Orca Fighter

Orca Fighter
Faction	GDI
Function	Vehicle
Health	400 (Recruit) 450 (Veteran) 500 (Elite) 650 (Heroic)
Armor Type	Aerial
Armaments	.50 Cal Machine Gun Hellfire Missiles
Seats	2
Cost	$900

.50 Cal Minigun
Projectile Type	Explosive - Shell
Projectile Speed	18000
Range	4500
Rate of Fire	0.06
Clip	100 (Recruit) 120 (Veteran) 150 (Elite) 200 (Heroic)

Hellfire Missile
Projectile Type	Explosive - Rocket
Projectile Speed	4000
Range	4500
Rate of Fire	0.15
Clip	4 (Recruit) 4 (Veteran) 6 (Elite) 6 (Heroic)

The Orca Fighter is a light, flying Vehicle of the Global Defense Initiative and it is a direct counterpart of the Nod's Apache Helicopter.

Appearance

The Orca Fighter is equipped with 2 jet engines attached to the sides and stabilizers and a fan on its back. The 2 missile launchers and the machine gun are on the front of the Orca.

Damage Table

.50 Cal Minigun

Base Damage	Headshot Multiplier	Kevlar Armor Multiplier	Flak Armor Multiplier	Lazarus Armor Multiplier	Heavy Armor Multiplier	Light Armor Multiplier	Aerial Armor Multiplier	Building Multiplier	MCT Multiplier
12	x2.5	x0.7	x1.3	x1	x0.185	x0.185	x0.185	x0.185	x0.74

Full damage will be inflicted only if the target body is struck completely by the bullet.

Higher Veterancy ranks will increase the base damage by a specified multiplier.

Hellfire Missile

Base Damage	Headshot Multiplier	Kevlar Armor Multiplier	Flak Armor Multiplier	Lazarus Armor Multiplier	Heavy Armor Multiplier	Light Armor Multiplier	Aerial Armor Multiplier	Building Multiplier	MCT Multiplier
53	x10	x1	x0.5	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x8

Full damage will be inflicted only if the target body is struck completely by the rocket.

Higher Veterancy ranks will increase the base damage by a specified multiplier.

Function

The Orca is one of the basic GDI units on flying maps. It is very fast, universal and capable of dealing a lot of damage (especially in a group).

Strategy

Usage

Orcas work good against all kinds of infantry and vehicles. Their speed, long reload time and low health make it best to use the hit-and-run tactic. Thanks to its mobility and ability to fly high and keep eyes on a big part of the map, Orcas are great as scouting units and at controlling large areas of the field. They are a good counter against sneaking Technicians.

Orcas are of fragile nature; one should be careful not to fly too far into the enemy lines, especially on open maps. If the enemy fired locked-on rockets at you, you will hear an alert sound. It is possible to evade those rockets if you fly behind some cover or if you fly fast (holding shift) in one direction.

Generally, the machine gun works best against flak armored infantry, while missiles are made for dealing with vehicles and buildings, but actually both weapons can as well be used against all targets. Ramming infantry is a good idea, because it is hard to run from the very fast Orca. When fighting enemy vehicles - especially Apaches - it is best to wait until the rockets are locked on the target.

The Orca Rush, along with the Medium Tank Rush, are the two most deadly tactics in the game for GDI. An Orca Rush can reach the target quickly and deal a huge amount of damage to a building in a short period of time using the rockets. Even ~6 Orcas are enough to destroy a building in 2 bursts of rockets. They are also able to cover an Ion Cannon Beacon on a roof a building effectively.

Orcas can also be used to drop infantry (especially sneaky Hotwires) in the enemy base, a common tactic for example on Walls.

Counters

There is plenty of counters against Orcas. Because of their light armor, all automatic rifles and cannons (like the ones of a Buggy, APC or an Laser Chaingunner - or even a regular Soldier) deal considerable damage to Orcas. All units with locking-on rockets (Stealth Tanks, Apaches, Rocket Soldiers) work good, too. Raveshaws and Sakuras can be very annoying and troublesome for Orcas as well.

It is best to mass the units mentioned above when defending against an Orca Rush.