| “ | Let's mow some people down! - Sickle |
” |
The KDB-5 Sickle security vehicle[1] was a Soviet anti-personnel vehicle first seen during the Third World War.
Background
Originally designed as a police vehicle for use in fringe republics noted for their "heightened" risk of revolt, the Soviet Union's KDB-5 Sickle has a compact form factor, four durable steel stilt-legs, and three articulated gunnery positions that make it ideal for urban operations and crowd control. Its spiderlike shape was clearly a response to Sversky Robot Works' Terror Drone almost a decade prior, and in some areas, its appearance alone was enough to deter riots.
However, occasionally the Sickle had the opposite effect, provoking full-on riots and street fighting. It was through several of these incidents that the Soviet military took notice of the vehicle, for it managed to cut down a staggering number of men, women, and children in record time thanks to its three turrets, designed to engage multiple targets at a time. It subsequently became a mainstay in Soviet mechanized armor divisions while escalating Ukraine's Kazminov Design Bureau to the upper echelons of the Soviet Union's weapons manufacturers.
The Sickle is also capable of jumping great distances, allowing it access to areas that wheeled or tracked vehicles cannot reach. This unique ability has proved useful in ambushing unsuspecting enemies before they have time to counter. In response to Sickle crews using this ability for recreation, all Sickles have been hard-coded with a limit on how frequently this maneuver may be used.
Despite its innovative nature, the Sickle is cost effective due to the inexpensive alloy it is made from. This inexpensiveness comes at the cost of durability, as it can easily be countered by tanks and anti-armor weaponry. Its guns also cannot swivel vertically far enough to target aircraft, fueling speculation that the KDB intentionally designed this flaw to ensure that the Soviet Military would also purchase its KDB-2 Bullfrogs in bulk.
Sickle pilots are noted to be twice as prone to acts of sadism, excess, or disregard for authority than the average Soviet conscript, with the average life expectancy of Sickle gunners being merely 31.8 years. In spite of repeated safety video screenings, operators of these vehicles seem unable to help themselves from engaging in senseless acts of violence or self-endangerment. At any rate, the Soviet Union continues to use Sickles extensively as part of its military operations, and citizens continue to volunteer by the throng for a chance to drive one.
Post-war
Thousands of Sickles met their crushing defeat in the war, and the Sickle was featured in a propaganda campaign by the dismantled Soviet government to its shaken people, personified as a sad-looking and beaten-up ice hockey player, with tears in its eyes and with one of its legs in a cast. However, this did not stop the Ministry of Experimental Science from refurbishing an older and less reliable prototype of the Sickle in an effort to maintain a modicum of defensive capability, and to remain solvent as a business.
That prototype was commonly known as the Reaper, which was originally sold to the Ministry by the Kazminov Design Bureau for a cheap sum due to several unresolved issues.
Abilities
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Jump | The Sickle's hydraulic systems can be overloaded to enable a "flea jump" which can be used to leap over obstacles, onto bluffs, hills and can even be used to jump straight into a horde of men, causing severe damage. This ability will recharge over time. |
Game unit
The Sickle is available from a War Factory.
It is notably fast, meaning it can catch up with almost any infantry and so are useful as armored scouts, escorts or perimeter patrols. The sickle sports three machine guns but can only bring two to bear, that means it can engage up to 2 enemies at once, mostly from the rear and front.
The main characteristic is its Flea Jump ability, allowing it to leap over terrain and hopefully crush infantry at its landing zone, making it useful for quick dispatch, even to commandos if the jump is well timed and accurate.
However, it does have its drawbacks. Being an IFV on legs, it will always be beaten up by tough bruisers such as tanks and other anti-vehicle units. It also doesn't sport any AA capability, unlike its older cousin, so aircraft have no problem dispatching such fragile vehicles. Its flea jump may be a devastating tool, but not to be overestimated; its light weight means it does not have sufficient mass or energy to crush vehicles.
It is not amphibious, either, so transport by an allied Twinblade is the best option to get these infantry banes across the deadly seas.
Notes
- The Sickle's spider-like appearance is likely inspired by (or stolen from) the Terror Drone, an earlier scouting drone developed by Kazminov's rival, Sversky Robot Works.
- In the Soviet Campaign, the Sickles were first deployed to assist Natasha in retaking the Krasna-45 launch facility.
- Originally, the walker had unenclosed gunners. This changed in development.
Quotes
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!
Gallery
Sickles around the Colosseum, which now belongs to Mother Russia.
Sickle in front of the Colosseum
Detailed model used in the intro
The Sickle with and without added machine gun pods.
Concept art
Concept art
Videos
- C&C Red Alert 3 Sickle Surveillance Footage
Surveillance Footage
See also
- Riptide ACV - Allied anti-infantry vehicle counterpart.
- Mecha Tengu - Imperial anti-infantry vehicle counterpart.
References
 Soviet Red Alert 3 Arsenal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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