soldiers did not have an Allied-aligned equivalent during the War of the Three Powers, although the Empire of the Rising Sun developed a similar unit called the rocket angel, whose weapons are more effective against tanks and aircraft.
Assessment
Pros
- Fast and mobile.
- Very effective at harassing enemy units.
- Great scouting unit.
- Can attack aircraft and missiles.
- Immune to mind control.
- Wins against a deployed Guardian GI in a one-on-one duel.
- Easily spammable
Cons
- Fragile.
- Vulnerable to any AA weapons.
- Useless against heavy vehicles unless massed
- Loses to an IFV, flak track, and gattling tank in one-on-one duels.
Quotes
| “ | Rockets in the sky - When selected | ” |
| “ | All fired up! - When selected | ” |
| “ | Check out the view - When selected | ” |
| “ | I can go anywhere! - When selected | ” |
| “ | Got a clear view, sir - When selected | ” |
| “ | Ready to soar - When selected | ” |
| “ | Fuel tanks are filled - When selected | ” |
| “ | Pushin' away - When moving | ” |
| “ | Igniting boosters - When moving | ” |
| “ | Ridin' high - When moving | ” |
| “ | Up and over - When moving | ” |
| “ | Got a steady flow - When moving | ” |
| “ | I'll take the high road - When moving | ” |
| “ | He's got no place to hide - When ordered to attack | ” |
| “ | I can see 'em - When ordered to attack | ” |
| “ | I got 'em - When ordered to attack | ” |
| “ | Clear out the place - When ordered to attack | ” |
| “ | They won't see us comin'! - When ordered to attack | ” |
| “ | I'm losing compression! - Under fire | ” |
| “ | There's too much flak! - Under fire | ” |
| “ | My rocket's hit! - Under fire | ” |
Gallery
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Trivia
- The rocketeer is voiced by David Fries, who also voiced the chrono legionnaire and Propaganda Truck.
- The rocketeers are based on Jump jet infantry from Tiberian Sun, since the name of this unit is Jumpjet in the game files. They fill the same role, but unlike their Tiberian Sun counterparts, rocketeers always fly from the moment they spawn from the barracks. They only stand when placed on a map, and only walk when being impersonated by spies.
Design notes
The idea of the rocketeers is probably taken from a superhero of the same name. The Rocketeer is a superhero which has been used in comics and a movie created in 1991.
Some similarities exist between the two:
- They are both used in a world war (WWII and Third World War)
- They both have the same name
- They are both sided with the Allies and are using hit and run tactics
- The design of the jetpack used in Red Alert 2 resembles the one used by The Rocketeer. Whether the rocketeer appearing in Red Alert 2 was a reference to the superhero or the concept was just based on it is uncertain.
- There are real rocket pack designs that really fly, albeit only for several minutes. The development of this equipment (also called jet packs) come from the World War II era. Rocketeers seem to use the rocket pack design in a similar fashion to one designed by Bell Aerosystems (a real life company). Cosmonauts from Yuri's Revenge also use a similar system.
