Demolition truck (Aftermath)

Demolition Truck
Unit
Internal ID	DTRK
Faction	Allied Forces Soviet Union
Base unit	Supply truck
Role	Suicide unit
Armament	Nuclear bomb
Tier	3
Tech level	10
Properties
Hit points	110
Armor type	Light
Production
Cost	$2400
Produced by	War factory
Requires	Nuclear missile silo
Combat
Ground attack	500 (Nuke)
Cooldown	80
Speed	8
Attack range	1,75
Sight range	3

“

These drone units carry an atomic bomb triggered to detonate on impact or destruction. Targeting a Demolition Truck on any unit or structure, or force firing on terrain will make the truck move to its destination and detonate. Care in their use is advised - many times a foolish commander has lost his base when an air strike destroyed the Demolition Truck before it could leave the confines of the base. - Red Alert: The Aftermath manual(src)

”

The demolition truck is a vehicle equipped with a nuclear weapon. It does what its name suggests: demolish almost everything nearby upon detonation.

Background

Near the end of the Second World War, both the Allied and Soviet forces began development of the Demolition Truck. It was a small, lightly armored, remotely driven truck armed with a nuclear weapon. The goal was to drive the truck to a target, at which point the bomb would explode. The weapon was of similar design to the nuclear warheads launched from missile silo, and thus similar blast yields were often the result.

The truck's unstable nature caused it to explode, if a commander attempted to use the Chronosphere to transport it. The Iron Curtain effect only lasted a split second on the nuclear weapon, presumably because of interactions between the incredible energy of a nuclear bomb and the similarly incredible energies of the Iron Curtain. However, these problems were overcome by the time of Third World War.

Legacy

The demolition truck was recalled and decommissioned after the war by the Allies and Soviets, but during Third World War, Libya revived the idea of the demolition trucks, but rather than building expensive computers to drive it, they employed fanatically loyal individuals to manually drive the truck to its target and detonate it by themselves. The bomb in these new trucks set in lower yield than the original, but with added radioactive effect.

Game unit

Demo trucks are used to take out large numbers of enemy forces together, particularly infantry. However, the nuclear weapons of only 2-kiloton yield (which were in use at this point) will seriously damage well armored vehicles and structures, but not destroy them.

Counters

Due to the nature of the mobile weapon, the nuclear warhead on board was always armed. This often meant that if the truck was hit by an airstrike, struck in a land mine, or otherwise destroyed, the bomb would explode. Many foolish commanders lost their bases when they failed to move the truck out of harm's way in time; nuclear weapons caught in enemy attacks were quickly exploded.

It also means that Demo trucks are difficult to manage in groups, as one detonation will set off the other trucks if they are too close.

Demolition trucks are not heavily armored, have no means of defending itself (aside from its cargo) and therefore may be easily taken out before they reach the player's positions. However, engaging the trucks with tanks or infantry will almost certainly ensure their destruction in the subsequent atomic explosion. Air strikes and mine laying are recommended.

Users of demo trucks are advised to keep their trucks well escorted while travelling through hostile territory, so that they are not destroyed before they reach their destination. They are quite costly and to see them explode before their time would be a waste. Of course, there is the risk that the escorts would be killed should the trucks get destroyed.

Gallery

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  Cutscene render

Cameo

DOS	English	French	German

Videos

Demolition trucks destroying an Allied base

See also

• M.A.D. tank
• Supply truck