Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Longbow MK 1

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The Longbow MK 1 was the first generation of the Longbow Liberator and the progenitor to the AH-64 Apache helicopters from Aquila used by the Survivors. is planned to be voiced by *TBA*

History
"Let's do us some target practice!"

-Longbow pilots are known for having no regard for grammar

During the Great Voshkod-Aquilan War, the Westland AH-53 Longbow was the linchpin of Aquila defenses against Voshkod aggression. Fast, sleek, powerfully armed and long-ranged, the Longbow was specifically designed to counter Soviet tank divisions, a job it excelled at. Swooping low out of cover to deliver its payload of “Archer” HEAT rockets from beyond retaliatory range, hundreds, and later thousands of Longbows were deployed from forward airbases, and its descendants continue to arm the Allied military to this day.

The Longbow was almost impossible for early Voshkod tank divisions to counter. Though infantry with rocket launchers, anti-air "Flak Tracks" and the rocket pods on the EG-9 Mammoth Tank could fight them off, most tanks were helpless against these machines, which scored the highest kill ratios against the Voshkod war machine of any vehicle in the war.

The only real threat to the Longbow was Voshkod aircraft, particularly the MiG-15, so the Longbow was initially constrained in its abilities due to the constant risk of interception by enemy air patrols. The appearance of the Hawker Jumpjet and the subsequent disintegration of Voshkod air supremacy allowed the Longbow to operate freely, and in the last year of the war Longbows managed to completely neutralize the Voshkod tank divisions, finally forcing the Voshkod on the defensive.

One of the biggest advantages of the Longbow is its ability to hover extremely low to the ground; it could hide in a GAP field, pop up over the cloud to fire its rockets at enemy vehicles, and then sink back into the protective cloud. These rockets retain their lethal effectiveness against even more modern tanks, but their lack of guidance systems means they can only be employed at short ranges.

The Longbow is possibly the most modern of all Minutemen assets; it has been upgraded with components stolen from Longbow Liberator assembly plants, including 20mm chain guns that give them some anti-infantry capability, and beefed up landing gears, seeing how treacherous the wasteland ground is, allowing them to land nearly anywhere and conduct repairs. The unparalleled armor penetration the Longbow provides makes it invaluable for keeping Allied armor at bay, and it is a staple of Minutemen strike forces.