Iron Curtain (Red Alert 3)

The Iron Curtain is the Soviet support superweapon in Red Alert 3 and Uprising.
==Background==
The Iron Curtain is one of the Soviet military's most-feared creations. It gathers some sort of energy inside its furnace, which it uses to project a kinetic barrier onto armored forces. While the barrier lasts only a short while, affected targets are completely invulnerable during that timeRed Alert 3 loading screen.
==Game structure==
===Abilities===
===Effects===
When activated, the Iron Curtain applies an effect to all buildings and structures in the area of effect that renders them invincible. However, any infantry in the area is instantly killed instead. In addition to all damage and instant destruction effects from attacks, offensive abilities, superweapons, and offensive protocols, Iron Curtain protects affected buildings from being captured or infiltrated, and units from being crushed by larger vehicles, damaged by infecting terror drones, jammed, bribed, frozen, and most other negative effects. Terror drones under Iron Curtain additionally cannot be removed from infected vehicles, and Dreadnoughts do not take damage from having Sacrifice Launchers activated. Hammer tanks do not heal when using Leech Beam on an affected unit, although it can still steal the weapon if the target is somehow destroyed. Tanya cannot sabotage vehicles or structures and will be forced off of it if the shield is deployed before her charge explodes. Likewise, Natasha cannot snipe units affected by Iron Curtain. Point-Defense Drones cannot be placed, and existing drones do not receive protection.
Iron Curtain only affects ground units and structures; air units and submerged units in the area of effect do not receive the effect. However, landed aircraft (such as ones inside an Airfield or landed Twinblades) count as ground units and will receive the effect, and aircraft produced by a production facility under Iron Curtain's effects and Sky Knights deployed by an aircraft carrier under Iron Curtain's effects will also have the Iron Curtain buff. MCV, Prospector, Sputnik, Reaper are still shielded after deploying into structures. Similarly, Mecha Tengu, Sea-Wing and Striker-VX retain the protection when transforming into their aerial form.
Note that Iron Curtain affects all units and structures in the area, including those owned by teammates and enemies.
=== Limitations ===
Protected objects can still be repaired, sold or voluntarily destroyed by Crusher crane. Iron Curtain's protection does not apply to units that are inside a transport, though the effect will remain on a unit that is picked up by a transport during the duration. If the transport is destroyed while carrying a unit affected by Iron Curtain, so too is that unit. Similarly, if an airfield is destroyed, any aircraft inside affected by Iron Curtain are also destroyed. Transport can still be entered and existed, civilian buildings can still be cleared or occupied, and sniped vehicles can still be captured.
It also does not remove Cash Bounty or the effects of Blackout Missile from affected units (though it will prevent these effects from being applied), nor does it protect against the cryocopter's S.H.R.I.N.K. beam (only in Uprising), Chronosphere teleportation, being infected by terror drones (though as previously mentioned, the terror drone will not inflict damage until Iron Curtain wears off), self-inflicted harm (such as Volatile Fuel ability of Kirov Airship, the suicide attacks by the Burst Drone and Yari mini-sub, a shrunken King Oni or Shogun battleship ramming a building), or damage/destruction caused by game mechanics (aircraft that are out of ammo failing to land at an airfield, units being teleported onto terrain they cannot traverse). Shielded vehicles can still be slowed down by an attached Burst Drone.
Protocols intended to be used on friendly units, such as Emperor's Rage, Chrono Swap, or Toxic Corrosion, are not blocked by Iron Curtain, although Toxic Corrosion does not inflict damage while the shield is active.
Submerged units cannot receive the protection unless they are surfaced.
==Glitches==
* Using Iron Curtain on an Athena Cannon with Aegis Shield active or Assault destroyer with Black Hole Armor engaged would cause a graphic glitch and make the shield/field invisible.
==Trivia==
* In truth, the Iron Curtain effect lasts for 28 seconds. Specifically, 25 seconds after first received and 3 seconds for area effect.
* The real "Iron Curtain" was a political border in Europe separating capitalist countries from communist countries, at the end of World War 2 until 1991, when the USSR collapsed.
==Gallery==
Iron Curtain RA3.jpg|Concept art
RA3_1_2011-04-24_13-37-06-50.jpg|Cursor symbol
==See also==
* Chronosphere
* Nanoswarm hive
==References==