Attack Helicopter


 * For the similar killstreak in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare see Helicopter (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare).

The Attack Helicopter is a killstreak reward featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops and as a pointsreak award in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The Attack Helicopter returns as a 7-kill streak reward and is identical to its Call of Duty 4 counterpart in appearance. It is generally less effective than its Call of Duty 4 counterpart, mainly because of the Cold Blooded perk. It appears to fire FMJ rounds, as evidenced by the sound it makes when the bullets impact. The Attack Helicopter's (as well as the Harrier) main weakness is its lack of flares. A single Javelin or Stinger missile will bring it down, as well as a single Predator Missile. It will also linger around for a little longer than its Call of Duty 4 counterpart. Task Force 141, Rangers, and SEALs use the AH-1W(4B) Super Cobra. Militia, OpFor, and Spetsnaz use the Mi-24 Hind.

This killstreak can be very effective on maps that have a lot of buildings such as Invasion and Karachi as the attack helicopter moves a lot around the map, meaning it is quite hard sometimes when players armed with Stinger or Javelin missiles try to take them down. However, the helicopter is unlikely to kill anyone as they will most likely be inside, and it is not that hard to destroy as it can be shot before it can even get in the map, and it does not move that fast.

Harriers can be a lot more sensitive to enemies than the Attack Helicopter can, further increasing the Harrier's advantage over this killstreak.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
The Attack Helicopter, or "Cobra" by multiplayer announcers, is a seven killstreak (six with Hardline) that is immediately available to the player at rank 1, along with the Spy Plane and Care Package. When activated, the user designates an area on the map near which the Attack Helicopter hovers for a short period of time. This marking comes in handy when the player needs to protect a position, such as a bomb site or flag. On the small maps and many of the medium-small maps, placing an Attack Helicopter in the center of the map will allow it to cover nearly the whole playing field. Due to the function of the Ghost perk, and the rarity of players using its pro version, Attack Helicopters are quite deadly if the opposing team or players do not neutralize it in a timely manner.

Destroying the Attack Helicopter can be accomplished with generous amounts of small arms fire or 2 rockets or missiles from a launcher weapon. Identifying friendly or hostile Attack Helicopters is possible by observing the dorsal stripe and camouflage colors; green markings on tan camouflage for friendly, and red markings on gray camouflage for hostile. It also has the ability to attack enemy dogs.

The Attack Helicopter, while obviously not as efficient as a Chopper Gunner or Gunship, can be powerful in the right situations. In objective matches, such as Domination, the Attack Helicopter can turn the tables, even if another team is far behind. The Attack Helicopter is very effective on maps like Nuketown, Firing Range and Grid. It would logically force opponents inside buildings, and with skilled players, could be removed easily.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The Attack Helicopter is a 7 point Strike Package reward, which is part of the Assault Strike Chain in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Like with its previous counterparts, the Attack Helicopter will either be an Mi-24 Hind or an AH-1 Cobra, depending on the faction. It can be shot down by any rocket launcher. Instead of choosing a place for the Attack Helicopter to go, it will automatically go wherever enemies are. The Attack Helicopter now hovers higher above the map and moves faster than in Call of Duty: Black Ops, of similar speed to Modern Warfare 2. However, it is less effective than in previous games, most notably in maps with large amounts of overhead cover.

Trivia

 * It is interesting to note that the Black Ops cockpit is near-fully rendered - it has the control board and the seats, but the detail level is very low. Unlike the Napalm Strike aircraft, however, this helicopter does not have a pilot or a gunner.
 * In Black Ops both a friendly and enemy Attack Helicopter can be in the air at the same time.
 * On the Wii version of Black Ops, the Attack Helicopter is much stronger and fires faster than in other consoles/PC. This is likely to balance the lack of some killstreaks.
 * If one were to shoot the helicopter just when it is going to leave, it will not get destroyed even if it were to be hit with a one-hit-kill weapon.
 * If weak enough, an Attack Helicopter can be destroyed by a thrown tomahawk.
 * Having the player's Attack Helicopter kill being featured in the Final Killcam will give the player the award and challenge "Final Nightmare".
 * In Black Ops, the Attack Helicopter tends to shoot at a player who is still locking on to it with a launcher.
 * In Black Ops, the pilot of the Attack Helicopter may sometimes say to the player "We're taking hits!". This happens when enemy players on the ground are shooting at it, or smoke starts coming out of the helicopter.