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Confederate Bluejay Transport[]

R-9 Bluejay Transport Helicopter
IconBluejay-1-
OldBluejay
A Confederate Bluejay
Faction ConfederateLogoThumb Confederate Revolutionaries
Minor Faction(s) ARVNLogoThumb Republic of Vietnam Ranger Forces
BlackHandLogoThumb Cult of the Black Hand
Unit Type Transport Helicopter
Designation Transport
Production Building Airpad
Secondary Ability Disembark Passengers
AbilityConfedsEvacuate
Cost Unknown
Production Time Unknown
Heroic Upgrade N/A
Dev. Status In game
Country of Origin  USAthumb United States
Recovered from  Fort Purdy, Twin Falls
Key Features  » Cockpit w/ surround windows for maximum view
 » Seating for infantry
 » Aerodynamic firing slits
 » Extra fuel storage
 » Declaration of Sovereignty leaflets

Air cav on call!

- Common radio greeting by Bluejay pilots

Tactical Analysis[]

  • Screamin' Eagles: The Bluejay Transport is a versatile military helicopter dating back to WW2. It is capable of carrying 4 Confederate soldiers with ease and transporting them quickly across the battlefield. The Bluejay Transport is by itself, unarmed. However, it has fireports that enable troops inside to fire out.
  • Death from above: The options for filling Bluejays are quite varied. Filled with Minutemen, it is the best interceptor the Confederates will ever get. Fill it with Marksmen for anti infantry work, or even put Dixie in it and really go to town.
  • No discounts: The Bluejay is very expensive, especially if it is carrying a full load; Losing a fully loaded Bluejay is usually a big setback.
  • No Frills Please: The crews of Bluejays are still highly disciplined former US Army soldiers, and unofficial modifications are still frowned upon by their superiors.

Operational History[]

When the United States joined with the Allies for World War II, they brought along with men and supplies a whole new branch of warfare. Within days, the Soviets feared the American 5th Airborne Cavalry. Soviet tank units couldn't fight helicopters when they flew above them, nullifying the Soviets main advantage. MiGs could shoot them down, but at this point the Allies were gaining air superiority.

Soviet bases often fell when Allied soldiers were dropped into the centre of them. At other times they hovered above battlefields, where soldiers inside gunned down Soviet troops who were unable to effectively respond. The air cavalry units often conducted operations to rescue Allied soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, raising morale and saving skilled soldiers and pilots. The air cavalry's mount was the Bluejay Helicopter, one of the first transport helicopters ever made.

Bluejay with escort

A Confederate Bluejay being escorted by a pair of longbows in western California

After the war, the Peacekeepers excelled at the air cavalry concept, mounted in the modern Cardinal, so the 5th Airborne Cavalry was sent back to their home base in Idaho, where they sat out World War 3, waiting to be activated. The 5th's commander, Brigadier General Collins, saw this as a mild insult, but nothing compared to his commander in chief and fellow Idahoan, Howard Ackerman, being attacked by Allied usurpers. The 5th sped to join Ackerman at Mount Rushmore, but arrived too late, though the 5th did evacuate the few loyalists left.

Refusing the order to turn himself in, and fully supported by his men, Brigadier General Collins and the former 5th deserted from duty, moving whenever Peacekeepers came near and scavenging supplies any way they could. When they heard the Federalist Party was rising up against the Allied occupiers, the former 5th flew to Dallas to join them.

Almost immediately, Peacekeepers were being hit by airborne cavalry attacks when they advanced without air cover. Icarus Platforms had to be transferred from Europe to the United States to protect endangered units, which themselves were vulnerable to Confederate ground troops. While currently the rogue military unit is wanted by the US Army to be courtmartialed for desertation of their posts, to this day the former 5th is a fast, hard hitting punch to the Confederate cause, and even one helicopter can be enough to turn the tide against the Allied aggressors.

Behind the Scenes[]

The Bluejay is based on the Bell HSL anti-submarine helicopter.

ConfederateLogo
ConfederateLogo
Confederate Revolutionaries Continental Army

Paradox-Exclusive Faction.

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Support Vehicles MCVTransport TruckAmbulanceMinelayerJammer TruckPAWI TruckDemo TruckRemote CarWeasel Utility TankHimmelhammer Van
Aircraft Sparrow Scout HelicopterHawker JumpjetDuster BomberBluejay TransportLongbow Helicopter MK ISkyfortress
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Technologies PAWISeismic TechnologyFibre OpticsSpiral TechnologyHubbard DIY FixersConfederate Small Arms and EquipmentGlobal Upgrades
Detailed Information Second American Civil WarThe New UnionConfederate CharactersConfederate Support NetworkLand of the FreeEnvironmental Concern


ARVN Bluejay Transport[]

R-9 Bluejay Transport Helicopter
IconARVNBluejay
ARVNBluejayInGame
A Bluejay in the skies above Vietnam
Minor Faction ARVNLogoThumb Republic of Vietnam Ranger Forces
Other Faction(s) ConfederateLogoThumb Confederate Revolutionaries
BlackHandLogoThumb Cult of the Black Hand
Unit Type Transport Helicopter
Designation Transport
Production Building ARVN Command Tent
Secondary Ability Disembark Passengers
File:AbilityARVNHelicopterDrop.png
Cost $800
Production Time 0:10
Heroic Upgrade Straight Tracers
• Doubles Suppression
Dev. Status In game
Country of Origin  USAthumb United States
Produced by/
Recovered from
 SouthVietnamthumb Da Nang Airfield, South Vietnam
Key Features  » Browning .50 cal door HMG (x2)
 » Camouflage paint job
 » Heavy duty cargo winch
 » Extra ammunition
 » Obscene graffiti

Tactical Analysis[]

  • Jungle Lift: Capable of carrying up to eight passengers and even a light vehicle, Bluejay allows you to quickly move your troops around the jungle.
  • Got you covered: Unlike the Confederates, the ARVN has equipped their Bluejays with a pair of machine guns, allowing them to protect themselves and provide support.
  • Triple A is not your friend; Though not fragile, shooting it with enough RPGs will bring it down and it’s guns are of little use against armoured targets.
  • Suppressing Fire: Gunners who’ve seen a lot of action have been known to double the amount of tracers in their guns, the sight tends make Charlies more eager to keep their heads down.

Background[]

Heavily forested jungle poses a problem for forces operating in Vietnam. While some, like the Vietcong, have been able to turn the thick jungle to their advantage, others have found it difficult to move through the jungle terrain; if one doesn't know one's way around, it's easy to get lost in a jungle. Mobility and vision are impeded, and Vietnam's jungle is filled with all manner of hazards for the average ARVN soldier, be it wild animals or Vietcong. Moving through the jungle on foot is slow and treacherous, and while vehicles are faster and offer more protection, the risk of ambush is still there, and there is also the chance that a vehicle might get stuck. For this reason, the ARVN Rangers and the Peacekeepers prefer to use helicopters for transportation.

South Vietnam, however, possessed no indigenous aircraft designs of their own, which meant that they would have to acquire their transport helicopters from somewhere else. Fortunately, the Allied Nations were willing to provide aid and assistance, and through leases and sales of helicopters, the ARVN were able to acquire a sizable fleet. In particular, the ARVN was able to get hold of a decently-sized fleet of old Bluejay Transports when the Allies phased most of them out in favour of the newer Cardinals. These Bluejays proved capable of transporting troops over long distances faster than any ground vehicle, and didn't have to worry about terrain, letting the ARVN shuttle soldiers across kilometres of jungle, whether to bring fresh troops to the frontlines or to evacuate wounded back to base.

ARVNBluejay

The typical South Vietnamese Bluejay.

Of course, there are still a number of dangers for a passenger riding in an ARVN Bluejay. It is impossible to see through the thick canopy of the Vietnam jungle, even from the excellent vantage point that a Bluejay Transport provides. Worse, the Bluejay is vulnerable to anti-air weapons; a soldier armed with an RPGL-6, using the jungle for cover, could bring down a Bluejay and all its passengers with a single well aimed shot. The addition of .50 cal Brownings has helped compensate for this to some extent, letting the Bluejay helicopters fire back at would be attackers; additionally, the machine guns also allow them to provide fire support for ARVN forces. Even so, dozens of Bluejays have been brought down this way by Vietcong resistance fighters.

Recently, with the Allies being able to provide additional aid now that the Third World War has ended, the South Vietnamese Air Force has been bolstered with additional Bluejays, in addition to a number of more modern Cardinal helicopters. The relatively small number of Cardinal helicopters in South Vietnam's possession, however, has meant that it has not been used as a replacement transport for the Bluejay; instead the ARVN has used the smaller and nimbler helicopters as armed gunships, while continuing to use the larger Bluejays as transports.

Just the Stats[]

Bluejay Transport
Transport(8), Winch
Transport Copter
Cost 800
Build Time 0:10
Health 300
Speed 150
Armour Type Thin-Skinned
Door Gun
Move and Fire
Gun
Range 250
RPS 4
Damage 6
Suppression 6
DPS 24
Experience Levels
Default Kill Reward 500
Veteran 2000
Kill Reward 1000
Elite 4000
Kill Reward 2000
Heroic 8000
Kill Reward 4000
ARVNLogo
ARVNLogo
Republic of Vietnam Ranger Forces

Paradox-Exclusive Mini-Faction.

Infantry Jungle RangerRocket RangerNapalm Ranger
Vehicles Predator Response VehicleBattlewagonBeagle Light TankPeacock Tank Destroyer
Aircraft Bluejay TransportCardinal ViperRascal Dive Bomber
Structures ARVN Command TentARVN Guard TowerARVN Radar TruckARVN RefineryMACV Compound
Special Units Patrol Boat
PK Reinforcements PeacekeeperPeacekeeper SentinelJavelin TrooperStewart TankCardinal Raven
Protocols ARVN Protocols
Radar ScanRanch HandNapalm Strike
Detailed Information Vietnam WarSouth Vietnamese CharactersMACV Compound Support


Blue China Bluejay Gunship[]

R-9S Bluejay Gunship Helicopter
IconBlueChina
A Bluejay Gunship laying waste to a Red Chinese forces
Minor Faction BlueChinaLogoThumb Praetorian Reinforcements
Other Faction(s) None
Unit Type Fighter
Designation Anti-Ground
Production Building Warlord Reinforcements
Secondary Ability Switch PA System/Weapons
Buffs surrounding units attack and defense/ground attack
Cost Unknown
Production Time Unknown
Heroic Upgrade Scrambler Cannons
Attacks now deal energy damage, instantly kills infantry, and can attack aircraft
Dev. Status Conceptual
Country of Origin  RepublicChinathumb Republic of China
Produced by/
Recovered from
 
Key Features  » 105mm PzH46 cannon
 » 75mm smoothbore auto-mortar (x2)
 » MP122 loudspeakers
 » Improvised ammo storage
 » Personalised throne

Tactical Analysis[]

  • Wrath Of The Warlord: The strongest airship to fly in the blasted wasteland of China. The Bluejay Gunship allows to Warlord to rain death onto their foes with manic ease. Its 105mm cannon easily blows apart Overlords while its door-mounted mortars rips aparts infantry and structures.
  • Propaganda Network: If needed the Warlord can also order their Gunships to switch to it PA system, spouting out propaganda to make their forces fight harder. But the Gunship in unable to power the weapons and the PA at the same time.
  • I'm Too Important To Die: But, with the loss of many manufacturing plants, these Gunships are hard to come by, and cost a pretty penny for the Warlords to send them out, and the loss of one will be painfully felt. And as they lack any anti-air weaponry they must be on the watch for interceptors.
  • Scrambled, Or Fried: During their research on creating a "nuclear bomb", many Bluejay Gunships were slated to replace their weaponry with an all-purpose Scrambler gun, which not only reduces infantry and vehicles into grotesque blobs but can also be aimed at aircraft. But with the nuclear apocalypse, these prototypes became a treasured find for any Warlord, who are extremely reluctant to bring them into battle unless absolutely necessary.

Background[]

Before the Bombs[]

Like many nations allied with the Allies. The NRA was given a lend-lease of older equipment. And, like everything sent into China, the NRA modded it to the point of recognizability.

During the start of the War the NRA had trouble in finding a role the Bluejay could fit in. As an air transport was useless seeing as they prefer a static line and the PLA air superiority, due to their swarm of Migs and North Korean airforce, meant that sorties were considered too risky. And during the first half of the war it was either mothballed in the hangars or reduced to a logistics transport within NRA lines. Until a fateful day.

As a squadron of Bluejays were transporting replacement weapons and ammunition to the front a PLA attack suddenly hit and broke through the NRA first line, and not stopping. The Bluejay crew, despite being given orders to retreat, landed at a nearby garage and, with the help of nearby engineers, welded the cannons and mortars to their helicopter before taking off to face the horde.

Amazingly the PLA horde was stopped by five barely functioning Bluejays, as they weren't expecting air support, and were swiftly routed as the Bluejays rain death from above, their cannon and mortars easily blowing up their tanks and infantry while waving the NRA flag, reinvigorating the panicked NRA forces.

It was after this fateful battle that the "Bluejay Gunship" was born. With the NRA modifying nearly all of their Bluejay with enhanced armor, passenger space replaced for ammunition, and even a PA system so that the Gunship crew can embolden their allies on the ground to not give up. With NRA generals often sitting in these gunships, commanding their forces at the frontline.

But as the war went on these Gunships soon became propaganda machines. Blaring out propaganda 24/7, not unlike the Red Propaganda Towers, while at the same time blasting at their own soldiers who thought of retreating. The presence of the Bluejay Gunship soon turned from being a symbol of hope into a warning for the troops below, either you win and move forward, or you die standing where you are.

After the Bombs[]

Due to a combination of most of them being on the frontlines and limited in numbers. Finding a Bluejay Gunship is incredibly rare, moreso then the Bulldog... And equally incredible to find. With many of them stuck within the trenches or the mud, crashed into the ground, when the nukes struck. Scavengers often breaking them down for scraps or salvaging their weapons to defend themselves, while the Red and Atomic Chinese destroys them in anger.

But for the Warlord who have the fortune to find them, buried within the trenches or mud, they will send everything to unearth it and drag it back to their kingdom. Some scavengers have even rose to the status Warlord or advisor by finding a Gunship, and having the know how to repair it, and giving it to a Warlord in exchange for power and/or lands.

These Gunships are often the personal thrones of a Warlord and their generals, even when it paints a target on their back, who often forms a bitter rivalry with Bulldogs, who sees them as pompous buffoons. With a Warlord being known to sit on their Gunships personal throne as it flies over their kingdom, looking down on their subjects while sipping what alcohol they could get hold of, with the most powerful even flaunting their fleet of Gunships, even if it causes other Warlords gunning for them. Its such privilege and power that comes from these Gunships that make the Warlord extremely reluctant to send them into battle, and the rare time they do either their top generals or they themselves who command it.

It was also during the darker years of the War that the scientists, after seeing the accident of Bruce Chen and the creation of the Scrambler, began to mount the Scramblers on the Gunships, seeing as they were large enough to hold the power necessary to fire it, with many generals approving of the upgrade, knowing that it will kill the swarms of the NRA with ease. But only a few Gunships were fitted before the bombs fell, locked within hidden bunkers impossible to open from the outside without special codes. But for those Warlords, or even lucky scavengers, who managed to open these bunkers and claim its prize. There is nothing the Warlord wouldn't do to claim these great treasures, even willing to give large swathes of their kingdom to a scavenger who found it. Often these warlords have to sleep with their eyes open, knowing full well that anyone will kill them to get their hand on their prize. But for having the power of a god, the Warlord considers the paranoia and threat of assassins worth it.

BlueChinaLogo
BlueChinaLogo
National Revolutionary Army

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