Chopper Gunner

Chopper Gunner is a killstreak reward in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Requiring eleven consecutive kills or ten with the hardline perk enabled. This killstreak puts the player in control of the mounted chaingun on an Mi-28 or Apache gunship (depending on the team). Hostile targets appear surrounded by red boxes on the screen (unless they are using Cold-Blooded.) The controlling player shows up as a small green cross to prevent players from killing themselves, and to allow players to more easily defend themselves from death while controlling the Chopper Gunner. If a target is exposed in the open, a white square will appear around the red one to designate that player as an easy kill. By default, Chopper Gunner uses a thermal camera, similar to Thermal Scope but the user can toggle between "white-hot" and "black-hot" modes using the weapon swap/reload button.

Shots from the Apache's chaingun can penetrate light cover. The steady stream of shots allows the user to easily kill many enemy targets, especially in outdoor levels.

The AI pilot will occasionally call out targets and appears to fly the helicopter into positions that give the gunner a better view. It seems that if the player targets a particular obscured enemy for a couple of seconds, the AI pilot will fly to a position that exposes that enemy, if there is one.

The chopper has two flares that are automatically deployed to divert guided enemy missiles. After these flares are spent, it can be hit with any missile. It is possible to shoot down a Mi-28/Apache with an unguided missile, since they are not affected by flares.it is also possible to shoot a guided mislle directly under it and it wont have enough time to shoot flares.

When first activated, the user sees, from the gunner's point of view, the helicopter taking off some distance from the battlefield and flying towards it. The user can begin firing almost immediately, but hitting targets at this distance is usually impossible because the gunner cannot shoot anything at such an angle.

If the user is killed while using the Chopper Gunner, they may finish using it before respawning. One exception is in Search and Destroy where it stops after the player dies, which applies to other user controlled killstreaks such as the AC-130 and the Predator Missile. Another exception to this rule is if the player reaches the team killing threshold in Hardcore Team Deathmatch, which causes them to suicide and sit out per the friendly fire penalty.

thumb|300px|right|The Chopper Gunner killstreak in action

Tips

 * Don't hesitate to unload every round possible into people, the gun never has to reload unlike the AC-130.
 * Simply stay indoors until the helicopter leaves or gets destroyed, the rounds will penetrate thin materials only for balance reasons.
 * The pilot will sometimes call out and mark easy targets.
 * There is only one flare, so don't expect to survive if you have been getting a lot of kills because people will start attempting to destroy the gunship.
 * Since you control the chopper from the ground, you will need a safe spot to operate it.

Trivia

 * Some believe that this killstreak reward is better than the AC-130 killstreak reward, since the reload on the AC-130's weapons prevents their continuous usage (though there are three different weapons available to counter this). Also, the AI pilot of the Chopper Gunner actually works to give the gunner a better shot, while the AC-130 simply orbits the sky above the map. While both killstreaks last for 40 seconds, the Chopper Gunner's timer doesn't start until it reaches the airspace above the battlefield, letting it engage targets for a longer period of time.
 * There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to the Chopper Gunner. Its auto-lock on feature allows for players to rack up easy kills, can fire non-stop, and moves very close to the enemies on some maps. Unfortunately, as it flies closer, it can be shot down more easily.
 * Calling in a Chopper Gunner gives you a 350 XP reward. Destroying a Chopper gunner gives 300 XP
 * Completing the challenge Chopper Gunner I (calling in 3 chopper gunners) will unlock the title "Get to the Choppa!" (a reference to the film "Predator").
 * Humorously, the entire gun assembly on the Apache/Havoc rotates on its mounting, clipping through the mounts that attach it to the fuselage, though both guns are single barrel and do not rotate as such.
 * This helicopter cannot be used while any other helicopters are in the air (except for care package helicopter) yet it can still be used if a plane is in the air such as Harriers and AC-130's. Presumably, this is because Harriers hover relatively low over the map, while AC-130's fly above the ceiling of the map, where bullets stop.
 * When a Chopper Gunner is called in by the Navy SEALs, Task Force 141 or the US Army Rangers, the announcer for either team will say "Enemy/Friendly Apache incoming." When the Brazilian Militia, OpFor, or Spetsnaz call in a Chopper Gunner, the announcer will simply say "Enemy/Friendly Chopper incoming.", not referring to the type of helicopter, a Mi-28 Havoc.
 * Chopper Gunners can shoot down Harriers. However, it is difficult, if not impossible to aim the choppers gun high enough to shoot at the Harrier. It is easiest (but rarer) when the helicopter makes a fast move and tilts to the side. It is made even harder by the fact that a Harrier will attempt to take down the Chopper Gunner if it comes within sight of the Harrier.
 * In levels with tall buildings, such as Skidrow, the Chopper Gunner can actually move through some buildings.
 * The front of the Apache has a "shark teeth" design painted on the nose, resembling the AH-1 Cobras of the same paint design that were deployed in the Vietnam war.
 * Not only can Harriers shoot down the Chopper Gunner, they will target it immediately upon its entry into their field of view. Players calling in a Chopper Gunner should ensure that there are no enemy Harriers before doing so. This doesn't apply to the AC-130, which can easily shoot down enemy Harriers due to its higher flight ceiling.
 * If an enemy player throws a stun grenade at the player controlling the chopper, his/her vision will also be stunned or flash white light.
 * It is a good idea to have a friendly AC-130 in the air while your Chopper Gunner is so the AC-130 will take out groups and enemy Harriers while you take out people out in the open. This is easier in maps like Wasteland where almost everyone is out in the open.
 * On Rust and Wasteland, the Chopper Gunner is considered by many to be the best killstreak reward, even better than the nuke; as it is incredibly easy to get kills.
 * Chopper Gunner is the only point in the whole game where the Apache is seen and used in combat. In Single Player, the player could only catch a few seconds' glimpse of it before it would leave the player's line of sight.
 * How the Brazilian Militia obtained an Mi-28 Havoc is beyond nearly all comprehension. The Russians would never sell what is essentially a Russian Apache to a Brazilian street/favela gang. How the Militia could ever obtain any sophisticated technology in such numbers is left to the player's imagination. However, for the sake of the game and the online experience of giving all factions a Chopper Gunner, this is completely ignored.