Chopper Gunner

Chopper Gunner is a killstreak reward in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. If selected, it requires eleven consecutive kills (or ten with the Hardline perk enabled) to be obtained. It has a 2.61% chance of being found in a Care Package and a 7.8% chance of being found in a Emergency Airdrop. This killstreak puts the player in control of the mounted autocannon on a Mi-28 Havoc (Spetsnaz, OpFor, and Militia) or AH-64 Apache (Task Force 141, Army Rangers, and Navy SEALs) gunship. 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 action/reload button.

Shots from the Apache's/Havoc's cannon 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 fly the helicopter into positions that give the gunner a better view.

The chopper has one flare that is automatically deployed to divert guided enemy missiles. After this flare is 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, although difficult, to shoot a guided missile from right below the chopper and if the distance is short, the flare will not have time to divert the missile. This is easier with Pave Lows, but is also possible with Chopper Gunners.

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.

Tips

 * If your enemy has Cold-Blooded, and he's trying to shoot your Chopper down with bullets, you can see the bullets and can kill him.
 * There is only one flare which makes the gunship fairly easy to destroy.
 * Although difficult, it is possible for observant players to target enemies with Cold-Blooded. While the red targeting square and white glow are removed, the enemy can still be seen running around. Be careful when playing hardcore as teammates and enemies with Cold-Blooded will look the same. It is also possible to follow smoke trails from rockets to find the shooter and kill them.
 * When playing on a mode that uses KillCam, it is possible to use an active enemy Chopper Gunner to locate and kill the controlling player. Since the player controlling the chopper, they will see their own location on the screen as a pulsing green, cross-shaped beacon, after dying, it is sometimes possible to see the controller's own location while he is still controlling the chopper. This also applies for the AC-130 and Predator Missile.
 * Another tactic to locate a Chopper Gunner is to hit start during the killcam. Due to the player spectating the Chopper Gunner, the Chopper Gunner will appear as the yellow triangle on the start map. Scrambler or Counter-UAV effects are the same, however, and this obviously doesn't work on Hardcore. This also applies for the AC-130.
 * Hovering Harriers will destroy Chopper Gunners quickly using missiles, normally unnoticed.
 * The Chopper Gunner killstreak is difficult to use on maps that provide a lot of cover to enemies such as Skidrow and Karachi.
 * When attempting to obtain a Tactical Nuke, many players will use Harrier Strike then Chopper Gunner killstreak as they both have long loiter times and can rack up many kills if used correctly.
 * Chopper Gunner rounds will only penetrate thin materials like sheet metal, plywood, and other materials susceptible to bullet penetration. This was most likely done for balancing reasons.
 * When used in sequence with Predator Missile and Harrier Strike, calling in a chopper can be relatively easy.
 * It is best to switch to a class (using One Man Army) that has Danger Close Pro because it helps with the splash damage.
 * The user is extremely vulnerable while using the Chopper Gunner. Finding a hidden position, placing claymores, and using the Chopper Gunner to cover your position help when trying to achieve higher killstreaks.

Trivia

 * The pilot will sometimes call out and mark targets in the language of each faction.
 * 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.
 * Calling in a Chopper Gunner gives you 350 XP reward, while shooting down a Chopper Gunner rewards you 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 the Care Package Little Bird), 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 "Friendly Apache incoming/inbound." When the Brazilian Militia, OpFor, or Spetsnaz call in a Chopper Gunner, the announcer will simply say "Friendly Chopper incoming/inbound," not referring to the type of helicopter, a Mi-28 Havoc, although chatter sounds for both helicopters was recorded for every team, no matter what helicopter team uses.
 * 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.
 * Chopper Gunner is the only point in Modern Warfare 2 where the AH-64 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.
 * The Chopper Gunner prestige challenge is strangely named "Cobra Commander," which does not seem to make sense seeing as the chopper is not a Cobra but an Apache/Havoc. This was likely done due to the opportunity to make a reference to the lead villain from G.I. JOE - Cobra Commander - and since the chopper gunner killstreak offers a top-down (command style) view of the battlefield to kill enemies. The texture of killstreak icon named "Cobra Gunner".
 * When controlling the Chopper Gunner, in the bottom left side of the screen the caliber of the cannon is displayed as 25mm, but actually the cannons on the Apache and Havoc fire the 30mm shell.
 * On Terminal, the helicopter will sometimes fly under the map, out into the pavement.
 * Modern Warfare 2 is set in 2016 which means that the Apache would be an AH-64D Apache Longbow, not the AH-64A featured in the game.

Video
400px Gameplay with the Chopper Gunner