Revenant Gunship

AC-56A "Revenant" Gunship
File:AR RevenantGunship.jpeg
Revenant Gunship model
Minor Faction	Allied Reservists
Other Faction(s)	None
Unit Type	Ground Attack Plane
Designation	Anti-Ground
Production Building	Unknown
Secondary Ability	Fire Howitzer Bombards area
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	Unknown
Heroic Upgrade	AWACS • Area Buff • Stealth Detection
Dev. Status	Modelled

Country of Origin	Canada / United States
Produced by/ Recovered from	Lockfollow Company & McDonnell Company
Key Features	» MX-234 7.62mm minigun (x3)  » 105mm howitzer  » DPICM "Thunderhail" rounds  » Allied Nose Art (Dragon's Teeth)  » Overly enthusiastic crew

"Puff goes the Magic Dragon."

- Disturbingly amused Revenant pilot

Tactical Analysis

• Armed to the Dragon's Teeth: The Revenant Gunship is a powerful air support tool used by the Reservists. Three 7.62mm Gatling guns make short work of infantry and a 105mm howitzer for armour. Coupled with the Revenant's fairly heavy protection against anti-aircraft weapons, it can fly circles around enemy divisions ignoring counterattack.

• Up in a Puff of Smoke: On authorization, the Revenant can launch a highly explosive "Thunderhail" rounds from its howitzer, obliterating anything within a significant radius.

• Dragon Slayer: Very powerful, but not totally indestructible; the Revenant has no defense against fighters and sustained anti-aircraft fire will bring it down if left unchecked.

• Eyes in the Sky: Some Revenant Gunships are being retrofitted with long range scanners and communication arrays that allow it to detect enemies from further away, locate hidden enemies and give information to nearby friendlies to make their combat more effective. However, these upgrades are in short supply and are only given to selected crews.

Operational History

The AC-56A "Revenant" Gunship was the second in a series of gunships developed by the Allied Nations early in 1967, after the recognition for a heavily-armed close air support craft overcame the distaste left in the wake of the infamous Harbinger gunship's introduction.

C-47 Galaxy cargo planes were modified by mounting three 7.62mm miniguns to fire through three starboard window openings. Supplanting this was a 105mm howitzer similarly mounted on the starboard side, which is used only when the local Commander gives authorisation to fire on designated targets a barrage of DPICM rounds, filled with white phosphorus bomblets, which can melt through the Vietcong's ICV-3 Pincer's armour with ease. They were deployed adjacent to Peacekeeper missions and proved effective for any armed intervention. The guns were controlled by the pilot, though gunners were also among the crew to assist with gun failures and similar issues. Also, it could orbit any battlefield for hours providing suppressing fire, thanks to the thousands of rounds of ammunition it carries, as well as its immense fuel load.

When the Revenant was introduced, the only previously known gunship was the enormously expensive Harbinger, and as such there was no recognized official designation until later on.. These new planes often operated under the radio call sign 'Puff" as a result of lacking any proper designation, and to confuse listening radio operators. While in Vietnam their primary mission was to provide close fire support for forward Peacekeeper Divisions, villages, and the ARVN.

The most successful intervention to date was during a tropical monsoon, when the "Puff" was the only plane available. After heavy rain bogged down much of the aircraft in Da Nang, the Vietcong believed that they could overwhelm the static defenses of the ARVN so long as their air force remained grounded. The Anvil tanks that attempted to launch a surprise raid on the Reservist Airfield encountered a passing supply convoy in a wide open field and found themselves stuck in the mud after trying to pursue the little defended line of vehicles.

The "Puff" found nothing but easy prey and repelled three battalions of Vietcong armour. The population of the nearby villages could see the battle from kilometres away and were awed as the roar of the miniguns clashed with the sky. Soon the aircraft were known by civilians as "ghost planes" for the amount of Vietcong slain under the attention of the Revenant.

It was truly a pivotal night in the conflict, as both sides reconsidered their strategies. The Vietcong would never again use the clumsy Anvil tanks as they were vulnerable to the harsh elements, and the Allied Reservists moved away from the "hearts and minds" view of the Peacekeepers in favour of the far more radical search & destroy tactics.

Soon Allied Command found itself in a precarious situation when requests for additional gunships began to come in. It simply did not have enough spare Galaxy transports to convert into "Puffs". Within two months the first official planes were being deployed throughout the Allied Air Force under the official designation of the AC-56A "Revenant" Gunship.

Revenant Gunships are now in use in all major Allied Reserve Air Commands, where they are successfully utilised in combat operations, especially in conjunction with the A-55D Spectre against local illegally armed militia groups. Although they are being produced in greater numbers, they are still a relatively uncommon sight on the battlefield. The Revenant is also the ascendant of the experimental Proton gunship FTAC-X2 Harbinger.

Some Revenant Gunships have been upgraded to the new AWACS equipped AC-56B "Godhand" standard, with a huge radome mounted on the fuselage, giving "Godhands" the ability to track enemy aircraft far more effectively than a fighter could, in addition to allowing them to detect camouflaged units regardless of what methods of deception the enemy might resort to. This variant also boasts a full communications suite, allowing the crew to warn other aircraft and tanks of enemy firing vectors, obstacles and enemies themselves, giving them a noticeable boost in combat effectiveness, albeit less so for ground units.

Connection to "Puff The Magic Dragon"

Probably coined by some smart-mouthed Reservist, a widely known variation of the song is as follows:

Puff, the Magic Dragon, lived in the air,

until a wily soldier, called it with a flare,

So Puff, the Magic Dragon, swooped down with a shove,

as its pilot whooped, "death from above!"

There are apparently five verses of this song, which is now popular among Reservists as a marching cant.

Behind the Scenes

• An accepted suggestion by Renteria.
• The Revenant is inspired by the Spectre and Harbinger Gunships from both Generals and Uprising respectively, as well as the RL AC-47 Spooky.
• Puff the Magic Dragon can be heard here