Mi-28 Havoc

The Mil Mi-28 (NATO reporting name "Havoc") is a Russian all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor Attack Helicopter. It is a dedicated attack helicopter with no intended secondary transport capability, better optimized than the Mil Mi-24 for the Anti-Tank role. It carries a single gun in an undernose Barbette, plus external loads carried on pylons beneath stub wings.

Battlefield 2
In Battlefield 2, the Mi-28 is the MEC's attack helicopter. Compared to its American counterpart, the AH-1Z Viper, it is slightly bigger and its rocket pod sights are easier to use for the Anti-Armor role while the AH-1Z's is meant for Anti-Infantry purposes. The Mi-28's Machine Gun used in the gunner seat is very different than the AH-1Z's. The Mi-28 gun has only half the ammo of the AH-1Z 3-barrel Autocannon, but has twice the overall power and inflicts more damaging splash damage, as well as a larger splash damage radius. Also, snipers using the Barrett M95 Sniper Rifle can pick off the gunner and pilot of an AH-1Z much easier than a gunner and pilot of a Mi-28 as the Mi-28 puts more space between the gunner and pilot than the AH-1Z.

Battlefield: Bad Company
The Mil Mi-28 Havoc in Battlefield: Bad Company is the Russian Armed Forces' main attack helicopter. Its counterpart is the American AH-64 Apache.

Appearances
Gold Rush:
 * End of the Line

Conquest
 * End of the Line
 * Crossing Over
 * Par for the Course

Tactics
The Mi-28 takes slightly more than a full load of rockets to take down a Main Battle Tank. So the best tactic is to press the trigger slowly so the player will not run out of ammo and waste shots. Another tactic is to fly low-altitude and fly behind the enemy vehicle and slowly shoot rockets at the rear. However the helicopter is vulnerable this way and, if the player is not fast enough, an enemy rocket launcher could shoot down the helicopter or the tank could shoot the player with its main cannon, instantly destroying the chopper.

It is wise to have a gunner in the helicopter as he can take down enemy infantry with ease and can help the player take down an enemy Heavy Tank faster.

In a Helicopter dogfight the player should always try to get above the enemy helicopter and get close for a kill as it only takes 2 helicopter rockets to shoot another one down.

Singleplayer
The Mi-28 appears occasionally in singleplayer, usually used by the Russian military. In the campaign, it uses it's 30mm cannon and rocket launchers. It appears toward the end of Cold War, during the car chase segment, where an Mi-28 attempts to destroy Bad Company's M939 truck.
 * Cold War
 * Sangre del Toro

During Sangre del Toro, while the player is trying to clear the separate bases to find the Sangre del Toro, the player must face Mi-28s at two instances, one at the bastion, and two others at the village in the canyon.

Rush

 * Oasis

Conquest

 * Atacama Desert
 * Port Valdez
 * Heavy Metal

Acquiring the Mi-28
The Mi-28 Havoc is the Russian Army's attack helicopter.

It appears at the Russian deployment for the conquest maps listed above. It is recommended that the player spawn and get into the helicopter as quickly as possible if they wish to use it, to avoid the rush of team-mates that wish to enter it. Try to take off as soon as allowed because some team-mates may not take kindly to the player taking it before them and will try and shoot the player out of it, or even down the entire helicopter by causing the pilot to lose control through the use of the anti-aircraft gun or rocket launchers. Another tactic is to infiltrate the opposing side's spawn and steal their helicopter.

Flying
Piloting the Havoc is slightly easier than piloting other helicopters because of its reduced speed. It also seems to fly slightly slower than the Apache. As with all helicopters, it is wise to practice flying before using it in battle.

Armament
The standard armament of the Havoc in the game is very similar to other helicopters. It carries a rocket salvo which is inaccurate unless the pilot is able to line up and steady the crosshairs on a target, however a direct hit on lightly armored vehicles such as the ATV, HMMWV, etc. will destroy it. A main battle tank or APC will require more hits. The Gunner's main weapon is the under-mounted autocannon. It shoots a quick burst of 30mm shells that is highly useful against infantry and lighter vehicles. With the Vehicle Alternate Weapon Specialization, the pilot gains a Hellfire Missile, while the gunner gains the ability to fire a Tracer Dart for said missile, however, both the pilot and the co-pilot need to have the specialization selected.

Tactics
The Havoc takes slightly more than a full load of rockets to take down a Main Battle Tank, so a recommended tactic is to press the trigger in short bursts or single presses, as that improves accuracy and doesn't waste rockets.

Another tactic is to fly at a low-altitude behind the enemy vehicle and slowly shoot rockets at the rear of the vehicle. However the helicopter is vulnerable to ground fire this way and, if the player is not fast enough, an enemy rocket launcher could shoot the helicopter down or a tank could shoot the player down with its main cannon.

It is advised to have a gunner in the helicopter because the 30mm cannon can take down enemy infantry with ease and can help the player take down an enemy tank faster. The gunner should also be the one to target solitary infantry units and fast moving quad bikes instead of the pilot, due to the nature of the gunner's weapon. The pilot should be concentrating on maneuvering the helicopter into good firing positions and taking down armoured vehicles, as the gunner's weaponry is less useful against them.

In a helicopter dogfight the player should always attempt to get above the enemy helicopter and get close, as it takes less than a full burst of rockets to shoot another helicopter down. Another tactic for dog-fighting is that the pilot moves around and, before firing, stabilizes the chopper. This can boost accuracy which is, due to the limited number of rockets per salvo, very important. Another method could be moving around and leading the rockets, even though it can prove to be difficult.

Anti-air guns are one of the greatest threats to a helicopter. If an anti-air gun is causing trouble, the pilot should retreat or destroy it. There are several methods to countering an anti-air gun such as the ZU-23-2 and the VADS. One method is to use the surrounding cover for protection. The pilot should then surprise the operator of the anti-air gun and eliminate him in one or two strafing runs. The other method is for the pilot to fly in an unpredictable pattern and allow the gunner to take care of the anti-air gun.

If fighting a UAV, the primary target is the operator. Depending on what angle the player fires the missiles, it may take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 salvos of missiles to destroy the emplacement, and a direct hit will kill the operator.

Using the Alternate Weapon Package, the pilot gains a guided missile that locks on to Tracer Darts. If the gunner is also using the Alternate Weapon specialization, Tracer Darts can be fired alongside the main cannon

If the player does not have a gunner to mark targets for their secondary Hellfire missile, using the secondary weapon package is not recommended. Instead of the secondary weapon package, employing the Smoke Countermeasures package allows the player to release flares which automatically remove any attached Tracer Darts, allowing the player to evade guided rockets. If the player wants to take down a target faster, the Improved Warheads Package is recommended.

Destroying the Mi-28 Havoc
The Havoc can be taken down in a several ways, one of which is to use the Stationary AT/KORN turret. This is hard, since the player needs to lead the target, and the pilot gets a warning siren when fired at. Achieving this will give the player an achievement or trophy called "Careful Guidance" for "taking down an enemy helicopter with a stationary RPG".

Another way is to shoot it with an RPG-7 or M2 Carl Gustav after a player with a Tracer Dart Gun plants a Tracer Dart on the helicopter. It is easier to do this task with the RPG-7, as it requires just a single rocket to down the aircraft. The M2CG, although having a faster projectile, will usually require two hits before the aircraft is downed unless the Improved Demolitions upgrade is equipped. Using the launchers without Tracer Darts is more difficult, and rarely works against distant targets, although it is a viable tactic when helicopters are flying close to the ground.

The easiest way is to take it down with a stationary AA gun. These hit the chopper quickly and don't give the pilot a warning siren. However, the only problem is that the player has to hit the helicopter several times to destroy it, but experienced players who lead their shots properly can destroy most chopper pilots with little trouble.

If the pilot is experienced and is circle-strafing, it can be extremely difficult to shoot the Havoc down, seeing as it will be flying around in a 360 degree circle. The best method is to anticipate the helicopter's flight path by aiming down your rocket launcher's sight and firing a rocket off just before the helicopter flies into your rocket launcher's sights. This way, the helicopter will most likely fly right into the rocket. It may not destroy it in one hit, however it will knock the helicopter off course and potentially cause the pilot to panic and lose control, making it easier to finish it off, if the chopper doesn't crash into the ground, trees, buildings, etc.

Sniping the helicopter pilot is a very efficient method, but very difficult method of taking down the Havoc, especially if the pilot is very skilled. It is best done with a M95, as it fires high caliber rounds that have less bullet drop than other sniper rifles. If the cockpit comes into view, aim directly above it and fire. The bullet will gradually drop while in the air and hopefully hit the pilot or gunner. The only way to know if the pilot is dead is if the kill notification appears on the screen or if the helicopter falls out of the sky.

The Heavy MG is very effective against helicopters; firing in front of the Havoc so that the bullets lead into its flight path and hit it is highly efficient.

Another very effective way of taking down the Havoc is flying a UAV-1 into the Havoc's rotors. The player will not be awarded any points for this action since the game will recognize this as the pilot committing suicide, though it will disrupt, if not destroy the Havoc. This method is easy to do with the UAV as it is fast and maneuverable, however there is a significant chance that it will destroy the UAV. One can also do this with another helicopter (such as a Blackhawk or an Apache), but this is commonly recognised as a waste of a vehicle, since the success rate of such a move is very low. It can turn the tides on the battlefield if facing a very experienced pilot, however.

Trivia

 * In Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the Mi-28 Havoc is a direct equivalent (in stats) to the AH-64 Apache.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, several Mi-28s can be seen completely destroyed on Nelson Bay.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, on Panama Canal, Mi-28s can be seen flying over the map in groups to the city area.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the Havoc was the only helicopter to not appear in the Rush game mode. This was changed with the addition of Oasis from the VIP Map Pack 7.