Ranch Hand

Ranch Hand
"Tanya's Magnum" Sky Fortress
Faction	Republic of Vietnam Ranger Forces
Function	Attack Power
Brief	A Reservist aircraft releases a load of "Agent Orange" over the target area below, dealing damage to enemies in the area over time.

To their credit, the Vietcong have proven a tough opponent to root out. While vastly outgunned and poorly equipped compared to their enemies, the Vietcong have the environment of Vietnam on their side. With the Vietnamese jungle providing natural cover and their underground tunnels shielding them from ordnance (though some have suggested bombing areas with tunnels in them until the tunnels literally collapsed), the Vietcong are a frustrating opponent for the ARVN to fight, capable of hiding in the darkness of the jungle and striking without warning from its confines. A force that would be quickly crushed if they chose to engage in open combat has instead proven to be a serious problem for the ARVN.

In their frustration and with losses piling up due to Vietcong ambushes, it may not be all that surprising that the ARVN have turned to the deployment of so-called "Agent Orange" to deny the Vietcong their advantage, by defoliating entire stretches of jungle and preventing the Vietcong from using the jungle to hide. Agent Orange itself is a composite of dioxin, a highly toxic and volatile defoliant mainly produced by massive American and Italian chemical companies.

Obviously, a good number of people are in an uproar about it all, especially environmentalists, who point out the ecological damage caused by Agent Orange's use, as well as its harmful effects on people, with some of the more outraged even going so far as to claim the Allies were "no better" than the Soviets, making comparisons between Agent Orange and Desolator Defoliant.

In face of the extreme controversy, the Allies have been seriously considering halting the use of Agent Orange entirely (though the ARVN leadership have protested against this, citing its effectiveness in jungle clearing), and have also rejected proposals from some members of the ARVN to use Agent Orange to wipe out Vietnamese farmland and thus cut off the Vietcong's food supplies, since it would likely cause a public relations nightmare. For the time being, however, Agent Orange continues to be used in Allied supported ARVN operations.

Ranch Hand

The Allied Reservists send an aircraft filled with Agent Orange to the target area. It then releases its load on the enemies below, not only dealing damage to them over time, but also removing foliage from the area! Recharges every two minutes.