Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Cryocopter

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The Cryocopter of the Andoran Republic. This unit will set to be planned by

History
"W-We're not gonna get shot up, are we?"

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When a radical Dutch energy-absorption system was coupled with a British helicopter chassis, the one-of-a-kind Cryocopter was born. The cryocopter was so one-of-a-kind, in fact, that it recently went into mass production. Though classified as a support aircraft, unsuited for conventional anti-surface combat and lacking in any weapons in the traditional sense, it is nonetheless gaining remarkable popularity among Andoran forces for its ability to neutralize enemy targets in a relatively civil, if unorthodox, way.

The cryocopter is stable and dependable as helicopters go. An ancillary benefit of its sophisticated onboard systems is a surprisingly strong fuselage, proven to be able to withstand direct fire. Of course, their durability is hardly what makes them so impressive. That credit goes primarily to the aircraft's custom cryobeam, used to draw out all heat in an area while spraying it with pure water and a burst of liquid helium, causing a flash-freeze that can encase an entire enemy tank in a block of solid ice.

Frozen targets are effectively thrust into a state of suspended animation. The effects of the freezing gradually wear off and the target snaps out of the effect all at once, with no recollection of the passage of time, as though waking from slumber. In fact, a majority of test subjects reported feeling unusually relaxed after this fugue state. Although research findings concerning the long-term effects of the freezing are inconclusive as of yet, the cryobeam has provisionally been deemed "perfectly safe" by manufacturer FutureTech Corporation.

However, the Amsterdam-based defense research firm has disclosed that frozen targets do tend to become extremely brittle, such that a basic concussive impact could cause them irreparable harm. One test subject unfortunately was shattered to pieces under a routine inspection, calling FutureTech's safety claims to draw some flak. Andoran military command took an interest in licensing the cryocopter at around the same time.

As if the cryobeam is not remarkable enough, the Cryocopter can also release liquid nitrogen around itself. Though not cold enough to freeze enemies, the biting cold causes infantry to shiver too much to properly aim and vehicle drives and sights to jam with frost and is more than able to keep frozen objects from thawing. Consequently, more and more cryocopters are beginning to appear among Andoran air forces, though Andoran command assures the military scientists running the field diagnostics that they are unlikely to come to harm and would never be used in frontline engagements against the Voshkod.