What To Do With Transport Helos?

[Teriander]

Let's say you have NAVY SEALs that use the transport helo, the helo lands, seals are out. What do you do with the Transport helos? You can't delete them, you can't get your points back. They're just sitting ducks.

The best option I've seen is to bring them back to base, let them land in a hidden spot. Then when you bring in more SEALs, instead of using the helos you already have, you get more helos, thus you end up with a parking lot of unused transport helos.

Is there a better solution?

[Commander 6]

You were close to the solution yourself by bringing your helicopters back to base! Using the US Navy Seals as an example again, you can buy one card with them being transported by helicopters and the other card by land vehicles to give yourself options as a result. You would have two options of which land vehicle to use. You could buy cheap vehicles and save points knowing that there will be a means of transportation for your Navy Seals at the base when they spawn so their initial vehicle won't really matter anyway. This way your helicopters from the first card can be used again if you want to airlift these units. Your second option is that you could buy decent land vehicles (which is what I do) so that if you need your Navy Seals in an enemy Anti-Aircraft heavy zone you will have a means to safely enter the zone, and vise virsa that if there is an enemy Anti-Ground heavy zone you could then just airlift your units in then. Thus as a result of choosing this second method you will end up with choices for either card whether it be by the air or land, and then you can use the transports from one, or the other, card for the option you choose. Hope this helps!

[Teriander]

Great idea Commander! I'll give this a try!

[Spazz6768]

I usually go with armed transport helos. Helos with rocket pods like the Mi-8 varients or Puma varients can be used as direct fire, short range rocket artillery or to stall tank charges by stunning them. Helos with autocannons I use to support the infantry thry've dropped by providing anti infantry as well as light AT and AA. Helos with miniguns or machine guns I use as pickets around my "safe zones," like near my FOBs, spawn zones, or staging areas since they can spot units sneaking around and fire at light units that get too close. They can also be used as last ditch AA against enemy helo swarms. If I'm forced to use unarmed helos I still have them as picket units around my safe zones since most people don't think to turn off their units' weapons and their death will cost the eneamy the element of surprise and alert me to a much larger threat. A lot of times rookies will send air supperiority after picket units so thta's a fun way to draw their fighter out. More experienced players will try to smack them with arty if you "accidentally" leave them hovering low which will expose their artillery positions for a cheap10-15 points.

[Masterhummel]

Use them as cheap scouts or detectors - for example playing them in a line over some unprotected woods in your flank ensures that you notice if someone passes trough.

You may also use them to kill isolated infantry units or tank up AA rockets.

Also don't underestimate Rocket Helos like the Lynx. They usually can kill twice or triple their own value in points before going down.

[Vensalir]

Yep, I gotta agree with the passive scout suggestion. If you have transport helos armed with vulcans or some form of autocannon you can also use them to hunt down enemy recon helos. Given their small size and low hp, they tend to go down fast even against just a pair or transports.

[meeware]

I save up my helos back at base and occasionally use them as alt transports when a vehicle borne unit would be better off with a helo. Another alternative is in late game, in areas where AA has been eliminated, you can take your couple of dozen helos with mini guns and sweep whole sectors of infantry - seriously, a dozen Blackhawks will chew up any arty and logistic units parked carelesly, and it's a beautiful site to seem them sweep majestically in. unusally sideways :-)

[Nicholas Fricke]

they should make empty transports be able to become logistics also i use my russian helos with rockets and they are really good en masse

[KBAR]

I sometimes mix them up with a helo assault when I'm not certain all AA has been cleared at the LZ or along the flight path. Most AA units have limited reload times and reloads, so they can become cannon fodder and increase the chance of choppers wiith units on board making their destination. Also good for sweeping in front of an attack chopper run - spot AA units which my tailing Attack Helos can take down quickly. Otherwise, I use them as perimeter guard around zones or flanks.

[Vensalir]

Originally posted by qbar:

I sometimes mix them up with a helo assault when I'm not certain all AA has been cleared at the LZ or along the flight path. Most AA units have limited reload times and reloads, so they can become cannon fodder and increase the chance of choppers wiith units on board making their destination. Also good for sweeping in front of an attack chopper run - spot AA units which my tailing Attack Helos can take down quickly. Otherwise, I use them as perimeter guard around zones or flanks.

That's actually quite smart. A tad cynical towards your men but effective :)

[◔ᴥ◔ MagicPussyCat]

I use them as scouts and to move infantry around. Remember, you can put ~anything~ in a transport...

[Contemptuous SUOMI DEFENDER '99]

personnally i then move them off to the side until i might need them for

1.moving my seals or another unit somewhere else fast

2.testing enemy air defences

3.as a defensive recon unit

4.to engage enemy helos if you have like 7 armed with m60s even the mightiest of gunships will falter

5.to just sit there doinf ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ but giving the enemy their points

[Chino!!]

infantry should be discharged rappelling from choppers, fast, not landing like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥...

[Nicholas Fricke]

landing sucks ;-;

[Teriander]

Originally posted by Chino-♪♫♪:

infantry should be discharged rappelling from choppers, fast, not landing like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥...

Very Very excellent point! Unfortunately I think fast repel insertions may not have been common or used often from helicopters in the 80s, or was it? Man I wish this game was based on modern warfare instead the 80s cold war.

[Vensalir]

I'm not entirely sure all helicopter-borne infantry are supposed to rappel. I mean, special forces with light equipment have to train for quite some time to be able to do that without killing themselves, I don't see that going well for a line infantryman with little to moderate training and maybe an ATGM launcher on his back :)