Drone Launchpad

Drone Launchpad
Category	Defence
Hit points	600
Supply cost	1,000,000
Fuel cost	0
CP cost	0
Requires	Headquarters (Level 8)
Build limit	2

The Drone Launchpad serves as a buildable Defence-type structure in ArmA: Mobile Ops.

Overview

• Role:
  • Defensive structure

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In the event of an enemy attack the big helicopter drone will launch and counter-attack. It takes 40 seconds to take-off and before that time expires is completely passive. After take-off it targets enemy ground and air units with splash damage rockets. Shop Description

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Purpose

The Drone Launchpad is a defensive structure that can be built by players after upgrading their Headquarters to Level 8.

A versatile and powerful defence, the Drone Launchpad can decimate most enemy units that are attacking your base with a combination of cannon fire and area-of-effect rockets.

It has a DPS output of 80, and can attack both air and ground units. While it cannot actually attack units outside of its "sight" radius, the launchpad's drone can cover a large portion of your base regardless (12-62 metres), which makes it superior to most defensive buildings aside from the Railgun Tower.

Its two main downsides are that the drone itself has a start up delay of 40 seconds, and its extremely high cost (each launchpad costs at least one million supplies to build and a further million with each subsequent upgrade). While its start up counter immediately counts down once a battle commences, the launchpad itself is completely vulnerable to being destroyed without retaliation if enemies get close enough to it. Force Recon infantry teams in particular, will always go after the launchpad if there is a clear path towards it.

Additionally, because of its status of being a powerful defence, it is often the prime target of off-map supports like artillery strikes or smart bombs in Global Conflict matches. This means that the drone will usually never get the opportunity to take off before the battle even properly begins.

Note that the drone itself does not get targeted by units in a battle. Ground and air units alike will always go after the launchpad itself, and should the pad be destroyed then the drone will immediately crash to the ground. It also has a minimum attack range, and cannot engage any units that get within the minimum radius of the launchpad.

Trivia

• The Drone Launchpad's helicopter is based on a modified model of the UH-80 Ghost Hawk transport helicopter from ArmA 3, but simply reconfigured into an unmanned attack drone with stub wings.
  • Its configuration is also quite similar to the UH-60 from ArmA: Cold War Assault, which had a variant that was outfitted with rocket pod-armed stub wings.

Gallery

An unupgraded Drone Launchpad.

See also

• Railgun Tower