AH-1Z Viper

The Bell AH-1Z Viper (Sometimes referred to as the "Zulu" in reference to its variant letter, not to be confused with a Super Cobra aka AH-1W) is a twin-engine Attack Helicopter of the United States Marine Corps. It is an upgraded helicopter, based on the AH-1W Supercobra. The helicopter is a dedicated weapons system with technology comparable to that of the Army's AH-64 Apache.

The AH-1Z features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system.

Battlefield 2
The AH-1Z in Battlefield 2 is the USMC's attack helicopter.

The helicopter is manned by a pilot and a gunner. The pilot controls the flight of the helicopter and the rockets whilst the gunner has control of the gatling cannon and TV-guided missiles. It is slightly better than its PLA counterpart, the WZ-10, because the gunner has a better field of view in the cockpit due to the sights not obstructing the view, but this can be overcome by switching views.

Battlefield 3
A pair of AH-1Z Vipers can be seen flying over the player's unit during the "Thunder Run" Gameplay Trailer. In multiplayer it is the USMC attack helicopter.

Co-Op
The AH-1Z Viper appears in the mission Fire From The Sky being flown by Gunslinger 5-7 (the unit the two players control) as they provide close air support for Warrior 2-1 as they rescue a General who has been held hostage by the PLR.

Player 1 flies the Viper while Player 2 is in the gunner position.

The Viper in the mission is equipped with Guided Missile and a Fire Extinguisher.

Multiplayer
Like the Russian Mi-28 Havoc Helicopter, it carries a pilot and a gunner. The pilot has standard FFAR rockets, 14 to a pod before reloading. The gunner is given the 20mm M197 Gatling cannon, firing 30 high explosive projectiles at a fast rate before reloading.

The AH-1Z is highly versatile and can be fitted with multiple weapon upgrades, from Air to Air missiles to combat airborne jets and other helicopters, and AGM's (Air-To-Ground Missiles) to combat land vehicles.

These upgrades are offered as secondary weapons to the pilot and gunner, allowing the pilot to switch back to the primary FFAR rockets or the gunner to the M197. They also require the pilot to keep their sights over a target to lock on to the target, which can be difficult, especially with fast, highly maneuverable jets. Aside from that, the AH-1Z can be fitted with IR Flares, Air Radar and Stealth Coatings to aid the pilot in combat.

The Viper can easily take out fighters if being used by an experienced pilot with Air to Air Missiles.

It can also crash from running into poles when flying low.

On the Xbox 360 version, there is an Easter egg in the gunner's seat: the control lever on the right has a D-pad and the Xbox buttons A, B, and Y.