Part 19: Scout Choppers
Scout ChoppersSo here's an informative video I've been trying to make for literal weeks. I've wanted to talk about Scout Choppers since the start, but I never had enough time in them to really show them off before this round. Part of that is popularity, they go almost as soon as they are available for spawn. Part of it is that they are pretty big targets and I almost never get engineers repairing me. In truth, a lot of that is because I never ask for people to join me because I think I'll die immediately with or without them. And as of today all platforms have a 33% reduction in repair speed, so people who rely on engineers to keep them up (like the Widgitybear guy I mentioned in the thread and video) will have a bit tougher time of it.
Scout Choppers are a fun mix between the offensive capabilities of the attack chopper and the transporting abilities of the...transport choppers. Yeah. The only weapons aboard a scout chopper are controlled by the pilot, so passengers on the doors can only fire with their equipped weapons and the cockpit passenger has no weapon capabilities at all. Scout choppers are then good for buzzing around the map, dropping people on points and attacking infantry or other positions. They can attack armored vehicles, but against infantry they really shine. They are also responsive and maneuverable, so getting out of a tight spot is more likely with these than with an attack chopper. I can't really explain how good the scout is, I suggest you watch the video and you'll see just how much damage it can deal out to infantry without much recourse.
Let's address something really quick:
The game divides the helicopters into faction weapons, but the Russians and Chinese both fly the Z-11w. The US flies the Little Bird. I will spend most of the video and any subsequent references to scout choppers calling them little birds. It's a Battlefield thing, everyone does that.
Primary
The 7.62 miniguns are like the cannons on the jets: they have infinite ammo and if fired too much for too long will overheat and need to cool down before firing again. They are a pure infantry killer, firing at an insane rate and killing individuals in 4 or so shots. The problem is that you have to hit people dead on to score a kill, which can be difficult with the little bird and how it moves and how the crosshairs work. The 25mm is what I use in the video and it does mild splash damage while firing slower than the 7.62, but you don't need to hit people directly to kill them, so there is a bonus to it. They can also damage armor, unlike the 7.62. The ammo capacity, 30 rounds in the chamber and 60 on standby (or 75 as I got to see at one point) will go quickly in a target rich environment.
Secondary
Only two options in the LB, the air targeting heatseeker and the ground targeting laser guided bomb. The Laser Guided weapon is different from the one we saw on the attack jets, you don't get a different view, just a targeting box.
Countermeasures
We've seen all these before. Worth noting is that five seconds were trimmed off the cooldown for flares and ECM, so you'll be able to return to the fight faster, or maybe survive that sudden lock from a jet. I still like flares better, it gives you more time to deploy them and they regenerate faster than the ECM. There's benefits to both, but I only like popping my countermeasures if I know I'm getting shot at, with ECM you have to pop before they fire.
Upgrades
We've seen all of these multiple times. I think the LB is the one air vehicle where I DON'T recommend the Gyro Stabilizer, you'll see in the video I clear a number of disables just fine without it. Stealth coatings make it a bit more difficult to get locks on you, so I run that, though auto loader and the 25mm are a match made in heaven.