Small Arms
Small Arms is a Quick Flight mission available for the AH-94. It involves the player destroying lightly-defended enemy outposts in the area using the AH-94's array of impressive air-to-ground weaponry in a Close Air Support (CAS) stance.
Like with the rest of the AH-94's Quick Play missions, this mission may also be played with other players in multiplayer. Two helicopters can be used in multiplayer, with each helicopter supporting their own pilot and gunner slots.
OBJECTIVES:
- Seek and destroy the Valley FOB
- Seek and destroy the Hillside FOB
- Seek out the final FOB
- Destroy the inactive SAM S/A radar present
- Return to base
Walkthrough
Recommended Loadout
This mission serves as a basic showcase of the AH-94's Close Air Support capabilities. Hostile surface-based air defenses will be minimal, and hostile fighters will not be present. As such, you may forgo bringing air-to-air missiles completely, and you don't have to bring a radar with you. It is recommended to bring a GAU-94 cannon to deal with the softer and closer ground targets in the area. An M230 may also suffice, but the higher rate of fire offered by the GAU-94 makes it easier to hit targets by quantity and chance instead of quality. For armored ground targets, quick-deployment weapons can suffice here. Hydra 70s, AGM-27s, and AGM-114s are all decent weapons for dealing with targets like what will be found in this mission.
Overview
You will start out on a helipad at an Allied airbase. Once you've completed the AH-94's startup procedure, take off and move towards the waypoint. Mission Control will inform you not to move too far to the southwest, as enemy forces will send fighters towards you if you venture too far into their territory. You should now activate your TADS and press the WPT button to slew the targeting reticle to the waypoint; this will allow you to spot enemy targets more quickly. Once you spot an enemy unit, the next part of the objective will begin, and you will be cleared to engage the enemy forces at the FOB. Your helicopter's cannon weapon (GAU-94 or M230) can easily make short work of the enemy units in the area, but it is recommended to use other air-to-ground weapons against the larger targets in the area to conserve ammo. A few barrages using some Hydra 70s or AGM-27s can easily make short work of the enemy's armored assets. Any remaining infantry units will be easily destroyed by some short bursts of fire from the helicopter's cannon weapon.
Once all the enemy units at the FOB have been destroyed, you will be assigned another waypoint to move towards. Head over a nearby mountain range to move towards the next waypoint. An enemy MANPADS infantry unit will be present at the next waypoint, so be ready to pop your flares if you get too close to the objective waypoint. Your main threat here is going to be a pair of GAV-25s attempting to take off once you're spotted. You will need to destroy the GAV-25s before they can take off. A couple well-timed shots from an AGM-27 can easily destroy those units quite quickly. From there, destroy the ground vehicles in front of the FOB and the infantry units occupying the compound. Once all the units at the second FOB have been eliminated, you will receive a new waypoint to move to.
Once you reach the next waypoint, you will be assigned to seek out the final enemy FOB. Look to the mountain at the far left of the waypoint to find a SAM grid under construction. You won't be able to destroy the bunker at the outpost, so you will be assigned to destroy only the enemy's inactive SAM radar before it can activate. An unfocused barrage of Hydra 70s fired at the enemy's FOB will generally be enough to destroy the radar and some of the other softer emplacements at the base. Once the SAM radar has been destroyed, you will be cleared to return to base.