Lancer

54 (Elite)

77 (Heroic)

60000 (Heroic)

PELE Ammunition

## Introduction

The **Lancer** is General Algrin "A.I." Ironhand's anti-air droid type mech.

## Overview

The Lancer is an unmanned AA battle droid that has a "space fighter" shaped turret installed on a square chassis. It uses six small but thick independent wheels to maneuver itself. Thanks to its low mass, the Lancer can zip around the battlefield with very impressive speed. Its weaponry consists of two autocannons which are used to shoot down enemy aircraft. As this type of weapon has no homing capabilities, it makes use of a small radar dish to seek out incoming aircrafts for its on-board AI to estimate and calculate the target's path, this still allows the Lancer to land its hits with great accuracy. The droid can be upgraded with studier drone armor for better survivability, more advanced data transmission methods as well as high-resistance electrical components to resist against EMP/ECM attacks and PELE ammunition to increase firepower.

The Lancer was conceptualized as Algrin Ironhand's means of mobile anti-air defense similar to the Avenger that comes with rather interesting advantages:

* It is cost-effective (600$), thus it can be produced in large numbers.
* It moves very fast.
* It is very effective against air units, especially in numbers.
* It will offer a good AA protection for an assaulting robot army.
* It can equip itself with drones like most other vehicles.

Compared to the Avenger, the Lancer's mobility is notably superior, it's currently one of the fastest ground-based anti-aircraft units in *Contra*. This makes the Lancer an excellent rapid response unit against enemy air attacks. While the Raven drones are faster, they require an upgrade to be able to engage enemy aircraft, and their missiles have a lower rate of fire and are less effective against point defence lasers and ECM.

Lancers can be used to rush USA opponents and disrupt their economy. A particularly insidious commander can sneak several Lancer droids through the backdoor of a poorly defended base and attack the Chinooks collecting supplies. It's strongly advised to bring more than 1 Lancer, as Chinooks have fairly sturdy armour.

However there are a few major disadvantages: the Lancer cannot target ground units at all, so it is best to escort it with some other types of units to fend off ground targets. Furthermore, and contrary to the Avenger, it is not equipped with target designation lasers. Finally, its lightweight construction makes the Lancer a poorly armored mech and very vulnerable to anti-armor weapons, therefore it should be protected and produced in large quantities for the best effect.

## Upgrades

* **Drone Armor** - Increases Lancer's drones durability.
* **Advanced Data Transmission Codes** - Increases Lancer's resistance to EMP and ECM.
* **PELE Ammunition** - Increases Lancer's damage output by 25%.

## Assessment

Pros:

* Early game unit.
* Cheap ($600) thus can be produced in masses.
* Fast movement speed.
* Very effective against air units.
* Can equip itself with drones.

Cons:

* Cannot attack ground units.
* Lightly armored, thus very vulnerable to anti-tank units.
* Weapons deal no splash damage.

## Trivia

* The Lancer's model changed in 009 FINAL Patch 3, looking more like a droid than a walker mech. It's also armed with a pair of laser cannons instead of twin autocannons.