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I am the dragon.
—An Iron Dragon driver introduces himself to his enemies

The Iron Dragon is a Soviet stolen tech unit acquired by infiltrating a Foehn Cloud Piercer and Construction Yard. Armed with a particle cannon, it can quickly tear apart infantry and vehicles alike from a distance, though less so against structures.

However, should the enemies manage to destroy an Iron Dragon, it makes nearby friendly vehicles temporarily invulnerable, thus allowing it to provide support to armor battalions upon their demise.

Official description[]

Ever since China was affected by a series of external intrusions, including the incident on the Korean Peninsula, they've been determined to convene the scientist teams residing at the many of their research bases to design a myriad of new weapons, to deal with any possible adverse situations in the future. Their Iron Dragon was one of the most prominent, albeit incredibly resource-consuming ones - a powerful experimental weapon developed in a secret facility in Kashmir, through a combination of the Iron Curtain effects, and a type particle collision technology of unknown origins.

Dealing with trespassing intruders, and performing destructive long-range attacks on enemy positions, the Iron Dragon could tear apart all sorts of targets in mere seconds with its immense cannon. Initially only deployed for protection of the most important research facilities in China, the Iron Dragon units have unfortunately been mostly destroyed by their enemies, before the Chinese could turn the tide.[1]

Overview[]

The Iron Dragon acts as the ultimate Soviet anti-unit weapon once their saboteurs are able to acquire the necessary means to construct them - armed with an obscenely powerful particle collider cannon, they are able to annihilate both infantry and vehicles from absurd ranges, regardless of how well-armored they are.

While the majority of artillery pieces are often used as siege engines against enemy fortifications and structures, the Iron Dragon is the antithesis of them - it is specifically meant to be used to destroy large concentrations of enemy infantry and vehicles. The initial detonation of the projectile fired from its weapon, while already doing considerable splash damage, also leaves a highly damaging field of unstable energy that will continuously damage anything that remains in its area of effect. Like the majority of stolen tech units, it can perform self-repairs and it is also quite durable for an artillery unit.

The Iron Dragon's demise can also be beneficial to vehicles that loiter near it. Should it be destroyed, it will unleash an Iron Curtain field that will apply an invulnerability effect to vehicles around it for a few seconds.

Though they are formidable units that can easily destroy advancing enemy forces without too much trouble, Iron Dragons still have inherent weaknesses. For starters, the requirements to build them require a Soviet saboteur to infiltrate a Foehn Cloud Piercer and Construction Yard, so they are rarely available for construction. In addition, they have relatively large minimum ranges so enemy units that can close the distance will not fear retaliation from them, provided there aren't other Soviet units covering the Iron Dragons themselves. They also have no means of protecting themselves against aircraft so they must be covered from aerial threats at all times. Their effectiveness against structures is mediocre at best, unless they attack in large groups. Iron Dragons also have an exuberant price tag of $2000, but their costs can be lessened to a degree with the presence of an Industrial Plant.

Appearances[]

Iron Dragons guard this base. Though Libra is powerful, they're out of her range.
—Epsilon intel during Operation: Machinehead

Act Two[]

Lorewise, the Iron Dragon is the first unit that employs particle collision technology, followed by the Future Tank Alpha.

Origins[]

  • Four Iron Dragons appear in Vanishing Point, where there will be two for each prototype strike force. Foehn intel mentions that the data utilized in the construction of Iron Dragons were lost with the destruction of the Kashmir Home base, making these the last Iron Dragons in existence.
    • These Iron Dragons do not appear in the next mission, The Remnant, which implies these Iron Dragons were destroyed in Vanishing Point.

Challenges[]

  • A total of 20 elite Iron Dragons are positioned at key positions of the map in the Ironwall Challenge, 4 in each of the 3 Chinese bases and 4 in the 2 chokepoints right beyond the player's starting position before they can reach the old Iron Curtains. The Iron Dragons are additionally shielded by Iron Guards, making direct assaults on their positions very ill-advised.

Assessment[]

Pros Cons
  • Obscenely powerful against all ground units.
  • Artillery unit with massive attack range.
  • Quite durable.
  • Deals splash damage.
  • Attacks continue to damage anything around the targeted area over a short duration.
  • Makes nearby friendly vehicles invulnerable when destroyed.
  • Can crush infantry.
  • Can self-repair.
  • Expensive ($2000).
  • Slow-moving.
  • Vulnerable to aircraft and anti-armor threats.
  • Minimum range can be exploited by enemies, forcing the Iron Dragon to retreat to reach optimal firing range.
  • Not very effective against structures unless in large groups.
  • Attacks may cause friendly fire.
  • Late game unit, only available after building a Soviet Lab and infiltrating a Foehn Cloud Piercer and a Foehn Construction Yard.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Prior to version 3.3.5, the Iron Dragon's official description pointed out the following: "A powerful experimental weapon was in development near the border between North and South Korea, where the use of the Iron Curtain Device takes a prominent place in dealing with intruders and performing destructive raids on enemy positions". Being researched in the Korean border was a nod to version 2.0, where Iron Dragon is a North Korean exclusive unit.

See also[]

Other Soviet stolen tech units:

External links[]

References[]

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