Transport Helicopter

A Transport Helicopter is a Helicopter that is designed or equipped for carrying Infantry and/or cargo. Transport Helicopters may be armed (mostly for self defense) but are not expected to attack targets unless absolutely necessary. A variety of Transport Helicopters are featured in the ShackTac video repertoire.

Transport Helicopters are typically larger and less nimble than Attack Helicopters. The largest models (e.g. the Chinook) can carry a whole Squad of infantry, while the smallest (e.g. the Littlebird) can only carry a single Fireteam. Though Attack Helicopters can sometimes take on a passenger or two in an emergency, they are not considered Transport Helicopters.

Transport Helicopters are typically used to ferry troops into the battlefield (an "Insertion") and out of the battlefield (an "Extract"), but may also be used during the mission to ferry troops quickly from one battle position to another, or across the map to a completely different objective. Helicopters are the fastest way to move troops, though their use is more difficult as Helicopters must find safe LZs before landing. There are also fewer Shackers capable of piloting Helicopters than there are capable of driving ground vehicles.

Transport Helicopters have been used multiple times to move equipment into the battlefield as cargo. Cargo can be carried in crates loaded into the helicopter itself, or lifted by cables slung underneath the helicopter and then dropped at the destination. Some vehicles can be lifted by Helicopters this way as well. The use of Transport Helicopters to resupply troops during a mission is roughly as common as resupply by ground Logistics teams.

The most common Transport Helicopter models used by players in ShackTac videos are three American models, the tiny Littlebird, the medium-sized Blackhawk, and the massive Chinook. The primary Soviet Transport Helicopter is the Mi-8 "Hip" (or variants thereof), though it mostly appears as an AI-controlled enemy asset in Cooperative missions; Far fewer missions have featured players flying Hips. Lower-tech missions, especially in a Vietnam-war setting, very frequently feature the iconic American Huey.

Specifications
A vehicle is defined as a Transport Helicopter if it fulfills all of the following criteria:


 * Is a Rotary-Wing Aircraft (a Helicopter).
 * Has enough space on board to carry at least 1 full Fireteam.
 * Is lightly armed with self-defense weaponry only, and/or is used only or mostly for transport rather than attack.

Note that the final criterion excludes vehicles such as the AH-6 or the Rocket Hip, despite being otherwise very similar or functionally identical to certain Transport Helicopters (in this case the MH-6 and Hip, respectively).

Models
ShackTac missions typically feature four primary Transport Helicopter models: Three BLUFOR American and one OPFOR Soviet. They are the Littlebird, Blackhawk, Chinook and Hip, respectively. These four models are decidedly different from one another in a variety of different ways, though ultimately their tasks during the mission are often very similar. There are several rarer models that also appear from time to time, with the most common being the Huey.

The Littlebird is perhaps the most common seen in ShackTac. The Littlebird is a very small helicopter, just 7.5 meters in length. It lands on skids, and can carry up to six passengers with an optional seventh in the copilot's seat - making a full Fireteam. The Littlebird is exceptionally nimble and can maneuver into Hot LZs and tight landing spots, and then Egress rapidly. Littlebirds cannot be loaded with cargo crates, but have been used to carry underslung Resupply Crates to the battlefield. It is more common to see Littlebirds being used for moving moving infantry from one position to another rapidly during the mission.

The Blackhawk is another extremely common Transport Helicopter model. This medium-sized vehicle can carry a whole Squad (about 14 players). The Blackhawk is remarkably agile for its size, but still needs a bit of room to land. On the other hand, it can carry cargo both internally and externally, and is powerful enough to carry a small vehicle like a Humvee into battle. Some Blackhawk models are armed with defensive weapons on swivels in each of the aircraft's side-doors, up to and including Miniguns, but are rarely required to use them offensively.

The Chinook is the largest Helicopter of any kind used in ShackTac, capable of carrying two whole Squads of infantry at the same time (32 passengers). It is powerful enough to carry any cargo, up to and including small Armored Vehicles. The Chinook's size and sluggishness are its primary downsides; It can't easily maneuver into difficult spots, needs plenty of room to land, and makes for a very easy target. The ability to remove three dozen infantrymen from the battlefield simultaneously (or place them there) can be extremely important. Chinooks are often used for Insertion and Extract, and only rarely for moving troops around the battlefield.

The Soviet Mi-8 Hip is the main Transport Helicopter available to OPFOR (and more rarely, INDFOR). The Hip is a medium-sized helicopter that is larger and sturdier (though less maneuverable) than the Blackhawk. It can carry four Fireteams (24+ passengers), which is almost two whole Squads of infantry. Mi-8s are capable of carrying cargo crates on board, sling them underneath, and even carry vehicles. Their only defensive weapon is a Heavy Machine Gun inside the rear door, looking behind the aircraft. Hips are typically used by the AI much more often than by players, and is actually more commonly seen scouting and harassing the players than to actually landing troops.

Much rarer than the Hip is the Mi-26 Halo, the Soviet equivalent to the Chinook. Though somewhat similar in structure to the Hip, the Mi-26 is significantly larger - and is in fact the largest production helicopter in the world. It is used primarily to drop Paratroopers and Resupply Crates, though a handful of missions have featured it actually landing troops on the ground. This helicopter has yet to be seen picking up troops for movement or Extract.

The Huey - an older American Transport Helicopter model - is one of the most common vehicle seen in Vietnam-era scenarios. It also appears occasionally in the hands of low-tech national armies or even mercenaries in modern-day scenarios. Though several Huey models are more heavily armed (and thus, are Attack Helicopters), the basic Huey is purely a transport vehicle, capable of carrying one full Squad (14 passengers). It is significantly lighter, smaller, and more agile than a Blackhawk, but also less powerful and more fragile. Hueys are used almost like Littlebirds, despite their larger cargo capacity. It is not uncommon for Hueys to defend themselves using two Heavy Machine Guns mounted in each side door.

A significantly rarer Transport Helicopter used in ShackTac is the Osprey. This is a VTOL vehicle that is partway between a Helicopter and a prop-driven Plane, essentially switching between these two modes as necessary. The Osprey is about as large and as spacious as a Chinook, but significantly faster when cruising between destinations.

Finally, it should be noted that OPFOR occasionally gets access to an Mi-24 Hind, which is technically capable of carrying just over a Fireteam (8 passengers). Nevertheless, this Hind is designed and used primarily as an Attack Helicopter, and therefore is not classified as a Transport Helicopter even if it is occasionally called to perform the task. By far most Hinds seen in ShackTac videos have been AI-controlled.

Organization
Transport Helicopters are Aircraft, and thus follow largely the same organizational structure of any other type of aircraft. They are organized into Flights, have unique Callsigns to denote their role, and communicate largely on Air Net. As Aircraft they have significant leeway and discretion, which means that any pre-defined organizational structure can be broken if necessary. A single Transport Helicopter can be considered an independent unit in and of itself, though maximum effectiveness can only be achieved when coordinating closely with other aircraft and with Command.

Player-controlled Transport Helicopters typically appear in "Flights" - groups containing one to four helicopters. Each Transport Helicopter in the Flight receives the callsign "Phantom" (sometimes "Sickle" for OPFOR helicopters) followed by a number denoting their position in the group - e.g. "Phantom 1", "Phantom 2", et cetera. The numbers also denote their order when flying in formation, and Phantom-1 is always the leader who coordinates the Flight's actions (assuming the Flight remains in formation at all). If there is only one Transport Helicopter present in the mission, it will usually simply be called "Phantom".

Members of the Flight keep fairly constant communications with one another on Air Net. Knowing where other Transport Helicopters are and what they are doing at any given time is extremely important to avoid collisions and other mistakes. Furthermore, the lead helicopter - or any helicopter that operates independently from the others - must coordinate with the ground forces either through a FAC on Air Net or directly with Command on Command Net.

Grouping these helicopters into Flights is not absolutely necessary, but has multiple advantages. For one, it helps prevent collisions and confusion between multiple helicopters, especially during the critical stages of landing for drop-off/pick-up. Furthermore, multiple Transport Helicopters flying in formation and landing in unison allows dropping-off/picking-up a larger amount of cargo/passengers in a very short time, minimizing the aircrafts' exposure to enemy fire while doing so. Splitting up the helicopters to make each independent has a different advantage - allowing each helo to perform a different task at a different location on the map.

Should a Transport Helicopter be shot down or crash, the Game Master may allow the pilot and/or co-pilot to Teleport or REJIP back to base and take a replacement aircraft back into the combat zone. This is typically allowed when a Transport Helicopter is destroyed while attempting to Extract troops, though there are many other instances where a REJIP is allowed. In this case, the crewmen usually retain whatever callsign they had previously, sometimes even if the new helicopter they take is not a Transport Helicopter at all. The callsign is much more closely associated with the pilots themselves rather than the aircraft they fly.

Role
A Transport Helicopter has a very straightforward role: To transfer Infantry and/or various types of cargo into, out of, or across the battlefield. More rarely, Transport Helicopters may be tasked with scouting for enemy targets or even attacking them, though most Transport Helicopters are not suitably equipped for either of those tasks.

Troop Transport
For the most part, Transport Helicopters are tasked with moving Infantry into the battlefield ("Insertion"), out of the battlefield ("Extract"), or from one battlefield position to another. This is the role they are designed for, and most Transport Helicopters are not strictly suitable for any other activity.

Insertion of troops typically takes place at the start of the mission. The Transport Helicopter (or a Flight of Transport Helicopters]]) will load the troops at a safe location, and then ferry them to a predetermined Landing Zone. Occasionally, two or more potential Landing Zones may be designated on the map, in which case either the lead pilot in the Flight, Command, FAC, or another aircraft scouting ahead of the helicopters will determine which LZ is the most suitable for the Insertion; The choice is typically made very close to the actual landing. Landing troops this way requires a relatively safe landing zone that is not directly threatened by enemies. If necessary (and if possible), the Helicopter and/or its occupants may engage enemies on the ground immediately before the landing in order to clear it.

Extraction of troops works in reverse - picking up troops from a Pickup Zone and taking them to a safe location outside the Area of Operations. Again, the Pickup Zone is typically chosen in advance, this time typically selected by the ground units since they have a better understanding of where the threats are. The Pickup Zone also has to be reachable by the ground units, who are likely to have to fight their way there. Pickup under fire (from a "Hot LZ") is extremely dangerous, but often there is no other choice. Once all troops are aboard, the Helicopter pilot has to decide whether to fly them all the way back to base or land them somewhere safer nearby and go back for any other survivors (assuming there are any).

Moving troops from one place to another on the battlefield is usually done by smaller, faster Transport Helicopters such as the Littlebird, which can perform the task very quickly and with minimal risk. This usually occurs at least once during the mission itself. Both the Pickup Zone and Landing Zone are selected in advance, and will usually both be safe. This method of transportation is significantly faster and safer than travel by any other means.

Cargo Transport
In some missions, Transport Helicopters are required to transport cargo into the battlefield for the ground troops to use. Most often this cargo consists of Resupply Crates containing ammunition and medical supplies which will allow the ground troops to continue fighting. More rarely, the Transport Helicopter will bring in a support vehicle (usu. a Scout Car or light APC) at the start of the mission.

In ArmA 3 it is possible to load small crates into the helicopter's interior cargo space, requiring troops (and/or a dedicated Logistics crew on the helicopter itself) to load/unload the crates manually.

Occasionally (and especially in ArmA 2 videos) the helicopter will instead carry a large crate underneath it by a winch and cable. This requires precision flying, as the pilot hovers over the crate and activates the sling, then has to carefully maneuver into place to drop the crate near friendly troops. Assistance from infantry on the ground (usu. the FAC himself) is crucial at the Drop Zone to ensure that the crate is placed in the correct location. It is quite rare to see helicopters picking up these large Resupply Crates after they've been placed on the battlefield; They're usually left where they are.

Vehicle transportation is significantly rarer, and is performed in the same way as under-slung cargo transport. Otherwise, the process is identical.

Resupply Crates are very heavy, so the Helicopter will transport them separately from the troops themselves.

Scouting
Whenever they are not transporting troops or equipment, Transport Helicopters will often Orbit over the ground forces to scout the battlefield around them. Having a set of eyes in the sky can be very beneficial, spotting threats ahead of time and warning the ground forces so that they can prepare and react.

Most Transport Helicopters, with the exception of the Littlebird, will typically orbit at a significant distance above the ground in order to avoid any potential Anti-Aircraft fire. This limits their vision to some extent, as they may have trouble spotting enemy infantry moving in trees or other concealment. Enemy vehicles, however, are typically very visible from the air, even to high-orbiting aircraft.

Note that a few Transport Helicopters are fitted with a powerful camera that can be used by the Co-Pilot to observe in multiple directions. Such cameras have a zoom feature that mitigates the aircraft's altitude significantly, allowing it to spot enemy infantry more easily or pinpoint the exact location of any threat.

On occasion, the FAC may take a ride on one of the Transport Helicopters in order to observe the battlefield himself. This has both advantages and disadvantages compared to a FAC on the ground with alongside the troops.

A Transport Helicopter on scouting duty can easily switch right back to a transport role as soon as required.

Landing Procedures
Transport Helicopters are often required to land on the battlefield to pick up and drop off troops and equipment. The procedure involved with picking a landing site and actually landing there is rather standardized and repeatedly practiced, as it is one of the most dangerous maneuvers for any aircraft in the game.

A landing is split into four main parts:
 * The Setup: Selecting an appropriate Landing Zone and choosing an Approach and Egress route.
 * The Approach: Helicopters physically preparing for landing and approaching the designated landing zone.
 * Loading / Unloading: One the Helicopters are on the ground, troops and equipment can be moved onto/off the aircraft.
 * Egress: Leaving the Landing Zone quickly and safely.

The general steps are the same for any landing with any aircraft, regardless of cargo or helicopter model, though the details may be radically different from one landing to the next. Note that the Transport Helicopter does not necessarily need to "land" (touch the ground).

The Setup
Before making any attempt at landing, the Transport Helicopters need to know where to land and how to do so. These decisions can be made by the FAC, the lead helicopter's pilot, or most often by both. Failure to properly plan a landing can easily be catastrophic for everyone involved.

The first step is to select a Landing Zone (or Drop Zone/Pickup Zone). If picking up troops from a battlefield position, the LZ is often selected by a FAC or another leader on the ground, as they have a good idea of which landing site is suitable for the aircraft and presents the least risk of it being shot down. If planning a landing at a location where no ground troops are present, the FAC or another officer will typically select the LZ just by examining the Map, while leaving the helicopter pilots to make adjustments once they are over that LZ.

Transport Helicopter pilots reserve the right to make any adjustments or even to select a completely new LZ, should the original LZ prove to be physically difficult or too Hot. In many cases, two or more LZs are picked so that the pilots can choose which one to use as soon as the situation at these LZs becomes clearer.

In addition to choosing an LZ, the Setup requires choosing both an ingress and egress route. These are the routes the helicopter(s) will take when approaching the LZ for a landing, and after taking off from it. Ingress and Egress routes are typically picked for their safety - not passing over enemy troops. Both routes can be the same (e.g. coming in from the south and leaving to the south), if necessary. Once again, the pilots have leeway to change these routes if another route is deemed safer at the time.

Once the LZ and routes have been selected and the helicopters are within sight of them, they will wait for the order to being their Approach, as described below.

The Approach
An Approach is the first step of the landing itself. In this step the aircraft will lower their speed and altitude until they reach the LZ and land (or hover).

The Approach begins at a certain distance from (and altitude above) the LZ, sometimes over a kilometer out. Helicopters will often fly straight towards the LZ along the designated Ingress route (see prev. subsection), reducing speed and altitude gradually, and finally cutting all speed and touching down.

The Helicopters must notify their passengers (or the people they intend to pick up as passengers) once they have begun the Approach, so that these passengers can be ready to mount/dismount as rapidly as possible. If more than one helicopter is involved in the same landing, constant communication between the helicopters is extremely important to prevent collisions during this step. Helicopter pilots may even inform one another exactly where they are going to land, so that each helicopter can pick a suitable landing position for itself.

The Approach can be extremely dangerous if the LZ is Hot, as the helicopters reduce speed and altitude and thus make themselves easy targets for RPGs and even bullets. If necessary, a helicopter can hug the terrain during the approach to fully minimize that risk.

Loading / Unloading
Once the helicopter has touched the ground it must quickly come to a rest, as any unnecessary rotation could potentially kill anyone standing near it - including anyone disembarking from the helicopter itself. Unnecessary rotation can also lead to a helicopter hitting the scenery or flipping over, with catastrophic results. The engine is kept running even after landing so that the helicopter can take off immediately if any threat suddenly appears.

Passengers unloading from a helicopter will wait for the pilot to announce that the helicopter has landed before making any attempt to debark. Failure to do so can easily result in accidental death. The pilot will exclaim "Go, Go, Go!" to inform the passengers that it is safe to debark. The passengers are then responsible for notifying the pilot when they have all dismounted, at which point the helicopter will usually take off immediately.

When loading passengers, they will usually be ready to mount the helicopter before it lands (during the Approach) to minimize the time the helicopter has to wait on the ground. Passengers must quickly make their way to a door and enter the helicopter, while also making sure to avoid the helicopter's deadly rotors, particularly the tail rotor. Once all passengers are on board (or the helicopter is full), they must notify the pilot by exclaiming "Go, Go, Go!" or a similar call.

Loading and unloading Supply Crates (ArmA 3) is different from loading and unloading passengers, as someone must approach the helicopter and use the cargo function to manually remove or insert the crate. This takes some time, during which the helicopter must remain stationary.

Loading and unloading underslung cargo is a very different affair, as the helicopter will not touch the ground at all during the maneuver. Unloading is typically simple, as the pilot can drop it with a single click; Whereas loading requires precision stable flight over the cargo for several seconds. In both cases, someone on the ground (usu. the FAC) will be standing very close by and will be in constant communications with the pilot, to help adjust the position of the helicopter for an accurate drop/pick-up. The maneuver is much more difficult without such help.

The Loading / Unloading step is the most dangerous of all steps for the helicopter. Not only is it within collision distance with the ground, but it is also a sitting duck for any nearby enemy. The ability to complete a landing and take off quickly is the mark of a good pilot. Any delays, particularly due to disorganized or injured ground troops, can result in the helicopter being destroyed. The pilot may even decide to cut the loading/unloading process short by making an emergency take-off, should he feel that the helicopter is about to be attacked.

Egress
Once the Helicopter has left the ground, it must fly away from the Landing Zone in a way that does not expose it to fire from enemies. This is called the "Egress". The best Egress route passes over areas that do not contain any enemy units, while concealing the helicopter from any presumed enemy locations.

The Egress route is sometimes determined before the helicopter even lands. Proper scouting and information exchange between the Pilot and the ground forces increase the pilot's ability to choose the least dangerous egress route.

If no other option is available, the helicopter may Egress along the same route it used to Approach the landing site. This can pose a danger if the helicopter is part of a Flight that is landing simultaneously, as it would require one helicopter to pass over another - thus risking a collision. The ideal Egress route - if enemy threats are not an issue - is simply to continue along the same heading as the Approach, but this is rarely available.

Skilled pilots flying a small aircraft, such as the MH-6, may Egress very low above the ground. If the area is urban or woodland, the buildings/trees will help conceal the aircraft from enemy fire. Larger aircraft prefer gaining altitude as quickly as possible to put the aircraft out of the effective range of enemy units. Quick altitude gain is also preferred when taking off from a large open space with no concealment.

Waving Off
During the Approach, a Pilot must be ready to abort the landing altogether should a serious enemy threat suddenly appear. This is called "Waving Off". A helicopter can Wave Off at any point during the approach, or even when the aircraft is already on the ground.

The order to "Wave Off" usually comes from the ground forces, when they assess that enemy units nearby pose a serious threat to the landing. Ground forces are typically in the best position to determine this, since the pilot is typically focused on the landing itself and paying less attention to the exact position of enemies.

A "Wave Off" is mostly called in the following circumstances:
 * An armed enemy vehicle (of any type) has approached close to the Landing Zone, or has the Landing Zone within its firing range.
 * Intense Light Anti-Tank fire or GP fire from enemy Infantry near the landing zone.
 * A heavy firefight is currently occurring between the players protecting the Landing Zone and a large enemy force. This may or may not be a good reason to wave off, depending on whether immediate evacuation of the ground force out of this situation is crucial for their survival.

Once a "Wave Off" has been called, the pilot will immediately abort the landing, put distance between him and the landing zone, and possibly increase altitude and resume an Orbit. At this point, the landing may be attempted again at the same Landing Zone if the situation clears up. Alternatively, a different Landing Zone may be chosen to attempt the landing again later.

Map Markers
Transport Helicopters are marked on the map using a unique icon. In addition, both the pilot and co-pilot (if present) have their own STHUD markers to keep track of each other's position should they happen to land.

Map
On the map, a Transport Helicopter a marker attached to that signifies the helicopter's location. The marker for a Transport Helicopter looks like this:

Xy


 * The central symbol is the NATO symbol for Aircraft. Unlike NATO, ShackTac does not use different icons for different types of aircraft.
 * X is a two-letter code that shortens the full name of the Flight. Typically, it is "Ph" for "Phantom", or "Si" for "Sickle".
 * Y is the number of the Transport Helicopter's position within its Flight.
 * The entire symbol is colored either yellow or blue. There is no significance to the color.

This marker is linked to the pilot rather than the helicopter itself. This allows the position of downed pilots to be tracked after abandoning the helicopter. This also means that downed pilots who intend to return to their helicopter may have to mark its position on the map with a static marker.

STHUD
The following icons are used for the pilot and co-pilot. They are shown on the crewmembers' STHUD, both next to the player's name in the roster and on the STHUD compass.

Communications and Terminology
In order to do their job properly, Transport Helicopters must maintain communications with both ground forces and other air assets. They do so by communicating primarily on Air Net using a 152 long-range radio.

For the most part, the lead Transport Helicopter in a Flight is responsible for keeping the FAC up to date on the flight's position and situation whenever this information is relevant. The FAC informs the flight about the position of enemy assets that could threaten the helicopters, and relays any orders from Command.

The helicopters in the flight also communicate with one another on Air Net, informing one another of what they are doing and where they are relative to each other, preventing potential accidents and collisions. This communication is relatively terse, as the helicopters are typically within sight of one another and in a set formation, so there is rarely a need to elaborate extensively.

Finally, when there are multiple flights of aircraft (or multiple independent aircraft) in the mission, they may need to coordinate with one another for all sorts of purposes. This communication is also carried out on Air Net.

Callsigns
Transport Helicopters, or a Flight thereof, typically receives the callsign "Phantom" if on the BLUFOR side, or "Sickle" if on the OPFOR side. OPFOR callsigns, however, are less standardized in ShackTac and may change from one mission to the next (they are also far rarer, making generalization more difficult).

When there is more than one Transport Helicopter in the Flight, each gets a number after their callsign - e.g. "Phantom 1", "Phantom 2", and so on. Phantom 1 is seen as the leader of the Flight, and will typically fly at the front of the formation, make most of the important decisions, and be responsible for conversing with the ground forces on Air Net. The number in each helicopter's callsign usually also indicates its position in the formation, with Phantom 2 behind Phantom 1 etc.

If there is only one Transport Helicopter, it gets a callsign without a number, e.g. "Phantom".

Note that the callsign is linked directly to the pilot/co-pilot of the helicopter, not to the helicopter itself. If the crew changes to another helicopter, or even if they die and REJIP, their callsign will almost always remain the same.

When calling other units on Air Net, the Transport Helicopters use the callsign "FAC" to address the Forward Air Controller, "Command" to speak with the commander of the ground forces (assuming they are listening to this net at all), or "Ground" to speak with anyone who might be listening (e.g. when the FAC and Command are dead or otherwise indisposed).

Terminology
There are multiple terms used by and in relation to Transport Helicopters that are irrelevant to other types of Aircraft. They are listed below.

Notable Examples
Transport Helicopters appear very often in ShackTac missions, and listing every appearance would therefore be pointless. Nevertheless, the list below should include any particularly notable examples. This includes unusual helicopter models, videos viewed entirely from the perspective of the pilot or co-pilot, or transport helicopters serving as the crux of the players' strategy.


 *  by Dslyecxi is (one of?) the only videos showing gameplay from the perspective of an Osprey pilot.
 * ' and ' by Dslyecxi both feature an MH-6 Littlebird carrying both troops and underslung cargo.
 *  by Dslyecxi is a prominent example of the Littlebird being used in a Dark Business mission, where it serves as the linchpin of BLUFOR tactics.