Harrier

The Harrier is the Allied fighter/bomber in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge. It is unavailable to Korea, as they use the Black Eagle instead.
== Official description ==
==Background==
This VTOL jet is the main fighter of the Allied forces. Capable of both hovering and flying at high speeds, this single pilot aircraft is the bane of enemy armour and buildings thanks to its array of Maverick missiles. However, it has very weak armour and any kind of AA defense poses a serious threat. Gatling cannons and Gatling tanks prove to be extremely effective, as the high rate of fire and AP rounds can easily punch through the light fuselage of a Harrier. Flak while not as powerful is better at taking out large groups, due to the area effect caused by exploding shells. Harriers can take off vertically, but fuel limitations prevent them from patrolling the sky for a long time. However, Harriers will not crash because of fuel shortage and can be used to reveal the map. If the Airforce Command is destroyed, the Harrier will stay mid-air until it unloads its missiles, if it manages to evade the destruction of its airpad. Maverick missiles cannot attack air targets.
In the opening of the Psychic Dominator Disaster a squadron of at least 4 Harriers, attempted to destroy the Psychic Dominator at San Francisco, but before any of them could get within striking distance of the Dominator, Yuri's Gatling cannons opened fire. Even though the Harriers took evasive action, they were all hit by Gattling cannon fire and shot down, but one of the Harriers was hit in the engine and crashed into the Nuclear Reactor powering the Psychic Dominator, damaging it and disabling the Dominator for some time, buying the Allies and Soviets enough time to go back in time and stop Yuri.
The Harrier was the most used aircraft by the Allies, fielded by most Allied nations. Korean engineers, however, noticed the severe armor weaknessess of the aircraft and designed their own advanced replacement. The result was the Black Eagle, which possesses more firepower and greatly improved survivability than Harriers while maintaining the same production cost.
===Legacy===
In the third iteration of the war, the F-11X Apollo Fighter has replaced the Harrier on its air superiority role, while the B2-X Century Bomber and Vindicator have taken its place regarding ground attacks.
==Game unit==
Harriers should be used for destroying specific immobile targets, as well as slow ground-based units (ore miners, for instance). Roughly three Harriers can destroy a tank, less if veteran or elite. It is, however, rare for a Harrier pilot to survive long enough to gain a promotion.
Harriers drop to the ground then explode, dealing additional damage when destroyed. It is also useful to damage other enemy buildings (but it can still cause friendly fire).
===AI behavior===
Harriers controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:
Harriers often accompany main strike forces as support.
* Easy: 2x targeting ore miners and base defenses
* Medium/Hard: 4x targeting ore miners and base defenses
* Hard: 4x targeting vehicles
==Quotes==
===When selected===
*Aircraft reporting.
*Channel clear.
*Destination?
*Pilot reporting.
===When moving===
*Thrusters engaged.
*Changing vector.
*Like the wind.
*Wilco.
===When ordered to attack===
*Ready to strike.
*Watch my six.
*We have'm on radar.
*We're goin' in.
*Instruments locked on.
===When crashing===
*Eject! Eject!
*Bail out!
*We're going down!
==Gallery==
File:RA2_Render_Harrier_Takeoff.gif|Harrier take-off render
File:Harrier_Voxel_Render.jpg|Voxel
File:Harriers.png|Harriers flying over an American flag during General Carville's funeral
File:Harrier_Strike_Alcatraz.jpg|Mojo Squadron over San Francisco. The Squadron were wiped out on this sortie by Yuri Gatling cannons guarding the Psychic Dominator.
File:Harrior.jpg|A Harrier mid-flight
File:YR_Harrier_View.jpg|Harrier pilot view
File:RA2_Black_Guard_Attacked.jpg
===Cameos===
English and German versions share the same cameo.
==Trivia==
*The Harrier's original in-game string read Intruder, which is seen in the game files. A possible reason for the change of name is that the real-life A-6 Intruder is a CTOL (Conventional Take-off and Landing, non-hovering) aircraft, which would not fit into the Airforce Command Headquarters "helipad" concept. 
**In the Traditional Chinese translation released in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the Harrier is called 入侵者 ("Intruder").
**Confusingly, the official Red Alert 2 website referred to Hornets as Intruders.Red Alert 2 official site: 
*Likewise, the in-game Harrier voxel resembles the A-6 Intruder, a carrier-based strike aircraft, rather than the AV-8 Harrier, which has a sleeker shape, further confirming that the plane's original name during the beta phase was Intruder. However, the planes shown in the sidebar cameo and video cutscenes accurately portray the real AV-8 Harrier.
==See also==
* Black Eagle
* MiG
==References==
Category:Red Alert 2 aircraft