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For other units of the same name, see Scorpion tank.

Scorpion, ready to sting!
- Scorpion rolling out of the Arms Dealer

The Scorpion tank was the GLA's main battle tank during the GLA Conflict.

Background[]

While fast, they are a poor match for more modern armour in direct combat. This was demonstrated amply in Iraq, when a division of USA Crusader tanks took on an equally-sized division of Scorpions, annihilating the latter without suffering any losses. Nevertheless, the GLA have plenty of upgrades available to make the Scorpion a viable weapon, such as the Scorpion rocket and the toxin shells upgrades. Like most combatant GLA vehicles, they could upgrade their primary weapon by salvaging parts from destroyed enemy vehicles in Zero Hour.

Upgrades[]

Base[]

Scorpion Rocket When purchased, all Scorpions are given a crude rocket launcher able to fire at ground targets. Purchasable at any Arms Dealer for a cost of $1000.
Toxin shells When purchased, all Scorpions fire shells laced with toxin. Purchasable from a regular GLA Palace for a cost of $1000.
Anthrax Beta When purchased, all Scorpions' toxin shells use a deadlier mixture. Purchasable from a regular GLA Palace for a cost of $2000.
Anthrax Gamma When purchased, all Scorpions' toxin shells use a mixture improved upon the regular Anthrax Beta. Purchasable from Dr. Thrax's Palace for a cost of $2000.
AP Rocket When purchased, the Scorpion rocket does 25% more damage. Purchasable from any Black Market for a cost of $2000.
Junk Repair When purchased, all Scorpion crews slowly repair their vehicles with improvised materials. Purchasable from any Black Market for a cost of $2000.

Salvage[]

In Zero Hour, the Scorpion can also be upgraded with salvaged parts.

  • The first upgrade increases its cannon damage
  • The second upgrade further increases its cannon damage, and adds a second rocket once the associated upgrade has been purchased.

Game unit[]

Speedy and inexpensive, Scorpions are good for hit-and-run strategy as is the case with most GLA units. Its main gun is poor: while it has double the firing rate of the Crusader or the Battlemaster (without the horde bonus or the Autoloader), the main gun deals only 1/3 the damage that the Crusader or Battlemaster deals, meaning it has only 2/3 of the DPS of the MBTs of the other faction. Not only that, the Scorpion is the least durable of the MBTs and will lose to the other tanks in a direct confrontation and have no anti-air options. While the Scorpions themselves are inexpensive, they require the rockets to be most useful, meaning they are significantly less useful early game in a low money situation.

Despite these weaknesses, Scorpions have potential that is missing in the Crusader or the Battlemaster. Their biggest equalizer is the rockets: the rockets add an significant element of burst damage, and while the rocket reload is too slow to be reliably used more than once per engagement, rockets are replenished when the Scorpion acquires a salvage crate. Taking advantage of salvages allows the Scorpion to come out on top when the engagement is otherwise lost, and this is especially useful to Rodall Juhziz who is encouraged to close the distance to take advantage of the Demolition upgrade. The rockets are also effective against infantry, and Toxin shells upgrade for the main GLA faction and Dr. Thrax further enhances their ability to fight infantry. Their speed also gives them the advantage when the commander decides to simply run the infantry over, although this risks high damage and slowed Scorpions when it's against anti-tank infantry. They are also the fastest of the MBTs, allowing them to escape fights that are disadvantageous. However, this is less useful against the US forces, which have the faster Humvees which can hit first with Missile defenders inside, moreso with the Search and Destroy strategy.

However, as rockets are considered missiles, Scorpion once again loses their edge against American and Chinese forces late-game when they can come with countermeasures, namely in the form of Avengers and ECM Tanks respectively. The main US faction can come with an even faster response in the Paladin.

Changelog[]

Quotes[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • There is a copy of Scorpion Tank named Lite Tank in the world builder.
  • The Scorpion tank is the salvaged version of the Italian Fiat M13/40 Carro Armato tanks that were used in the North African campaign of World War 2.
  • During the intro briefing of the GLA mission 2: Hidden Agenda set in Cairo, Egypt, a Scorpion tank being the first enemy unit to appear is a nod to the Egyptian Armed Forces' acquisition of a few abandoned M13/40 tanks during the 1948 Arab-Israeli postwar conflict.
  • The concept and unused turretless model suggests the Scorpion was originally going to be a modified M113 or M114 APC.
  • The Scorpion tank was originally meant to be a Chinese tank. While only an unfinished model (shown in the gallery) is available inside the game files, the original Scorpion tank looked like an actual scorpion, with its double barrels and a rocket launcher "tail".
  • The second model of the Scorpion tank looks like the real life King Scorpion.
  • If a Scorpion tank is destroyed in vanilla Generals, it uses the wreckage model of the Crusader tank. This is corrected in Zero Hour, where the Scorpion receives its own wreckage model.

See also[]

Global Liberation Army Generals Arsenal
Tanks