Avenger (Generals)

The Avenger was an American support vehicle based on the Humvee's chassis and introduced later in the GLA Conflict.
==Game unit==
The Avenger has unique laser-based support abilities. The Avenger can use its target designator against any ground unit or structure, which will increase the effectiveness of combat units attacking the designated target. Allies receive +50% firing rate when attacking a target affected by the target designator. The designator itself has a range of 200, with a 200 msec cooldown and 200 msec duration.
Aside from the Avenger's ground support role, its air defense laser is arguably the best anti-air weapon in the game, capable of engaging both aircraft and large missiles. The separate point-defense laser was very effective at destroying smaller incoming rockets.
Like all manned US vehicles, the Avenger can be upgraded with one of three support drones.
Drones can be further upgraded with the Drone Armor upgrade.
====Base====
===Advantages===
The Avenger is an expensive laser-based support unit with a wide variety of applications. It can engage enemy aircraft at range and deal heavy damage to them. Its Point defense lasers can neutralize missiles, and it can also paint a ground target with a beam, providing a fire rate bonus to friendly units that are attacking it. Even a single Avenger in support greatly increases the capabilities of a ground force.
===Disadvantages===
The Avenger is lightly armored and slow (having the same speed as the Crusader tank). Unlike GLA's Quad Cannon and China's Gattling Tank, which are able to fight off infantry and other light ground vehicles at close range and can be produced early, the Avenger is defenseless against ground units, has an extremely high cost, and, in the case of Malcolm Granger, cannot be deployed without a Strategy Center. Although a defense drone can provide the Avenger with limited protection, its no substitute for a proper escort. Although Avenger is effective against rocket barrages from Rocket Buggies, a single Avenger cannot handle more than eight rockets per second. While it is capable of destroying the missile from a SCUD Launcher, doing so requires two shots; thus, success depends on the Avenger's reaction time. 
===Tactics===
Used sparingly in most offensives due to its cost, it was still nonetheless an effective countermeasure against units that used rocket attacks, such as Rocket Buggies, fighter jets, and missile-armed infantry. The Avenger's PDL meant that these units would have a hard time destroying an Avenger or any nearby troops unless greatly outnumbered. Lightly armored tactical aircraft were in particularly grave danger from Avenger's anti-air lasers. Multiple Avengers could take down larger aircraft such as the Chinese Helix or cargo planes. 
A uniquely strong combination resulted from the Avenger being paired with General Townes's Laser Crusaders. The Laser tank's powerful main weapon (as strong as that of an Overlord tank) fired more quickly thanks to the Avenger's targeting designator. which made the duo quite deadly and covered both anti-ground and anti-air combat, and Townes received a cost discount for producing the vehicle due to his specialization in laser weaponry.
==Changelog==
*Zero Hour patch 1.01: 
**now leaves tire tracks
**bomb trucks disguised as Avengers still have the Avenger turret (however the turret is lowered unlike the normal unit which has the turrets raised)
*Zero Hour patch 1.02: now available without the strategy center (USA and Townes only)
*Zero Hour patch 1.03: 
**laser turret no longer has sight range
**composite armour upgrade has been removed
**now displays upgrade cameo for the Hellfire drone
**damage received vs. jet missiles improved from 30% to 23%
**fixed the bug where the map would become slightly uncovered when building an Avenger
**locomotor has been corrected
**bomb trucks now disguise themselves as Avengers using the correct model
**now available without the strategy center (Alexander only)
**cost decreased from $2400 to $2000 (Alexander only)
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
* This unit is named after the real life M1097 Avenger anti-aircraft and anti-missile system. The real vehicle uses Stinger missile launchers instead of lasers. However, prototype laser weapons have successfully been mounted on and tested with Avengers.
* The Avenger suffers from some graphical glitches. The laser turret on the back may sometimes disappear if it comes out of the fog of war. Additionally, if one was pilot sniped (or hit by a neutron blast), then the laser turret turns white like for every other vehicle, but the actual vehicle remains the same color, even if it is captured by enemy troops. Furthermore, if a bomb truck disguises as one, the laser turret on the back will be invisible. The latter was fixed in Zero Hour patches 1.01 and 1.03.
* When attempting to construct a building on an Avenger, it won't move away, thereby preventing said building from being placed there until the vehicle has been manually relocated.
==See also==
* Gatling tank, Chinese counterpart
* Quad cannon, GLA counterpart
Category:Zero Hour vehicles
de:Rächer
ru:Мститель (Generals)