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— Miller's tank Commander.
Thunder Run is the seventh mission in Battlefield 3's single-player campaign. The player takes on the role of Jonathan Miller as the 1st Tank Battalion is crossing the Kavir Desert to rescue Henry Blackburn's squad in Tehran some 200 kilometers away. During this mission the player engages PLR tanks and infantrymen using both the M1 Abrams he is a crew-member of, A-10s via an MAV drone, and on foot while clearing a minefield.
Synopsis
Crossing the Kavir Desert
The level begins with Jonathan Miller riding in the open hatch of his M1 Abrams tank, staring at the sky with a toy dinosaur from his son. After being brought back to attention by a crewmate, he watches as the Marine tanks cross the desert. AH-1Z Vipers fly overhead as the tanks cross the desert, but soon rockets are fired from over a sand dune. A Marine identifies them as old Soviet BM-21s, but they appear to be no threat.
As the Marine tanks push forward, the unit leader reports that scouts had sighted PLR tanks ahead of the Marines. Miller takes up his position as tank gunner and drives the tank forward
Engaging the PLR
As the Marines continue their advance, 10 T-72 tanks arrive from behind a sand dune, and fire on the Abrams. The Marines halt and return fire, destroying all 10 tanks with ease. However, as the Marines resume their advance, two more T-72s fire on the Marines from behind a cloud of dust. However, as the Marines activate their thermal vision, the battle quickly goes in their favour, destroying both tanks quickly.
The Marines continue their advance, pushing forward, but are halted by an artillery strike ahead of them.
Assaulting the base
Miller then switches to video feed from an MAV and lazes the enemy encampment housing the rocket artillery. Two A-10s perform a strafing run, with minimal damage.
Miller returns to his position while a loader loads High Explosive Anti-Tank rounds. The tanks proceed towards the enemy encampment at the berm, losing Anvil 3-2 to artillery. The tanks destroy several enemy BMPs and foot soldiers, before reaching the other side of the encampment and destroying the rocket artillery battery which explodes with multiple secondary enemy casualties and damage. After the battery is destroyed, AAV-7A1s deploy friendly infantry to the position.
Proceeding towards Tehran
The Anvil tanks proceed onwards, pursuing two fleeing enemy tanks. The T-72s bait them into an ambush, where six tanks assault the Abrams unit from a ridge line. Miller's tank destroys the ambush force.
Destroying the Truck convoy
Miller's unit reaches an enemy convoy with multiple enemy armored vehicles and infantry. The convoy is subsequently destroyed. The tanks drive to checkpoint 'Tarmac' while a B-1 bomber performs a run over a nearby position.
Ambush at Highway One
The Anvil unit reaches checkpoint 'Kilo', a highway lined with burnt-out military and civilian vehicles. Then they reach overpass 'Alter' where they are hailed by a USMC Engineer. Miller gets out of the tank and meets with him on foot with a carbine. The engineer tells Miller that his unit was ambushed by the PLR after laying minefield-clearing charges and were subsequently unable to detonate them. The tanks drive up to the frontline and cover Miller while he retrieves the clapper and detonates the charges, clearing the minefield.
He re-enters the tank, this time manning the M2 Browning Machine Gun on the top of the tank's turret and eliminating enemy infantry while they proceed towards the center of the city. They come across a large amount of enemy infantry wielding RPGs and a tank at a petrol station which Miller promptly detonates with the machine gun, destroying the tank.
Ambush at the Overpass
While approaching the overpass on the road to Tehran, Anvil 3-3 is destroyed by a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED or V-bed), a civilian car loaded with various explosives. The other tank commanders report a catastrophic kill, meaning the tank was completely destroyed. They halt under the underpass while Miller destroys four more V-beds and anti-tank infantry on the overpass. The tanks then proceed towards downtown Tehran after receiving a command for mission reorientation, signaling the beginning of the next mission.
Walkthrough
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