Attack Helicopters Should Not Be Instantly Deleted by One Launcher Hit

The biggest problem with Attack Helicopter balance right now is not any single counter. It is the sheer volume of incoming fire pilots face at all times.

The moment an Attack Helicopter enters the fight, it is exposed to Mobile Anti-Air, jets, enemy helicopters, lock-ons, small-arms fire, vehicle weapons, and Engineers firing launchers from nearly every objective. A pilot is constantly evading, breaking line of sight, managing countermeasures, avoiding terrain, and trying to keep the gunner in position. Even a strong crew is usually taking damage from several sources at once.

The new Mobile Anti-Air weapon has made this dramatically worse. It can maintain a near-constant barrage from across the map, forcing pilots to spend much of the match dodging incoming fire from a vehicle that may be far outside any realistic engagement range. There is barely any breathing room to reposition, repair, or make an attack run before the next volley arrives.

This is especially punishing in Obliteration, where the Attack Helicopter can take roughly five minutes to respawn. A single launcher hit can instantly remove a high-skill, two-player vehicle from the match for a substantial period, while Mobile Anti-Air returns on a normal vehicle respawn timer and can immediately resume its constant cross-map pressure. The risk and downtime are wildly disproportionate.

In that environment, allowing one launcher hit to instantly destroy a full-health Attack Helicopter is fundamentally unbalanced.

The Attack Helicopter is a high-skill, high-investment vehicle that requires two players, coordination, map knowledge, and substantial practice. Launchers are ubiquitous, straightforward to use, and available to infantry across the entire map. One low-investment shot should not completely erase a vehicle that demands vastly more skill to operate effectively.

A direct launcher hit should be devastating. It should leave the helicopter critically damaged, disable components, and force an immediate retreat. But it should require follow-up damage to finish the kill.

Attack Helicopters already face relentless pressure from every direction. They should be vulnerable to sustained or coordinated fire, not instantly deleted by one common infantry weapon while also enduring a constant cross-map barrage from Mobile Anti-Air.