Rocket Defender

Rocket Defender
Minor Faction	Allied Reservists
Other Faction(s)	None
Unit Type	Infantry
Designation	Anti Tank/Anti Air
Production Building	Command Centre
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Undeploy Use missile launcher, immobile/Use machine gun, mobile
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	Unknown
Heroic Upgrade	"Hurlbat" Missile • Knock-back, disables vehicle movement temporarily
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	United States
Trained at	Ft. Benning, Georgia
Key Features	» MG-60 5.56mm light machine gun  » M64 Javelin missile launcher  » Flak jacket w/ chicken plate  » Empty sandbags w/ collapsible shovel  » Personal FM radio

"Just like the fourth of July!"

- Rocket Defender

Tactical Analysis

• Spearing the Beast: Rocket Defenders are the anti-tank counterpart to their Defender compatriots, armed with M64 Javelin missile launchers. Once deployed, they can easily lay waste to main battle tanks, and are no less capable when it comes to bringing down aircraft.

• The Pig: Rocket Defenders employ the MG-60 light machine gun when moving from spot to spot to brush away infantry resistance before taking on enemy armour. Though the Rocket Defender's aim is not as good with the MG-60 as the M64, they are capable of suppressing enemy infantry for their Defender support to mop up.

• Lacking Light Feet: Rocket Defenders are at a disadvantage when on the move, their heavy gear, weaponry and personal body armour making them very slow and exposed to enemy flanking and superior numbers. Thankfully, the Reservist Retriever goes someway to addressing the slowness issue.

• Stand Back: The exceptionally large "Hurlbat" anti-tank missiles can send infantry sprawling backwards on impact, as well as stun and concuss vehicle drivers, stopping the struck vehicle temporarily. Fortunately for the enemies of the Allies, few Rocket Defenders can handle the blowback of the oversized missile.

Operational History

"Tanks are no match!"

- Rocket Defender

Rocket Defenders are the Allied Reservists' heavy support infantry. While Defenders deal with enemy infantry, Rocket Defenders put big holes in tanks and raze enemy fortifications to the ground with their anti-tank missile launchers.

Given their role of taking down opposing vehicles, they have taken to wearing new versions of the flak jackets issued to bomber gunners in WW2, protecting them from harm better than other heavy infantry. In the field the Rocket Defender is as heavily armoured as a Peacekeeper, and arguably the most irrational of all of the Reservist soldiers.

They signed up with the Reserve for a piece of the action, not some country they have never heard of. They have a large weapon on their shoulders and willingly use it for the sake of wasteful pleasure. More often than not, the Rocket Defender practices on the local terrain near his area to make sure that his "skills are still up to snuff".

However immoral the cause may seem, the results justify themselves (although officially, units using this training method are reprimanded for the amount of property damage they cause). At the end of their deployment, a Rocket Defender is practically a rocket scientist, able to predict the movement and wind effect on the missile before it is launched. With enough practice they could even match a Javelin Soldier in a challenge; but with experience they can put Javelin Soldiers to shame.

Because of their cumbersome, if effective, protection, the Rocket Defender is slower than most infantry, and is easily beaten in combat against a more manoeuvrable opponent. Any recon vehicle or infantry squad should be able to overwhelm them before they deploy or catching them deployed.

Behind the Scenes

• The Rocket Defender will seem very familiar to players of Red Alert 2, as they are similar to the Guardian G.I. of that game.