Stealth tank
From Command and Conquer Wiki
| Ezekiel's Wheel Stealth Tank | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unit | |
| Affiliation |
Nod (except Black Hand) |
| Role |
Recon/Support tank |
| Armament |
Rocket pods (x2) |
| Protection |
Adaptive camoflauge |
| Production | |
| Produced by |
War Factory |
| “ | AMBUSH 'EM! - Stealth Tank, giving the enemies a surprise | ” |
Stealth tanks are Nod tracked missile carriers that are equipped with a stealth generator. The Brotherhood used stealth tanks throughout all three Tiberium Wars in a variety of capacities, notably surprise attacks, sensitive reconnaissance missions, and as a mobile anti-aircraft defense. Unfortunately, as stealth tanks mount both missile launchers and a stealth generator onto a tank frame, to avoid sacrificing speed or increasing costs beyond any reasonable limit, stealth tanks across all generations are lightly armoured. GDI researched the stealth tank properties, as part of project A2411.5. It would appear that these may be based off of the Phase transport, an experimental Allied vehicle that was hijacked by the Soviet super-soldier Volkov and disappeared after the end of the Great World War II.
During the First Tiberium War Nod developed it's first stealth tank prototypes which Kane called "Ezekiel's Wheel". When the tank fired its twin Dragon TOW missiles it would have to briefly deactivate it's camouflage; as the cloaking system was incapable of recalculating the changing characteristics of the launchers during firing.
Between the first two Tiberium wars, Nod improved the technology of the stealth tank, making it more agile and increasing its armour. However, Nod scientists still were unable to reduce the stealth generator's huge power consumption, which still necessitated the deactivation of the cloak during firing. In addition, when it came in range of a Mobile Sensor Array, the Mobile Sensor Array could detect the vehicles despite the cloaking, rendering the camouflage of the stealth tank useless. This had lethal consequences if intelligence failed to report the presence of a Mobile Sensor Array before assault.
Following the rise of Marcion, the Black Hand had reformed their combat doctrines to match that of their new leader. Stealth was considered unpure by Marcion's beliefs, and the stealth tank was removed from service. However, this left a critical gap in the Black Hand's defence, which resulted in the development of the Mantis.
Furthermore, the new generator is much more advanced and is capable of reactivating the stealth bubble almost instantly after the tank has fired its volley, making the tank even more deadly and hard to locate than before. At close ranges, any unit with adequate sensors can locate a stealth tank; though these units, such as the CC-6 Pitbull, are usually fragile, they can prove deadly to the stealth tanks if escorted by units with heavy firepower.
Rather ironically, stealth tanks are not capable of detecting other stealthed units.
Contents |
[edit] Combat Record
| “ | Stealth Tank cleared for combat! - Stealth Tank | ” |
In the Second Tiberium War, stealth tanks saw widespread use as scouts and ambush units, proving to be remarkably adept at these tasks. Their most important mission took place during the Firestorm Crisis, when a small group of elite, but heavily damaged, stealth tanks succeeded in distracting the GDI Air Force long enough for Engineers to steal an EVA unit from the radar station nearby. To counter them, GDI used Mobile Sensor Arrays to detect them at long range. It should be noted that base defences at the time were incapable of detecting stealthed units and they could easily slip in to the base if it did not have MSAs, wreaking havoc.
Following the recapture of Nod's Stealth Databank in Australia in 2034, the stealth tank was extensively redesigned and upgraded. They were used during the attack on Brother Marcion's headquarters before going on to assist in the destruction of the GDI Treasury Building. They provided valuable mobile anti-air support along with anti-tank firepower. Their stealth and speed also made them excellent scouts, especially since Nod does not have a Radar Scan support power unlike GDI. They are also a dangerous threat to Harvesters and were often used to sneak in through loopholes in defences to take out important buildings (Power Plants, Barracks, Tech Centers etc.). The usage of the 3rd generation stealth tank spanned the entire Third Tiberium War, right up to the final reclamation of the Tacitus from a heavily fortified GDI base in the Rocky Mountains in 2052.
[edit] Final War
The stealth tank returns in the Final War.[1]
[edit] Assessment
Good points:
- The ultimate hit & run weapon.
- Stealthed.
- Perfect for sneakily blowing up enemy Harvester
- Excellent against aircraft and tanks.
- Very fast for a ground unit.
- Very useful in Tiberium fields to harass unsuspecting harvesters
- Good upgrade for the avatar
- Great for crushing infantry while hidden.
Bad points:
- Light armour.
- Expensive and only available at tier 3.
- Useless against infantry. (unless used to run them over or massed in large numbers.)
- Weak if dealing with Zone Troopers or PACs.
- Bad choice for assaulting Advanced Defense Structure like Obelisk of Light, Sonic Emitter, or Storm Column.
- Not available to Black Hand. Its Anti Aircraft role replaced with Black Hand's Mantis.
[edit] See Also
- Stealth generator
- Mobile stealth generator
- Specter; Stealth Artillery, based on Stealth Tank.
- Mirage Tank; Allies design, based on Stealth Tank - better armoured, and armed with Mirage Cannons and Spectrums.
[edit] References
- ↑ Mike Glosecki, Evoker. 2009-09-10. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight - Interview. UGDB. Accessed 2009-09-12.
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