Attack Helicopter

An Attack Helicopter is a Helicopter designed primarily to attack enemy ground targets. Attack Helicopters carry a wide variety of weapons to allow them to handle any threat. They are the most common attack Aircraft seen in ShackTac videos.

Attack Helicopters come in various sizes, from the small and maneuverable AH-6 to the heavily armed advanced models like the AH-64 Apache and Ka-52 Alligator. The size of an Attack Helicopter determines not only how many weapons it can carry, but also whether or not it will focus on protecting friendlies (Close Air Support) or flying forward to destroy them before they become a threat (Interdiction).

Most Attack Helicopters carry an Autocannon that is devastating to both Infantry and Light Vehicles. Additional weapons include Rocket Pods, AGMs, and even AAMs to counter enemy aircraft if they happen to appear. The more types of weapons carried by a single Attack Helicopter, the wider the variety of targets it can handle.

Attack Helicopters are more often seen on the players' Side than AI-controlled opponents, due to their deadl effectiveness and substantial impact on the battlefield. AI-controlled Attack Helicopters do appear from time to time, usually at the later stages of the mission. They are more likely to appear when players have some sort of Anti-Aircraft weapon to deal with them quickly, otherwise they may devastate the players.

Specifications
Technically speaking, an Attack Helicopter is any Helicopter is carries forward-firing weapons. However, in order to distinguish them from Gunships, they must answer at least two of the following criteria:


 * 1) The helicopter is primarily designed for combat, and either cannot carry any cargo at all or cannot carry an entire Fireteam.
 * 2) The helicopter carries optics and targeting equipment that is connected to its weapons, allowing it to use guided weaponry or (at the very least) spot its own targets easily from the sky.
 * 3) The helicopter model is not based on any existing Transport Helicopter models.
 * 4) The helicopter's weapons are forward-facing, and cannot fire sideways.

Unfortunately, none of these criteria on its own separates Attack Helicopters from Gunships, so there is some overlap. Most specifically, the Mi-24 Hind violates the first criterion, while an AH-6 violates the third criterion and occasionally the second. They are generally not considered Gunships thanks to the fourth criteria, but several Gunships do fit that criteria.

Models
ShackTac deploys several different Attack Helicopter models on both the BLUFOR and OPFOR Sides. Due to the complex maintenance involved in operating such aircraft, their use is limited to national military forces. INDFOR and other low-tech military organizations (including U.S. forces during Vietnam) tend to use Gunships instead.

The most common Attack Helicopter in ShackTac is the AH-6 Littlebird. This is just one of multiple Littlebird models, but is the only one fitted for direct attack. The AH-6 is the most nimble and agile of Attack Helicopters. It typically carries a pair of Miniguns or GAU-19 Gatling Guns, along with FFAR rocket-pods. On very rare occasions, the AH-6 is seen carrying DAGR AGMs. An AH-6 can perform Interdiction, but will mostly provide Close Air Support. AH-6s are almost always flown by players, but may rarely appear as AI-controlled aircraft when BLUFOR is played by the AI.

The most common "true" Attack Helicopter is the AH-64 Apache (or rather, the D model known as the "Longbow"). This advanced helicopter is bristling with weapons, including a powerful Autocannon, Rocket Pods, and Hellfire AGMs. The Apache may also carry AAMs to shoot down enemy aircraft. The Apache is a powerful Interdictor, typically flying ahead of the force to destroy approaching enemy vehicles, up to and including Tanks. The powerful radar on the "Longbow" model can pick out targets at a significant distance, and its weapons are powerful enough to destroy such targets a kilometer away if not more.

For most of their history, the Soviets used only one Attack Helicopter known as the Mi-24 Hind, which straddles the line between an Attack Helicopter, a Gunship, and a Transport Helicopter. This heavily-armored craft is easily the heaviest of all Attack Helicopter models, and lacks maneuverability. Nevertheless, its Autocannon and Rocket Pods can lay waste to enemy troop concentrations and vehicles. The Hind can carry a whole Fireteam of passengers as well. It typically lacks advanced targeting and optics options, instead relying on overwhelming firepower to blanket its target with explosions.

The Mi-28 Havoc is the Soviet answer to the Apache, and is nearly identical in performance as well as visual appearance. It is only slightly less advanced in terms of targeting, optics and weapons, but players will typically use it in the same way, favoring Interdiction over CAS. Interestingly, it has a small compartment in the back that allows it to pick up two passengers; This compartment was designed for rescue of downed aircraft crew.

The Ka-52 Alligator (and its older variant the Ka-50 Black Shark) is another OPFOR Attack Helicopter with similar capabilities to the Apache, but with an interesting feature that set it apart. The Alligator has two counter-rotating main rotors instead of a tail rotor; In case of emergency the blades of both rotors can be jettisoned - allowing the crew to eject from the aircraft.

Finally, at least one video in the past has featured the RAH-66 Comanche. This Attack Helicopter, developed in the United States, was an attempt to make a stealth helicopter that could not easily be picked up on radar. This provided it with the ability to strike enemies by surprise without fear of retaliation from radar-guided Anti-Aircraft weapons. Though a prototype was built, the aircraft was never purchased by the U.S. armed forces. The aircraft is otherwise similar in performance to the Apache.

Weapons
Attack Helicopters may be armed with a wide variety of different weapons. These are manually selected by the Pilot (often according to the wishes of Command) to match the types of targets that the helicopter is likely to encounter (and be asked to destroy) on the battlefield.

Machine Gun (Rotary)


The Machine Gun is most commonly found on Transport Helicopters as a defensive weapon; It lacks any area-effect as well as the rate of fire to make it an effective air-to-ground weapon, and is mostly used when a helicopter is flying very slowly or completely landed. However, multi-barreled machine guns are fairly common weapons for the AH-6 Littlebird Attack Helicopter, as these weapons have a very high rate of fire compared to their single-barreled counterparts.

Minigun
The Minigun is a 6-barreled Medium Machine Gun firing 7.62mm bullets at an extremely high rate. This weapon can shower a target area with so many bullets as to almost guarantee a hit on any target within that area. Infantry are the most obvious target, as each 7.62mm bullet is sufficiently powerful to injure or kill them. Unarmored light vehicles are also quite susceptible to this weapon.

The Minigun is often installed on the AH-6, and is not normally found on any other Attack Helicopter. In ArmA 2, AH-6s used to carry two Miniguns and could switch them to an increased rate of fire that made them even more effective (at the cost of higher bullet expenditure). In ArmA 3, the weapon is somewhat less effective and cannot have its rate of fire adjusted, making it slightly less favored compared to Rocket Pods.

GAU-19
The GAU-19 is a 3-barreled Heavy Machine Gun firing .50 cal bullets. This weapon is an alternative to the Minigun that sacrifices rate-of-fire for the heavier punch of its HMG bullets. It is powerful enough to take out any light vehicle as well as some medium vehicles like the Vodnik or BRDM. Even a BTR's top armor can be penetrated by these bullets.

GAU-19s were first seen installed on AH-6 helicopters in several videos circa 2019. Unfortunately, the GAU-19's lower rate of fire compared to the Minigun makes it difficult to use, and renders it practically useless against enemy Infantry. ShackTac seem to have stopped using this weapon altogether due to its shortcomings.

Autocannon


All advanced Attack Helicopter models (e.g. the Apache and Mi-28) are fitted with a 20mm+ Autocannon - a single- or multi-barreled automatic weapon firing explosive shells at a relatively high rate. Autocannons are deadly to both infantry and vehicles, as they can quickly blanket an area with small explosions and stand a high chance of penetrating armor or knocking out vehicle systems.

Helicopters carry their Autocannon on a swiveling turret under the chin. The Co-Pilot/Gunner can aim the weapon separately of the aircraft's heading, if necessary. The helicopter can then fire the weapon while hovering (for better accuracy) or while overflying the target (for better protection against return-fire).

Rocket Pods


The Rocket Pod is perhaps the most common of all Attack Helicopter weapons in the ArmA 3 era. It fires small unguided rockets (~70mm in diameter) carrying a High Explosive (or HEDP) warhead. Helicopters typically carry two pods - one under each wing - firing a single rocket from both pods simultaneously with each trigger pull. The rocket pod is aligned with the aircraft's body, requiring the pilot to aim the nose at the target. A crosshair may be painted on the windscreen (or HUD) to make this manual targeting easier.

Rocket Pods are used on practically all Attack Helicopters in ArmA 3, up to and including the most advanced models. Though the rockets are unguided, each rocket pod can carry a large number of them, allowing the helicopter to attack many targets before it had to RTB. The rockets have a relatively large explosive radius, and can kill groups of infantry or damage and destroy vehicles even when they miss their target. Anything up to and including IFVs can be effectively targeted with these rockets. On the other hand, they are difficult to use in proximity to friendly troops without endangering them.

ATGMs/AGMs


Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) are especially favored by the advanced Attack Helicopters as a stand-off weapon that can be fired at very distant targets without exposing the helicopter to damage. These missiles are manually guided by the helicopter's Co-Pilot/Gunner towards their target as they fly, making them exceptionally accurate.

ATGMs are large, and cannot be carried in great numbers - so the Gunner needs to make every shot count. On the other hand, they are absolutely deadly to enemy IFVs and Tanks, which are largely resistant or even impervious to all other air-to-ground weapons.

Air-to-Ground Missiles (AGMs) like the Maverick are much rarer on Attack Helicopters, but can be carried to give that extra bit of firepower against particularly heavy targets like Tanks. The AGM is self-guided, and does not need the pilot or gunner to control it as it flies. It also carries a much heavier warhead that is pretty much guaranteed to destroy any target on impact. Of course, the larger missile also means that fewer can be carried.

Organization
Attack Helicopters are Aircraft, and thus follow largely the same organizational structure of any other type of aircraft. They are organized into Flights (though these are often irrelevant), 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 Attack 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.

Attack Helicopters are extremely independent, rarely working in conjunction with other Attack Helicopters. If there are two or more Attack Helicopters in a mission (a rare occurrence in itself), each helicopter is likely to operate in a different area on the map, protecting the friendly ground force from a different direction. Nevertheless, if two Attack Helicopters are present they may receive the same callsign (usu. "Reaper" or "Ugly"), followed by a number - e.g. "Reaper 1", "Reaper 2", et cetera. This number comes into play should the aircraft fly in formation, in which case aircraft 1 will likely lead the formation and govern its actions.

Should an Attack 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 an Attack Helicopter is destroyed early in a mission that includes large enemy armored forces; Without an Attack Helicopter present, the ground forces may be completely unable to survive such an onslaught. In this case, the crewmen usually retain whatever callsign they had previously, sometimes even if the new helicopter they take is not an Attack Helicopter at all. The callsign is much more closely associated with the pilots themselves rather than the aircraft they fly.

Role
The purpose of an Attack Helicopter is to identify and destroy enemy targets. The helicopter will engage any target it deems threatening to the ground force, from large concentrations of enemy Infantry to any vehicle - up to and including Tanks and enemy Aircraft in some cases.

The Attack Helicopter may perform this duty in one of two different manners: Either Close Air Support or Interdiction. These two roles differ from one another based on the distance of enemy targets from the ground force. Advanced Attack Helicopters like the Apache are more likely to focus on Interdiction, whereas the smallest Attack Helicopters (and Gunships) focus mostly or exclusively on Close Air Support. The aircraft can switch from one role to the other rather quickly, so long as their carried weapons are suitable for the role.

Close Air Support


Close Air Support is the act of attacking enemy targets directly threatening friendly ground forces. Attacking such targets requires close coordination with friendly ground forces, as it may put friendlies at risk of being hit as well.

Smaller Attack Helicopters are more suitable for this role, as they are more nimble and can easily alter their position and angle relative to both the target and the friendlies. These helicopters are also more fragile, and do not operate so safely far from friendly airspace.

Weapons used in CAS are mostly Miniguns, Autocannons and Rocket Pods. These are "short-range" unguided weapons that can be fired rapidly at a target area in the hope of destroying anything that might be there. The aircraft will likely make a "pass" over the area, strafing it with weapons.

Interdiction


Interdiction is the act of attacking enemy targets before they can become a threat to friendly ground forces, e.g. on their way to the battlefield or at an objective that the friendlies have not yet reached. This type of attack poses no threat to friendly forces, but puts the onus of spotting and identifying targets on the aircraft alone.

This role is typically reserved for heavier, more advanced Attack Helicopters that have powerful targeting and optics systems. This allows them to both detect targets at a longer range, and effectively engage them with "long-range" weapons up to and including AGMs.

Interdiction requires aircraft to cross into fully-enemy-controlled airspace, exposing them to Anti-Aircraft fire. Interdictors often take up a position and hover over it while observing enemy movements and picking off targets from a distance.

Scouting
While performing their attack duties, Attack Helicopters naturally also perform the Scouting role by spotting enemy targets from the air. Attack Helicopters are (for the most part) equipped with quality optics that may be suitable for low visibility situations which they need for targeting - but the same equipment is useful for simple observation as well.

As the Attack Helicopter observes the battlefield, any significant target will be reported to the ground forces first, usually even before the helicopter attacks that target. This is doubly true for targets that the helicopter is not currently in a good position to attack, thus making it more important to notify ground forces as they may come under attack from that target.

Map Markers
Attack 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, an Attack Helicopter a marker attached to that signifies the helicopter's location. The marker for an Attack 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 "Rpr" for "Reaper", or "Ug" for "Ugly". OPFOR Attack Helicopters occasionally use "Si" for "Sickle".
 * Y is the number of the Attack Helicopter's position within its Flight. As explained above, this number is mostly used for communications, and does not typically affect the aircraft's behavior.
 * 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, Attack 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.

Since Attack Helicopters are mostly independent, each helicopter is responsible for keeping the FAC up to date on their own position and situation whenever this information is relevant. The FAC informs the aircraft about the position of enemy assets that could threaten the helicopters, and relays any orders from Command. For the most part, FAC will relay information to all aircraft in general, but orders will be given to each Attack Helicopter separately since they rarely operate in groups.

Attack Helicopters 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. Attack Helicopters will also inform each other of the targets they spot, the effect of their attacks on each target, and the position of Anti-Aircraft threats. This helps other helicopters avoid enemy fire, while also ensuring that multiple Attack Helicopters (if present) will attempt to attack any dangerous target until it is destroyed.

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
Attack Helicopters use a variety of callsigns, depending mostly on the type of aircraft involved. The callsign "Reaper" is the most common, typically assigned to AH-6 Littlebirds, Rocket Hueys, or any other "light" attack models. Apache helicopters typically receive the callsign "Ugly" instead. OPFOR Attack Helicopters may receive the "Reaper" callsign, or any other Soviet-style callsign such as "Sickle" or "Hammer". Other callsigns have also been used in the past.

When there is more than one Attack Helicopter in the Flight, each gets a number after their callsign - e.g. "Reaper 1", "Reaper 2", and so on. For the most part, these numbers are only significant for identification - they do not normally dictate a hierarchy since Attack Helicopters rarely operate together. However in cases where these helicopters fly in formation, the aircraft with the callsign "1" typically leads the formation and takes the responsibility of conversing with ground forces on Air Net. The numbers of the other aircraft will then be used to determine their position behind the leader, with Reaper 2 behind Reaper 1, etc.

If there is only one Attack Helicopter in a flight, it gets a callsign without a number, e.g. "Reaper".

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, Attack 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 Attack Helicopters that are irrelevant to other types of Aircraft. They are listed below.