Osprey

The Osprey is an Allied VTOL aircraft designed for intercepting and destroying submarines and other submersible units, used during the events of Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge.
==Background==
Allied naval and air engineers introduced the Osprey as an alternative to depth charges used by older Destroyers.
Carried by a Destroyer on a landing pad located in the rear of the ship, the Osprey carries multiple high-speed missiles, designed to penetrate the surface of the water and destroy targets below its surface. The aircraft itself is extremely fast, though poorly armored, making it vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.
==Game unit==
The Osprey's weapons are highly effective against most submerged craft and creatures - among these being the Typhoon Attack Submarine, the Giant Squid, the Boomer, and also rogue Dolphins. These are also the only targets they will attempt to destroy. If they are downed, they will be replaced by its parent Destroyer with no cost to the player, though they cannot be manually built.
However, their armor is rather thin. This makes them less-than-ideal against naval battlegroups which have heavy antiaircraft firepower, or near coasts that have similar weapons. Their operation is also closely linked to the Destroyer they re-arm and refuel at, and if it is destroyed they will either go down with the ship if they are docked, or instantly fall out of the sky if in flight at the time.
Note that they cannot be selected or controlled in any fashion, and will only attack when following a Destroyer's order's when it attempts to target a revealed deep-sea unit.
== Aftermath ==
After Cherdenko tampered with the timeline, the Destroyer was replaced by the heavier Assault Destroyer in the new Third World War. However, due to developments in ordinance and submarine technology, Assault Destroyers could punch through submarine armor with their main gun, and now obsolete, the Osprey was abandoned.
==Gallery==
Ospray_Voxel_Render.jpg|Voxel
== Trivia ==
* They bear many resemblances to the Hornets used by Aircraft Carriers. Both are small and nimble aircraft with a massive payload of bombs, are downed easily, cannot be controlled, and will automatically be replaced upon destruction after a few seconds by their parent vessel.
** Like the Slaves and Hornet, Ospreys will also instantly be promoted to elite upon destroying any target, due to their low internal cost.
* The Osprey is always absent from the Destroyer's sinking animation, even if it was docked.
* The Osprey on the back of the Destroyer while idle is not actually the unit, and clicking on it will only select the Destroyer.
Category:Red Alert 2 aircraft