In large numbers, desolators can create a contamination zone more deadly than a nuclear missiles, and destroy nearly anything that comes through in a matter of moments. British snipers are not an effective counter against a large number of desolators due to their slow rate of fire. Desolator cannot harm infantry garrisoned in buildings. The desolator is also a favorable unit to counter paratroopers, provided they can be transported fast enough to the drop zone. Nonetheless, the desolator is the Soviets' only equivalent to a "ranged sniper" unit, capable of picking off stray engineers who try to breach the base. However, if done too late, the SEALs will kill the desolator the Nighthawk itself might also pick off the desolator if there is absolutely no anti-air defense. If timed just right, one can irradiate the landing zone before the SEALs arrive, causing them to instantly die the moment they leave the transport. It is useful to keep a few desolators around a Soviet base, as an effective counter against a Nighthawk rush carrying engineers or Navy SEALs. The Iraqi Desolator can poison land with toxic radiation or annihilate enemy troops with his powerful Rad-Cannon. Their weapon is also completely useless against robotic units such as robot tanks. However, they have to remain immobile while deploying their cannon and can be easily taken out by enemy snipers, heavier vehicles or airborne units. The Desolator is only one of two types of infantry units authorized for the Moon assigment. They were nearly matchless against any type of infantry, save for ones armed with long-ranged anti-infantry weaponry and flying infantry. They are most effective at cutting off important choke points, such as passes, valleys, and even bridges. Their radiation field can penetrate water, making them capable of damaging submarines and revealing them. While they are a potent anti-infantry unit with their rad-cannon's primary mode of fire (a concentrated radiation beam melting down enemy soldiers), their true power lies in the way they can deny an area to the enemy by irradiating the surface, so traversing it is lethal to infantry and damaging to vehicles. They were also the only infantry unit apart from Cosmonauts capable of surviving on the Moon. In the Soviet campaign of Yuri's Revenge, they became available during Operation: Romanov on the Run. The following is based on the Soviet campaign for Yuri's Revenge and some details might contradict canon. In the Soviet campaign of Red Alert 2, they became available during Operation: Desecration.
The following is based on the Soviet campaign for Red Alert 2 and some details might contradict canon. A few of them were also deployed during Operation: Fallout.
Louis during Operation: Free Gateway, where they demonstrated their abilities on captive civilians. In the Allied campaigns, they were only encountered in the occupied St.
They were quite fast and spoke in a raspy, tired voice. Each soldier was equipped with a nuclear battle suit and a rad-cannon. Created by Soviet-aligned Iraq, these voluntary warriors went through tests that would have killed them if it had not been for their radiation suits.