Acceptable Losses

"Sabotage the remote airbase with your silenced weapons and heartbeat sensor."

— Spec Ops description

"Acceptable Losses" is the third Special Ops mission from the Delta group in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the eighteenth mission overall. It is based on the level "Cliffhanger" with the player trying to sneak into and sabotage a remote airbase located in the mountains.

The Infinity Ward best time for Acceptable Losses is 48.15 seconds.

Overview

The player starts deep within an enemy airbase featured in the "Cliffhanger" mission. The objectives are to plant three C4 charges on three locations: A helicopter gunship near the hangars, a combat plane parked near the runway and an ammunition cache inside a barracks. After that, the player must get to the extraction point. A severe snowstorm limits the visibility, so the player can employ stealth. However, there are significant enemy presence near the runway and around the barracks, so any dead bodies will eventually attract attention, raising the enemy alertness at best. The primary weapon for this mission is a silenced AA-12 with a Heartbeat Sensor and Red Dot Sight, which is ill-suited for engaging the enemy in the open because of its very short effective range.

Walkthrough

This walkthrough assumes you choose M14 EBR as your secondary weapon.

Start by walking all the way forward until you reach the open area. Turn right. You must now see the back of a fueling tanker. Move behind it, then crouch and go to the left side of the truck. You should be able to see two guards standing between to vehicles near your first objective (a helicopter gunship). You can kill both with a single shot from M14 EBR. Plant the charges on the helicopter once they are down.

If you have not wasted any time doing all this, you have a small but sufficient window before enemy patrolling vehicle ("the truck", as Soap calls it) comes. Either hide behind the fueling truck until it comes and goes or proceed straight to your second objective: The landed combat aircraft near the runway. Hide behind the cinder blocks in the immediate vicinity of the two guards protecting it. Take them out with another shot (or two other shots) from your EBR. Then, having an eye on your heartbeat sensor, plant the second charge on the plane. There is a lot of activity here but you can avoid enemy.

As for the third objective, proceed all the way back to the fueling truck where you started (while avoiding the patrolling vehicle). Then, follow the objective indicator on your screen. Your route should take you to an opening in the red snow fence. Slow down and crawl as two enemies are coming from behind a red container to your left and passing the door of the building in which your third objective is located. Let them pass and then move towards the door. Silently shoot the soldier sitting inside and then quickly move in, turn right twice, and attack the soldier having a smoke with a melee weapon. Plant your explosive charge.

Now, your last objective is to leave the airbase. Get out through the door you entered, turn right twice, continue along the building wall and hide inside the red container whose door is open. (All the while, keep an eye on the heartbeat sensor.) Once your heartbeat sensor indicates that the coast is clear, move out of the other door. You'll find yourself beside the sentry post at the base entrance. Continue along the building wall and quietly shoot the enemy guard standing behind the fence. This guard was flanking one side of the base gate. Neutralize the other one flanking the other side or ignore him if possible. From this point on, there are no enemies between you and extraction.