Airborne (mission)

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Cpt. Sam Nichols transports infantry squads during fast evolving Everon offensive. Mission Description

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Airborne
Time	10:30 AM
Date	23-06-1985 (timeline, canon) 24-06-1985 (in-game)
Location	NATO airbase, Everon
Previous	Rolling Thunder
Next	Air Superiority

Airborne is the twenty-eighth mission of ArmA: Cold War Assault's Cold War Crisis campaign.

Diary

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June 24, 1985 - Finally got a few minutes alone with Sally yesterday evening - but she barely said two words to me. Wonder if she's still pissed about the whole Debbie thing. Must try to talk to her again tonight. Just another routine transport mission scheduled for today.

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Overview

The player controls U.S. Army aviator Captain Sam Nichols. NATO's offensive towards the south is continuing but the push towards Le Moule and Morton has been held up by stiff Soviet defences. With U.S. aircrews stretched thin, Nichols has been assigned the task of airlifting reinforcements towards the front line at Montignac.

Nichols' role/class:

• Air / Pilot

Default loadout:

• Primary weapon: XM-177E2 (4× magazines)
• Secondary weapon: None
• Equipment: NV Goggles, Grenades (6×)

There are no alternate pieces of equipment to choose from.

Objectives

Primary

• (1) Your passengers will be waiting for you at their debarkation point
• (2) Ferry them to their position at Montignac
• (3) Transport the injured troops from Le Moule to the airport
• (4) Engage the enemy armored personnel carriers approaching Le Moule from the south
• (5) Return to the base

Optional

N/A

Mandatory

• Nichols must survive
• Your helicopter must not be disabled
• Avoid collateral damage/friendly fire (point score must not drop below 201)
• Do not harm your passengers
• Remain within the combat area

Walkthrough

Primary 1: Your passengers will be waiting for you at their debarkation point

Nichols is the last main character of Cold War Crisis' cast and unlike everyone before him, his missions (except for one at the end) take place exclusively in the air. As such, this is your first proper introduction to rotary-wing flight so you may wish to peruse the manual and/or take a look in the game settings to modify your flight controls as needed.

When you're ready to begin, hop into the transport helicopter parked in front of you as its pilot. Spin up its rotors and fly towards their location. The infantry squad (callsign Bravo Black 1) will be waiting at the beach, so land near them and wait until everyone is aboard (the squad leader will notify you once the helicopter is fully loaded).

Primary 2: Ferry them to their position at Montignac

Fly towards Montignac. Drop off the squad at the marked Landing Zone.

Primary 3: Transport the injured troops from Le Moule to the airport

Divert in the direction of Le Moule once HQ informs you about the request.

A mechanised infantry squad, callsign Hotel Two-Four, has taken casualties and need their wounded to be evacuated. Land near their location at the marked LZ and wait for the squad to get in.

Primary 4: Engage the enemy armored personnel carriers approaching Le Moule from the south

Before heading back, intercept the Soviet convoy that's inbound from the south of Le Moule. Your opposition comprises of two BMPs.

You'll need to score roughly ten to twelve direct hits with the 70 mm rockets in order to blow them up. Slow down and tilt the nose slightly down while maintaining forward momentum. Try to align the crosshairs with the BMPs on the ground. Fire off a salvo once the vehicles are in your sights. If you miss, just circle around and strafe the target(s) again until they blow up.

Be sure to keep an eye on your altitude, as it can be easy to get tunnel visioned while attempting to strafe and end up crashing into a tree.

Primary 5: Return to the base

Head back to the airport. Land on the runway next to the marker and the mission will be completed.

Tips

• Since this is most likely your first time flying aircraft, make use of auto-hover function to get familiar with landing safely.
  • However, don't rely entirely on the function forever; it's a crutch at best that leaves you vulnerable to ground fire.
  • Try to attempt landing without auto-hover when dropping off Bravo Black 1, as you don't face the risk of taking enemy fire and the surface around the LZ is quite flat (unlike at Hotel Two-Four's position).

Trivia

• The official Armaverse Timeline retcons the date for Airborne to June 23rd as opposed to the 24th (a date that is even mentioned by Nichols' in-game diary entry).

The following information stems from Bohemia Interactive's Take On Helicopters

• Based on his dialogue in Take On Helicopters (a flight simulator title released by Bohemia Interactive that canonically takes place within the same Armaverse), the unnamed pilot that Nichols speaks to in the intro cutscene is possibly Harry Larkin, the father of the game's protagonist.