Artillery Strike

"A gift from our friends across the border!"

- Merchant of Menace store caption

The Artillery Strike is an airstrike featured in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction


"For a small handling fee, we'll arrange for a battery of Chinese artillery to perform live-fire test on the area of your choosing."

- Merchant of Menace store description

Overview
The Artillery Strike is an inexpensive, but impressive airstrike that can devastate a small area; killing infantry and destroying vehicles and unhardened structures. It is comparable to the Gunship Support I/II/III airstrike.

The Artillery Strike comes as Strike, Barrage and Bombardment, with each higher level delivering greater destruction to the area with more artillery shells.

Tactics

 * Best used in wide open areas with many enemies
 * If you want to deal some damage, after each time you throw down a beacon for artillery strike, go to the Merchants of Menace shop and buy the same one so the strike will instantly refill. You can repeat the process to keep a constant stream of strikes going for as long as you want. This works with all 3 artillery strikes. Note that doing this for an extended period of time may cause the game to crash.

Specifications

 * Unlocked by:
 * Complete 'Pest Control' (strike)
 * Complete 'Playing the Odds' (barrage)
 * Complete 'Knock Knock' (bombardment)
 * Cost: $40,000 (strike), $80,000 (barrage) and $120,000 (bombardment)
 * Guidance: Smoke
 * Delivery: Chinese M1955 Artillery

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
"Order an artillery strike on the location"

- Stockpile caption

Overview
The Artillery Strike is an incredibly cheap and impressive airstrike, it does not require a pilot, barely any fuel and costing almost nothing compared to other airstrikes.

When called in, exactly eleven 155mm howitzer shells will rain down in quick succession around the beacon killing and destroying everything (except bunkers and viaduct bridges) in the radius. The only drawback is that fast moving targets are nearly impossible to hit, and there is a high chance for collateral damage, this airstrike should be used away from civilians to minimize collateral damage.

Tactics
Do not stick around the beacon when the strike is called in. A creative way to use this airstrike is to stick it on a light helicopter and fly over the target area, though this puts the helicopter at risk of being hit. This airstrike does not require Misha and does not cost much fuel, therefore it will most likely be one of the first airstrikes to used in the game.

Specifications

 * Unlocked by:
 * Cost: $150k at the People's Liberation Army of Venezuela and Chinese Shop
 * Guidance: Beacon
 * Fuel: 140 gallons
 * Delivery: unspecified 155mm Howitzers belonging to the PMC

Trivia

 * During Get Solano Part 2, Solano's Bunker defendants will call in several Artillery Strikes over the bridges with red smoke grenades if the player is detected.