Aurora

The Aurora was an American supersonic bomber used during the GLA Conflict.
===Upgrades===
	Countermeasures 	Grants the Aurora a 50% chance of negating missile-based attacks. 	Purchasable at any American air field in Zero Hour for $1000
	Advanced Training	Doubles the chance of an Aurora gaining veterancy after a successful kill.	Purchasable at any Strategy Center for $1500
==Game unit==
Due to its extreme speed, the expensive Aurora is effectively immune to enemy anti-aircraft weapons during its supersonic attack run. This guarantees a hit against its ground target, but the bomber becomes vulnerable immediately after releasing its payload and during its return trip. 
===Variants===
*Malcolm Granger's Auroras cost less ($2500->$2000), are more durable (80->120) and has point-defense lasers to neutralize enemy missiles.
*Alexis Alexander's Auroras are replaced with Aurora Alphas.
===Counters===
Absolutely nothing can damage an Aurora on its bombing run, except very occasionally a detonating EMP missile or other detonating missile with a wide area of effect that happens to explode near it. However, once the Aurora finishes its bombing run, it slows down significantly and can be hit by all forms of anti-aircraft weapons. In this state, it is extremely vulnerable due to its thin armor. 
Their reliance on air fields is an additional weak point, since they are defenseless while on the ground and require a free airfield slot to survive while in flight. 
It is also the most expensive unit in the game with a cost of $2500, beating the next in line (Overlord tank) by $500, making the destruction of each a crippling loss.
=== Game Use ===
The Aurora's powerful fuel-air bomb cannot be jammed or intercepted, and is among the most devastating single weapons in the game. It is best used against a fixed structure, a temporarily halted vehicle or cluster of vehicles, or very slow vehicles such as Overlords. While it has a wide area of effect, it will not track a moving target and cannot always catch a fast-moving vehicle in its blast radius. 
Two Auroras attacking together can destroy most buildings. They can pick off isolated defense structures, but laser and multiple gunfire-based anti-air units should be avoided, as they will often destroy the Aurora after it releases its payload as it is turning around. Auroras are quite useful for fast follow-on strikes against a power-dependent faction whose electrical supply has been disrupted and perimeter defenses temporarily offline. 
As a last resort, Aurora Bombers are sometimes sacrificed in one-way strikes against superweapons that are about to fire. This requires multiple Auroras or else the assistance of a General's Power or a superweapon of one's own if the target structure in question is at full strength. 
==Changelog==
*Generals patch 1.03: 
**speed increased from 90 to 120 after it drops its bomb
**damaged speed increased from 60 to 120.
*Zero Hour patch 1.03:
**bomb damage increased from 900 to 1000
**bomb damage radius increased from 70 to 100
==Quotes==
===Cut Hypersonic Aurora Quotes===
==Trivia==
* General Granger was originally meant to have his own variant of the Aurora that did not only include a point defense laser module. Dubbed the "Hypersonic Aurora", it would have been armed with a fuel air bomb that had an extreme amount of damage (1000). This would make it unbalanced, and is likely a reason for its removal. It has a model, voice sets and a selection picture, but for one reason or another it was not implemented in the game. One likely reason General Granger did not receive it was because it was given to General Alexander (without the Point Defense Laser) and renamed the Aurora Alpha, as evidenced by the extreme similarities between the Hypersonic Aurora and the Aurora Alpha. Only the cameo, soundset and model remain within the game files.
* The standard Aurora was supposed to have a Supersonic Boost mode allowing the Aurora to fly at the double the speed, but it was removed, possibly for balancing reasons.
* The Aurora was possibly based on a top-secret supersonic aircraft of the same name, build in the late 1980's as a possible replacement to the SR-71. The U.S. government has consistently denied such an aircraft ever being built.
*The in-game model appears to be based on the F-16XL, a proposed bomber variant of the F-16 fighter. While sporting the same cranked arrow delta wing, it differs in that it includes two vertical stabilizers, horizontal stabilizers/elevators, and a smaller cockpit.
==Gallery==
Aurora concept art.jpg|Concept art
GensZHHypersonicAurora.png|Hypersonic Aurora version
aurora_render_gallery.jpg|Concept render
File:Aurora_Texture_1.png|Beta Aurora texture 1
File:Aurora_Texture_2.png|Beta Aurora texture 2
==See also==
* Aurora Alpha, Alexander only
Category:Generals 1 aircraft