As the Soviet Union further encroached on its neighbors from every direction, the Allied Nations sought a versatile solution to coastal threats that could press onto the shore to secure a beachhead. Years of design conducted in secret, headed by the finest panel of international military vehicle specialists ever assembled by the Allies, resulted in the assault destroyer—an amphibious warship featuring a highly accurate armor-piercing cannon suitable for land and sea warfare, as well as layers of specially-designed armor that can be activated to draw enemy fire away from otherwise-unprotected targets.