Destruction of the GDSS Philadelphia is a major event that marked the beginning of the Third Tiberium War in 2047.
Overview
In the opening moves of the Third Tiberium War, the Philadelphia was destroyed by a Nod nuclear ICBM. In the resulting attack, a total of 1,047 passengers were killed. Among those were the GDI's top political and military echelon, as well as civilian workers. Debris from the wrecked station fell to Earth, creating a trail of debris and smoke from the Northwest Blue Zone all the way to several remote parts of Africa.
Despite the Philadelphia's destruction, it was not a complete death blow to GDI, as Nod did not manage to destroy the Pentagon, the last global command center of the GDI. Other minor GDI space stations were still in operation and could perform basic space based functions, such as deploying drop pods or orbital strikes. However, the lack of a central coordinating command center prevented GDI from opposing Nod in an organized fashion in the first month of the Third Tiberium War.
A large amount of wreckage landed in the African Red zone where the Nod Artificial Intelligence LEGION stole plans for the MARV.