Pave Low

The Pave Low is a large, heavily armoured assault helicopter, featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Appearance in Campaign

 * S.S.D.D
 * Wolverines!
 * The Hornet's Nest
 * Exodus
 * The Gulag
 * Loose Ends
 * Endgame Heli1G.gif

Known Pave Lows

 * Six-Four
 * Warhorse 5-1 (Destroyed)
 * Nikolai's Pave Low
 * Raptor's Pave Low (Destroyed)

Appearance in Spec Ops
The Pave Lows featured in Special Ops are all destroyed or are props.
 * Homeland Security
 * Body Count
 * Wardriving

Multiplayer
The MH-53 is available as a killstreak perk after a killstreak of 9 (or 8 with the Hardline perk). Since it is used as an armored attack helicopter, the MH-53 is harder to destroy and packs a bigger punch than regular attack helicopters as it features two gun turrets instead of one. However it is also bigger and slower, making it a potentially easier target to shoot down, provided the enemy guns do not shoot you down first. The helicopter is equipped with one set of flares, which will distract any locked-on missile. After the flares are spent, a missile can track it directly. If a missile strikes the Pave Low while turning to follow the flares, it will still destroy the aircraft just as if it had scored a direct hit. However as the Pave Lows fly very low, a Stinger can take out Pave Lows in one missile if it is low enough and you jump when it is fired or you fire directly below it, you can take it out quickly and to annoyance of the owner. Pave Lows seem to be much more sensitive, with regards to enemy targeting, than Attack Helicopters. This may be because it can fire from both sides as opposed to just one. For example, it will target a player who recently tried to shoot it with a rocket. It also travels across the map to kill selected targets. Plus, it typically targets an opponent who is on a kill streak first before dealing with other threats. Calling in a Pave Low rewards the player with 300 XP. Destroying a Pave Low gives 400 XP (4000 in Search and Destroy). As of the patch released alongside the Stimulus Package, Pave Lows now count toward the user's killstreak. Pave Lows are also easily destroyed by Harriers like all other Helicopters in the airspace.

Tips

 * Standing directly under a Pave Low with a Stinger occasionally lets the helicopter be destroyed with one missile. This can be accomplished with the Chopper Gunner but is much less likely as it usually flies higher, and is smaller, than the Pave Low.
 * If aiming at a Pave Low with an AT4-HS, it is advised to fire an unguided missile, as its large size will make it easier to hit and the missile will not be deflected by the flares.
 * It is strongly inadvisable to call in a Pave Low if the players team also has a Harrier. Although a Pave Low can be called in while the Harrier is up, it is remarkably easy for the enemy team to destroy both killstreaks simply by shooting the Harrier with a Stinger. Also the Harrier and the Pave Low would "steal" each others kills, making less overall kills.
 * If a Pave Low is hovering over the large fuel tanks on Quarry, it can be destroyed by exploding the fuel tanks. Explosives are very effective as they are the most immediate way to explode the tanks.
 * Pave Lows have 3000 health, take 0.3x the base damage from bullets at all times, are destroyed instantly by guided missile launchers (Javelin/Stinger) if its flares are used up and take 2100 damage from RPG-7s/AT4-HSs.
 * A good way to get Pavelows is to have the Predator missile and the Harrier also equipped, as the player should get at least one kill with the predator, and easily two kills with the harrier. The Hardline perk is also a big help.

Trivia

 * In the "Museum" Level, instead of having six blades like its real-world counterpart, the Pave Low's main rotor has seven blades like the Marines CH-53E "Super Stallion".
 * The Pave Low seems to fly around the map much slower and less often than the Attack Helicopter.
 * A Callsign in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has the title "Transformer", with Pave Lows on it. This is a reference to the Decepticon Blackout from the 2007 Transformers movie, whose vehicular form was a Pave Low.
 * When looking at the cockpit of a Pave Low in killcam or while spectating, you can see that the Pave Low actually has a pilot and co-pilot, unlike the Attack Helicopter.
 * When the Pave Low fires its turrets, it appears to use FMJ rounds.
 * Upon downloading the Stimulus Package, a patch made the Pave Low's kills now count to a killstreak. This patch will apply to all maps.
 * The Prestige Challenge for kills with a Pave Low is named "Jolly Green Giant" an earlier version of the Pave Low.
 * If the player uses a Stinger on a map with high buildings, it can destroy the Pave Low with a single shot. This happens because the flares will "trick" the missile, but it will curve to hit a building next to the Pave Low, therefore destroying it.
 * If nocliping out of the map in S.S.D.D the pilots in the Pave Low can be seen.
 * Judging by the fact Pavelows don't fire at Cold-Blooded users, one can presume that the gun's operators rely on Thermal Optics to spot enemies.
 * On the PlayStation 3 multiplayer, Pave Low is spelled in two words, but on XBOX 360, it is spelled as one word, Pavelow. In the PC version, it is spelled Pave Low when the killstreak is attained and released, and Pavelow when someone destroys it.
 * The pilots of the Pavelow in singleplayer are blocky with pixel like faces which look like pilots from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
 * In multiplayer, like the above quote, it is possible to see two pilots and a flashing red light on the control panel. The pilots will have their arms outstretched to their sides and will just be staring forward.
 * Even though Pave Lows have been officially retired from service since September 30, 2008, it can be explained that the vehicle was designed into the game early on during development, before knowledge of it's retirement was formed. (Even though the game released in 2009 and is set in 2016 fictionally)
 * There is an easy trick to beating a Pave Low's flares. If you fire a Stinger very close to a Pavelow, the flares won't deploy in time to interfere with the missile or if you lock on and press to fire and release your sights at the same time the rocket will fire but won't be registered by the Pave Low and it won't deploy flares.
 * In multi-player it is rumoured that with a sniper rifle the player can snipe the pilot out of the pave low, therefore taking it down.