Battlefield 2: Modern Combat/Helicopter Tactics

There are two positions you can hold on the helicopter, either Gunner or Pilot. Each has their own job and they need to work together to be an effective helo team. Gunners should always stay on the lookout for potential threats to the helicopter and call them out accordingly. Pick your shots wisely as well. Infantry climbing into the AA and Anti-tank class infantry are your number one priority. At the same time, spotting tanks and APCs is very important. If in a heated situation you see a tank, spot him and then tell your pilot to "Go, go, go!", "Move it!" or "Hit it!". That way he will know that the spot came from you and that it is an immediate threat.

Pilots need to give their gunners an even wider view by rotating to the left and right. Throw in some full spins to check for incoming threats. Don't hover in the same spot for long, as it will get you in trouble fast. However, in order to make your gunner's life easier, try not to make jerky movements while he is engaging an enemy infantry unit.

Always repair your attack chopper. Taking a hit from one SRAW may not get your armor in the red, but combined with heavy fire from a turret .50cal or another SRAW you will find yourself in a bad position. Plus, you should know that if you go down, there tends to be about four billion people waiting for your chopper.

Evasive maneuvers
First of all, evasive maneuvers can often get you into more trouble than you were expecting if you don't plan what you are going to do, and where you are going to go. The number one reason for evading an attacker is to get to a safe spot, the second is to set yourself up for the kill. Plan your evasion maneuvers around setting up the kill.

AA vehicles and ground placements
A "Bob and Weave" strategy is very effective after a flare. Also, timing your flares is very important, because if you flare and they don't shoot their missiles, you are a sitting duck. Trees can also come in handy as they reset the opposing forces' missile lock every time their view crosses one. You will also find that buildings and hills provide cover as well, especially if you have located the threat and recognize his POV in accordance with your chopper. Always know where the AA locations and AA vehicle spawn points are located. Often you can take them out even before they become a threat.

Airplanes
You'll want to stay out of these guys' way. Aviators like to come at you straight on, if you hear the warning indicator and suspect it is an enemy airplane, simply flare and turn sharp. That way they will have trouble gunning you down. However, some aviators are smart enough to go into their air-ground mode which eliminates the missile lock indicator. This is another reason I try not to hover in the same spot for too long. To protect against these guys, listen for gun shots on your helicopter and watch your health. Since their paths are usually rather straight, you should strafe in either direction, lose some altitude and face them to have a better idea of where they will turn, at which point you can determine where to go depending on your health and daring.

Attacking airplanes in your helicopter is possible. If your gunner is highly skilled, a TV missile to the rear of the plane (aiming for the engines) can take out an airplane. Also, if you are having troubles with an airplane that is slowing down to almost a stop to kill you, launch some rockets at him. Although it is pretty difficult to continuously land good shots in succession, one rocket will take about half of the enemy airplane's health and make him think twice about messing with you.

FAV/Hummer/Vodnik
If not taken care of swiftly, these personnel transporters are the most dangerous anti-air vehicles against choppers. Mounted with a .50cal rotating turret on top of the vehicle, these little buggers can take you down in about 10 seconds flat. The best defense against these is either a well placed rocket or a good burst from the gunner.

Tanks
Tanks don't have the ability to aim very high, so if you spot one, raise above their POV and you will be safe. Most tankers will shoot at you once, see you pass, and usually forget about you, so swing around and take care of them when they aren't looking, or when you are right above them.

Anti-tank Infantry
Unless people selecting the anti-tank are highly skilled in guiding their rockets, they normally will be of little concern to you as a pilot. It is quite easy to see a rocket coming at you and dodge it. However, if you are trying to capture a flag, you may be in danger.

Boats
Their gun range is limited and the damage dealt is respectable provided you are near and at an appreciable angle. As such, they aren't to be feared. If you have a gunner, his primary fire should dispose of these annoyances quickly enough, otherwise, two of your dumb missiles will suffice.

Combat
You should be comfortable with all types of movement in your helicopter. It should be easy for you to guide the chopper backwards, stop on a dime, do angled rotations and use the terrain to your advantage. What you will now have to learn is the shooting of dumb missiles at different speeds, angles and heights. As you go along you will have to experiment, and you should get a good idea of how to proceed after you've played the game for a while. Keep practicing these shots at all angles and heights until you can do them without having to make any conscious calculations.

Structures and land objects shouldn't pose too much of a threat if you are careful and approach them wisely. Take the Essex, for example. If you must approach the carrier for any reason, your gunner should take it out several hundred feet prior to your arrival, but if he couldn't, it will be your job to take it out with a few dumb missiles. Try not to fly directly in, as this will make it easier to target you and will help the AT and Assault kits take you out depending on your height. AA emplacements are the same, though they're not as dangerous. If you're close enough and have already flared/avoided the AA payload, give your gunner a machine gun or TV shot on it, being mindful to flare up if you're unsuccessful. In this situation, it helps to have an escape route planned.

Keeping in mind the evasive maneuvers for every type of land vehicle, try to keep your distance and let the gunner work his magic with the TV. Should he not be in a position to take the offending vehicle out, it will be your job to do it. Pay attention to your position, possible hiding locations and escape routes. APCs are generally very easy to take out, as are tanks, though you should be very careful with the latter, as one shot from their turret will leave you in a world of hurt. Expect to use 4-7 missiles for each land vehicle. You aren't going to successfully hit all of them, so check your current load before engaging and realize that you're going to require a second run.

Non-combative helicopters will be a fun target for you. Line up your gunner and let his TV missile do the talking. Should he miss, let him spam the machine gun while you empty your payload on the side of the chopper, preferably at an angle. You will need practically all of your missiles to make critical damage, so make sure you're ready to give your gunner another shot should the first run not work.

Helo types
Your main concern in combat will be other combat helicopters and jets. Depending on the helo you're in, the tactics will change. You will need intimate knowledge of every chopper and its abilities before you can use it wisely in battle, but there are a few common rules for every bird:


 * 1) Try to have the height advantage.
 * 2) Try to have the element of surprise.
 * 3) Try to hit from the sides to increase your target size (unless you are in the Cobra).
 * 4) Try to keep yourself moving in as non-predictable a way as possible. This is very, very important: if you are always flying in straight lines or have an easily discernible pattern to your movement, your enemy will find it much easier to take you out.

Develop your own attack style, but be mindful of these suggestions. They work very well on 95% of enemy pilots. If you are to dominate the skies against the remaining 5%, take your flying and gunning seriously, engage your target intelligently and practice, practice, practice.

Cobra
With the Cobra, everything goes. You can do it all: fast and agile movement, TV missiles through the sky and tight pattern on dumb missiles for added precision. With this chopper, you can climb fast as well, so you should strive to have the height advantage for multiple reasons. With altitude you are more difficult to spot, your gunner will have an easier time lining up TV shots and should the other chopper fail to spot yours, you will have the jump on him and thus a chance at a surprise attack.
 * Name: (USMC) AH-1Z Cobra
 * Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 Hellfire missiles
 * Gunner controls: 20mm nose mounted cannon & 8 optically guided anti-tank missiles

China
Although you have good mobility and TV missiles that can be used against clear skies with the Chinese helo, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. Try a stealthier approach with this chopper, though you can engage every helo in air battles because of your TV missiles.
 * Name: WZ-10
 * Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 57mm barrel rockets
 * Gunner controls: 23mm nose mounted machine gun & 8 HJ-73 "Red Arrow" anti-tank missiles

MEC
The MEC has good mobility, excellent gunner machine gun and plating. However, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. Use this chopper to support the ground troops during an advance on the enemy flags. Although you may be able to use this bird in air battles, your gunner's inability to use the TV missile effectively against clear skies can put you at a disadvantage over long distances. Once you get to medium or short distances, you can destroy the other helicopter easily by letting your gunner hit the enemy with the machine gun while you let the missiles fly (preferably at an angle to the side to increase your target size).
 * Name: Mi-28 Havoc
 * Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 80mm unguided rockets
 * Gunner controls: 30mm nose mounted cannon & 8 optically guided anti-tank missiles

Teamwork
The TV missile (as it is commonly called) is one of the most powerful weapons in BF2. If utilized correctly, it can make tankers hide, APCs flee, and enemy choppers steer clear. The first thing to know as a pilot is where your gunner is looking in his TV view.

It is a good idea to fly with the same person on a regular basis. First of all, communication is the most important issue here. Either using Team speak or inviting your gunner to your squad are effective forms of communication, and you should use one of them. The point is obviously to be able to spot a tank or other hostile vehicle and let your gunner know, and vice versa. Next on the list is the ability to call shots. The more you do this, to more useful it will prove for you. If a vehicle poses no apparent threat and is giving itself to the pilot, let the pilot take it. If for example, it's an AA vehicle, you should let your gunner take it from long range. The choices are up to you depending on the circumstances. The main thing that this allows you to do is conserve TV missiles and rockets. If done correctly, you should both be spent on the way back for supplies.

Pilots
Setting up your gunner for shots on tanks/APCs/helicopters/etc. is the most crucial part of piloting an attack chopper in BF2. Determining the skill of your gunner is also a very important part of piloting. Regardless of your gunner's skill, you still need to know how to set him up as best as possible.

Gunners
One of the most common issues with the use of the TV missiles, is that most people don't know that it is possible to continuously guide it. Using the correct technique on guiding your missile is very important. Clicking frantically will sometimes get you a kill, however, you also run the risk of misguiding it right at the location of the opponent. It is preferable to use only as many clicks as needed. For example, an object traveling left to right in your guiding view needs to be led. Start the missile where you think the target will be when the missile reaches it. After practice you will seldom have to re-guide your missile. On the other hand, this is pretty hard to do with enemy choppers, because they are always changing their movement patterns. Just remember to readjust only when necessary.

Capturing flags
Avoid trying to capture flags in attack choppers unless they are very lightly guarded. Otherwise you run the risk of 3 SRAWs or ERYXs coming at you from all different directions. Remember, the main responsibility of the attack chopper is to support ground infantry. Therefore, don't race ahead and try to capture flags unless they are unprotected. As a chopper pilot, you should hang back and look for prospective threats to your infantry.

Practice
Having an appreciable knowledge of the map you are currently on greatly enhances your chances of surviving surprise attacks on your chopper. You should always be in a position to tell where you are, the structures you can move around or use for concealment, the possible vehicles spawning in the area depending on which flags have been turned and finally, how to best use your current position against any particular threat. The importance of practice cannot be overstated.

The use of structures and objects for concealment and movement is one of the skills you should possess as a helicopter pilot in Battlefield 2. This means having the ability to estimate your distances and projected trajectory on your way around the objects, depending on the intended purpose of this series of moves. Practice flying close to the ground, avoiding and using the scenery as you make your way from one flag to any location of your choosing, but do so with a specific goal in mind. You may want to become comfortable with fast drops in altitude, followed by a fast course around structures, only to resurface in a more advantageous position. Perhaps your desire is to learn how to rotate around a particularly dangerous flag area for a capture assist to help a needy teammate. These are all things you can decide to implement in your routines at your discretion. Ultimately, your skill at every one of them will determine how far you can take your chopper and how useful you will be to your team. Remember, a well-rounded pilot can do it all, so it is important for you to learn how different helos move and what their limitations are in every situation.

Although situational awareness should come to the pilot and gunner naturally, the development of this skill (especially in the pilot) can be of tremendous benefit to you and your team. You should have a very good understanding of the current situation your team is in. Be able to answer each of the following: You want to be able to approach any situation in as favorable a position as possible. In other words, you need to have a good overview of the battlefield in the same way a chess player sees a chessboard. Ultimately, your understanding of the multiple factors involved in the current battlefield will enable you to make the most advantageous decisions. Getting to this level of play, in combination with a proficient gunner, will make you a very powerful ally.
 * 1) Available vehicles: What are they and where are they?
 * 2) Time/tickets left: What do you have time for and which are the most beneficial flags to capture based on numbering forces in the surrounding areas?
 * 3) Enemy disposition: Who is in what and how skilled are they?