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Behold, the bringer of light.
- Nuke Cannon rolling out of the War Factory

The Nuke Cannon was China's and arguably the world's most advanced siege weapon, firing tactical nuclear shells over considerable distances, with suitably destructive results. The majority of generals had to spend promotional points to acquire it (possibly at the expense of another ability), although the Chinese Government entrusted General Tsing Shi Tao the use of Nuke Cannon without spending promotional points.

Background[]

We bear gifts.
- Nuke Cannon
Generals Nuke Cannon Ingame

The Nuke Cannon consisted of a large howitzer-like weapon mounted on a tracked vehicle, with a cabin for the crew located at the front, similar to a regular truck.

Before firing the cannon, the vehicle had to deploy four stabilizers. This, coupled with the slow speed of the vehicle and long reloading time of the main gun, made using it in the field time-consuming and potentially very costly; Nuke Cannons cost considerably more than Inferno Cannons, but were similarly weakly armoured and even more vulnerable to enemy fire. Nevertheless, many generals considered the destruction wrought by the Nuke Cannon to be worth the hassle, as nuclear shells were effective against tanks and infantry at far greater ranges than the Inferno Cannon, which could only lob comparatively weak shells.

Later in the conflict against the GLA, Nuke Cannons can be alternatively loaded with Neutron Shells to specifically neutralize enemy personnel.

Game unit[]

This day is to be remembered.
- Nuke Cannon

The Nuke Cannon, in spite of its ponderousness, is effective both as a siege weapon and an aid for base defense simply due to its devastating raw damage at range. Its Nuclear Shells can effectively destroy most buildings in a several hits and tear apart an attacking formation, leaving behind a deadly radioactive cloud in their wake. Its Neutron Shells are no slouch either, able to obliterate scores of infantry and completely shut down an assault through congestion. As with the Inferno Cannon, the Nuke Cannon's shells can not be intercepted, and setting it to Defend an area allows the unit to capitalize on its reach further.

The Nuke Cannon's weaknesses are pretty straightforward. It is perhaps the most cumbersome unit in the war, with very slow speed, mandatory deployment setup and high cost. Unlike most other vehicles, the Nuke Cannon cannot be transported by a Helix and is forced to drive all the way to its destination. It is also unable to defend itself in close quarters, requiring an escort of Battlemasters, Overlords and Gattling Tanks to eliminate threats before they get to it. Their radiation cloud on destruction can be problematic as well. Even if no enemies are around, care must be taken when using them in environments with many tall obstacles, as unless deployed with sufficient distance, they can be caught by their own shells.

Abilities[]

We will be generous.
- Nuke Cannon

Upgrades[]

Base[]

Promotion[]

Changelog[]

  • Generals patch 1.04:
    • Explosion damage done after a nuke cannon is destroyed is reduced from 25 to 10
    • Nuke cannon changed so it moves the same speed when damaged, not faster

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

  • The icon image was based on the 280mm Atomic Cannon fired during Upshot-Knothole. The M65 might have inspired the creation of the Nuke Cannon.
  • There are unused versions of the Nuke Cannon for Nuke General. The only significant difference in these is that the Chinese red star is replaced by a radiation symbol. The Nuke Cannon was also supposed to get a unique selection picture. It's rather surprising they ended up unused, seeing as they would have been very easy to implement.
  • In actuality, the blast created by the Nuke Cannon's shell should have the same explosive yield as the Nuclear Missile's. The smallest nuclear explosion was recorded at 1.2t of TNT, which was only a product of an early nuclear test at the 15th of October year 1958. The smallest nuclear explosion that was put for military use was recorded at 10t of TNT.
  • Real-life neutron bombs or ERW (Enhanced Radiation Weapon) still leave residual radiation but only in a shorter span of hours than a regular nuclear bomb.

Gallery[]

See also[]

China People's Republic of China First GLA War Arsenal China
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