Care Package

 is a multiplayer killstreak reward in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. After achieving a killstreak of 4, or 3 with the Hardline perk, the player will be given a special Smoke Grenade that emits red smoke. A helicopter drops a large crate at the point designated by the smoke. This crate can contain a full ammo restock, or any killstreak except Emergency Airdrop, Tactical Nuke, or another Care Package. This helicopter can be shot down before dropping the care package, although it's relatively difficult to do so.

Advantages and Disadvantages
Care Packages can be quite advantageous in that they have a chance of giving the player a killstreak reward that otherwise would take more kills to earn. However, they will oftentimes contain lower killstreak rewards or ammo resupplies, making the care package a gamble.

However, any player, including enemies, can take the care package. The player that calls the care package in can capture it almost instantaneously, but any other player will take five seconds to pick it up. If an enemy captures a powerful killstreak reward, the results can be disastrous.

The care package itself can also be deadly. If it lands on top of any player or rolls onto them after touching down, they will be killed, although it's rare to get a kill that way and hard to use tactically.

Caution must be exercised when throwing the smoke grenade to ensure that the care package lands in a place where it is both reachable and safe to pick up, as the package can be dropped outside the map or on top of inaccessible buildings, considering the fact that the game doesn't consider the actual location where it drops the package.

Care Packages appear on the radar. Both friendly and enemy care package smoke is red. If the helicopter is shot down before the drop zone it will fall out where ever it is shot down.

You can kill an enemy with the care package marker, with direct impact.

Content Probabilities
The probability of any given item is as follows (according to PC code):
 * 14.78% - UAV
 * 14.78% - Ammo
 * 13.04% - Counter-UAV
 * 10.43% - Sentry Gun
 * 10.43% - Predator Missile
 * 9.57% - Precision Airstrike
 * 6.09% - Harrier Airstrike
 * 6.09% - Attack Helicopter
 * 4.35% - Pave Low
 * 4.35% - Stealth Bomber
 * 2.61% - Chopper Gunner
 * 2.61% - AC-130
 * 0.087% - EMP

There is absolutely no chance of getting a Tactical Nuke, Care Package or Emergency Airdrop in a care package.

Tips

 * Be careful where the marker is placed, if its in the open, the player can be easily be killed and have it stolen, if it is in cover, it may be out of reach of the attackers.
 * If it is ammo, which the player currently doesn't have a problem with, leave the package for a teammate to take. Alternatively, the player could set up a decent trap for the enemy.
 * Watch the surroundings, a sneaky player might sneak up on the player and kill them, then take the package for themselves.
 * Consider leaving a crate with UAV or ammo alone and ambush opponents that try to get it. Claymores are really effective since the enemy is probably focused on the crate.
 * When calling in a package, remember to make sure there is a clear space zone of about 20 feet because care packages tend to roll a lot; don't put the marker outside the map or underneath obstacles such as the bridge in Underpass.
 * Using a Care Package as bait is a nice way to rack up kills and improve sniper skills. Just throw the marker in an open spot and see if the enemy takes the bait. Be warned there is some risk to this if the reward is really worth stealing. This works well on Afghan, Underpass, and Wasteland maps.
 * Care Packages can smash through glass too. This is very useful in maps like Terminal or Highrise, most of the inside in Terminal has a glass roof and in Highrise the building with the office computers has a glass skylight.
 * Look up before the care package marker to make sure there is nothing above the player that the package will get caught on.
 * If a UAV or Counter-UAV is obtained, leave it for the team as the player will get more points and still get the benefits.
 * Make sure the player is not in a corner when waiting for the care package. Players have been known to corner their own teamates so they couldn't take it and take their care packages for themselves, which were by that time dropped and lie close by.
 * Care Packages, and Emergency Airdrops are a good way to level up, let the player's teammate get them unless it is an AC130 or Chopper Gunner, if the player lets them take the EMP you rack up a good 750 EXP.
 * The player can use Care Packages as bait for enemies. Wait for them to approach a Care Package, then attack them when they least expect it.

Trivia

 * Any kills scored though the reward gained from a Care Package will not count towards earning additional killstreaks (with the exception of getting a sentry gun in a care package). However the Care package can add kills towards killstreaks if it crushes a hostile player by landing on him.
 * Though a difficult feat due to the small amount of time it spends on the map, the care package delivery helicopter can be shot down. However, no points are awarded to the player that manages to do so, but will count toward challenges that involve destroying killstreaks (I.E. Cold Blooded Pro). Care package delivery helicopters can also be shot down before they drop their load. This feat is most easily pulled off if the player positions himself on a high area with a full 360 degree, unobstructed view of the skies. The player will need to pay close attention to his map and respond quickly to the incoming delivery helicopter. If lucky, the delivery helicopter will take a longer route than normal and cross over more of the map than necessary before dropping off its care package. This gives the player an opportunity to shoot it down. When shot down with the care package still attached, the care package detaches from the helicopter and falls down. No points are awarded for this either. Having to concentrate on this one task ruins your game however, and since there are no awards it is usually never attempted by anyone. However if an EMP is detonated while the Little Bird is in the air it will be destroyed.
 * Like Tactical Insertion, the player can choose to forgo using the package, and instead use it as bait for ambushing an unsuspecting enemy. However, the player may be killed by the intended victim(s), who may then take the package for themselves, or even teammates might steal the package.
 * The radius from which players can open a care package actually forms a sphere - allowing some lucky players to capture a care package from underneath it. This can commonly be done in maps like Favela, where Care Packages can land on roofs or other structures.
 * It is generally inadvisable to use the Care Package killstreak on Hardcore game types, as particularly malicious teammates will simply kill the player and steal the package (Unless playing on one of the "Ricochet" game types). This is even more applicable towards Emergency Airdrops for the same reason.
 * It is generally frowned upon attempting to take a teammates care package unless they are killed before capturing it.
 * There is a nice tactic for safely obtaining the Care Package. When the player throws a marker, he or she should deploy a Tactical Insertion near it. Thus, if they are killed by the enemy, they will respawn near the Package, with high chances of killing a foe and obtaining ammo or killstreak.
 * There is a Challenge to be completed when later unlocked under Finishing Moves to drop a care package on a hostile and winning the match as per last kill.
 * If one knifes an opponent while the care package canister is in hand, the knife will still knife, but make a different noise, noticeably softer than the normal knife sound. It sounds very much like the melee sound from Call of Duty 2.
 * On gametypes that have rounds, like Capture the Flag, Search and Destroy and Demolition remember to watch the timer to see if there is enough time for you to retrieve your care package. If you do not have enough time save it till the next round.
 * When a player knifes while holding a care package, they bend over in a strange way.
 * The killstreak icon for the Care Package sees it dropping down with a parachute attached. However in game the Little Bird drops it straight down with no parachute. This may be because the Little Bird was meant to be a different killstreak and the Care Package could have been dropped with a parachute. Or another theory is that there was a Little Bird and a parachute but the game developers decided it would take too long to reach the ground so they removed the parachute.
 * The challenge "Droppin' Crates" (Obtain the Game Winning Kill by dropping a crate on an enemy) is a possible reference to the Disturbed song "Droppin' Plates"
 * There is a glitch where a Care Package cannot be called in. (Confirmed on PC)
 * As with calling in emergency airdrops, calling in infinite care packages WILL NOT count toward calling in care package challenges, only the first, original care package. The killstreaks act like normal.
 * While taking the care package, if you jump and start to take it (better of with a teammate because they take a little longer) you will float. When you finish obtaining it, you fall back like normal.