Defensive tower

The Defensive Tower is a neutral tech building in Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath. They are large artillery guns whose force makes them ideal at holding down positions on the map.
== Background ==
When GDI closed down 60% of its military bases (most of them in the Yellow Zones) due to Nod's inactivity and InOps' opinion that the Brotherhood had been shattered at last, many of these defensive towers were also abandoned and had since remained inoperable. 
However, some of these structures remained operational within the GDI-held blue zones. The most famous of these defensive towers were the so-called "Guns of the Amazon" operating along the Atlantic Coast, which prevented Nod from transporting vital Liquid-T components out of Brazil. These specific defensive towers appeared to have been modified by GDI, but they were nevertheless destroyed in Nod's operation to break GDI's defensive line.
== Game Structure ==
The platform's triple-barreled cannon deals out a respectable amount of damage against light and medium vehicles, forcing most commanders to think twice before invading an area held by these guns. They also boast enough accuracy and firepower to take out infantrymen, though may face difficulties with larger squads due to the need to eliminate each individual trooper. Their larger range also allows them to begin firing on enemies sooner and to control a larger area.
However, the Defensive Tower alone is not a suitable answer to any wise enemy attack. Its weapon cannot destroy heavier vehicles fast enough to avoid sustaining heavy damage, and can be "swarmed" and destroyed by masses of infantry whom it similarly cannot eliminate fast enough, such as a horde of Nod Militants (on whom the cannon's large damage single-target damage is wasted on each squad's massive size).
Their largest weakness, however, is their inability to damage aircraft. This allows enemies (especially Scrin and Traveler-59 Foremen, who specialize in aerial deployments) to destroy it with impunity unless additional defenses are installed manually. Another weakness enemies may exploit is the artillery platform's minimum range; if enemies get too close to the structure, the tower will be unable to fire at them.
==Changelog==
*Tiberium Wars patch 1.05: attack power increased by 60%.
==Gallery==
C&C 3 TW Defensive Tower.jpg|GDI's modified "Guns of the Amazon"
CNCTW Defensive Tower Cameo.jpg
== Trivia ==
* The Defensive Tower alone appears to be unaffected by any alterations made to a player's handicap. This is presumably because the player did not actually construct it, but merely captured an existing weapon (who, at the time of the map's loading, was not controlled by that player and therefore was not influenced by the respective handicap).
* The Defensive Tower is quite similar to the Grand Cannon defensive gun in Red Alert 2. Both have long range, impressive damage (whose effectiveness fades when attacking heavy armor), ways to deal with both infantry and tanks, vulnerability to aircraft, and a minimum range. The most notable difference, however, is that the Grand Cannon can be constructed by any French Allied commander, while the Defensive Tower is strictly a tech building.
== See Also ==
* Grand Cannon, French turret design with similar capabilities and vulnerabilities in the Red Alert universe
Category:Tiberium Wars tech buildings
Category:Tiberium Wars support structures