Half-Life Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Half-Life Wiki
This subject is from the Combine era.
Imagecat This article is about the Combine helicopter. For the HECU helicopter, see AH-64 Apache.
Wiki cleanup This article has yet to be cleaned up to a higher standard of quality.
You can help by correcting spelling and grammar, removing factual errors, rewriting sections to ensure they are clear and concise, and moving some elements when appropriate. Visit our Cleanup Project for more details and, please, notify the administrators before removing this template.

 
"Eli's hideout is here, a stones throw from the apron and nestled in the old hydro plant. But getting there, with that Hunter-Chopper on your ass, next to impossible."
―Citizen[src]
 

The Hunter-Chopper is a Combine rotorcraft used to provide heavy fire support for Combine Overwatch forces. Like the Combine APC and the Razor Train, this vehicle is a conventional human design re-engineered by the Combine using their technology.

Overview[]

Hunter chopper canals

A Hunter-Chopper in the Canals.

The Hunter-Chopper is the Combine's re-imagining of a human attack helicopter, retaining many features found in modern attack helicopters made and designed in combination with Combine technology. At the front is it's cockpit. This cockpit, made of a bulletproof and seemingly opaque glass, houses two Overwatch soldiers who function as it's pilot and gunner. Below it, a pulse gun equipped with a flashlight which shoots bursts of pulse energy forms the Hunter-Chopper's main armament. A vertical rotor is located behind this gun to assist with maneuvering.

At it's main body, four blades are attached to a rotor located on the top of it's body by which it generates lift. Two wings are located on each side of the vehicle, each armed with missiles. Bombs are deployed out of the Hunter-Chopper's backside to targets below. Despite their large size and mechanical appearance, the Hunter-Chopper can store huge amounts of these bombs inside it's cargo indicating it can be stored in a compact form, or that a teleporter is used to move bombs into the Hunter-Chopper.

The tail of the Hunter-Chopper features another rotor vertically housed within the body. It is mounted on a pivot, so that the tail rotor can angle itself and provide greater maneuverability.

Hunterchoppermine

A Hunter-Chopper deploying mines in the chapter Water Hazard.

Hunter-chopper bomb

The Hunter-Chopper's contact mine.

Application[]

Hunter-Choppers, true to their name, are most often seen hunting down refugees or high priority targets. They patrol City 17 and the Canals searching for refugees attempting to escape the city. These repurposed Combine vehicles can track their targets relentlessly over an extended period of time through uneven terrain and cover, suggesting a method such as infra-red that can detect live targets through obstacles. When a target is in clear view, the chopper's gun will initiate a wind-up sequence followed by a burst of pulse projectiles which will spray the area surrounding the target. In the case of a target moving in a high speed using a vehicle such as an airboat or a car, Hunter Choppers will drop timed mines further on the road in order to hit the moving vehicle or force it off it's path.

While their main application is pursuit, Hunter-Choppers are also perfectly capable assault vehicles as well and can provide support for Combine troops with the aforementioned armaments as well as the missiles on their wing.

Tactics[]

Hunter-chopper cannon

Detail of the Hunter-Chopper's pulse cannon.

Like all Combine vehicles, Hunter-Choppers are immune to small-arms fire. They are typically encountered before the player has any means to take them down but the means to avoid them, such as a vehicle. During this point, the player should focus on avoiding the Hunter-Chopper instead. Keep an ear out for the wind-up sound which signals an incoming pulse burst from it's gun. Due to the spread of this burst, damage is typically unavoidable but can be minimized by going fast and careful maneuvering. The more dangerous hazards are the mines which the choppers drop in front of the player. Be careful not to get too close or run over one as they deal significant damage.

In Half-Life 2, the player will be provided the means to damage the Hunter-Chopper during the chapter Water Hazard. The first one are emplacement guns stationed on the tower of a dam facility. This gun fires unlimited bursts of pulse rounds like that of the Chopper's. The path to the emplacement gun is difficult with Civil Protection officers, manhacks and the chopper itself getting in their way but once they get to the tower, the player will be able to damage the chopper. The player will have plenty of cover during this time and can shoot down the chopper even from cover provided they know it's location. The chopper will take a certain amount of damage before retreating.

Airboatgun

The Hunter-Chopper's pulse cannon featured on the Airboat.

The same gun will later be installed by a Vortigaunt into the Airboat in a Resistance checkpoint. This version does not fire unlimited bullets, but has a cache of 100 rounds which will regenerate over time after usage. The player will encounter a chopper shortly after this, but this one will also retreat after significant damage. The final encounter with the Hunter-Chopper will occur further down the map at an open area, where the chopper can be seen on a helipad. If the player is low on health or armor, be sure to raid nearby supply caches first for medkits and batteries before moving forward as collecting them during the fight can be difficult.

When the player moves forward enough, the chopper will take off. Ammo management is key during this battle as the player will have to consider the reserve and speed of regeneration. Fire in short bursts rather than continuously to ensure the player always have ammo reserves. As the gun fires in burst, firing at the chopper when it is far away is less effective so it is better to fire when the chopper is at a medium to close distance to maximize effectiveness. The chopper will initially use it's mounted gun for the battle so keep in mind that the Chopper's field of view is directly in front of it. Shooting it from below or it's side can ensure the player doesn't take the hits. There will be plenty of cover in the area to use such as rocks and shipwrecks as well, but pay attention to environmental hazards like explosive barrels that can take a chunk of health when they explode. Supply crates will also be available around the map, so collect them when necessary.

When the chopper takes enough damage, it will attempt an emergency maneuver and release all of it's mines from up high to carpet-bomb the area. Avoid getting near to these especially if there are still explosive barrels in the area. The Hunter-Chopper will resume firing after this point but should already be on mid to low health so keep firing at it while keeping all of the above in mind. Once the chopper's health is depleted, it will explode into pieces and crash.

The player will have to dodge and fight a Hunter-Chopper again during Episode Two. A short chase will ensue in which the player will have to use the same tactics as the Airboat chase sequences to dodge the Hunter-Chopper's gun and bombs. After the car crashes and it's engines are damaged, the player will have to engage the chopper. The means to destroy it this time will be supplied by the chopper itself: it's own mines. The player will have to use the Gravity Gun to launch the chopper's mines back into it.

The player will have to use the Gravity Gun to launch the chopper's mines back into it. The chopper will continuously drop mines one at a time, so the player will have plenty of ammunition. The key point is to adjust aim according to the chopper's position; since the mines are physics objects, they will arc over a great distance rather than fly straight. It is easier to hit the chopper when it is stationary or moving less, but proper timing and aim can ensure a hit on the chopper even when it is moving. Alyx will supply medkits from a nearby position, so go to her should the player need health. When it is damaged enough, this chopper will also carpet-bomb the area with a multitude of mines. Once the player avoids these, continue launching the mines back at the chopper until it is taken down. Be sure to use cover when necessary as well.

A Hunter-Chopper is encountered at the end of Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. This chopper is actually a reskinned gunship, so the player should refer to gunship tactics instead.

Behind the scenes[]

Chopper attack

The original Hunter-Chopper, a Ka-27.

  • As the Combine were originally to recycle or replace existing human technology, the original helicopter model was a human one, based on the Soviet military helicopter Ka-27. Another Russian helicopter, the Mil Mi-8, is featured at the end of Episode Two, in White Forest.
  • If one is to go to the Half-Life 2 beta canals, the chopper is flying and will shoot at the player, but it will not give chase.[2]
  • The game-play mechanic of the Hunter-Chopper dropping more bombs than it can seemingly hold came from a bug during development. Programmer Brian Jacobson accidentally set the unit to drop so many bombs, system instability occurred. However during play testing, he liked it so much that he decided to make that a feature in game. (Albeit altered to run under realistic processing parameters.)[1]
  • The Hunter-Chopper has a variant called "Electrical Drone" which is partially functional. Although it is never seen in any official game, it can be created in Hammer. The electrical drone behaves similarly to a normal Hunter Chopper, producing the same sounds and the same rotorwash effect, but it will appear as a helicopter mine in-game (which is probably a placeholder for an appropriate model which was never completed), and will not fire directly at the player, instead, it will cause minor electrical damage to anything which stands directly beneath it.
  • The Hunter-Chopper resembles a heavily-modified Mil Mi-24 Hind D, especially from the front. Due to the fact that the Hunter-Chopper is essentially redesigned human technology, this may not be a coincidence. The Hunter-Chopper and Hind both share similar characteristics; they are both used to attack enemy targets, they both have tandem cockpits and they are both large, heavily armed and armored helicopters.
    • It also resembles the Mil Mi-28, another Russian tandem cockpit helicopter that has a sharper design.

Related achievements[]

Half-Life 2[]

Hl2 kill chopper
Revenge! 5 Gscore
Destroy the Hunter-Chopper.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two[]

Ep2 kill chopper nomisses
Puttin' On a Clinic 5 Gscore
Defeat the chopper in Episode Two without any misses.

Trivia[]

D1 canals chopper

Hunter-Chopper in the Canals.

  • It is possible to destroy a Hunter-Chopper with the turrets mounted on a control tower in Gate 5, and with the Airboat's mounted gun. When the chopper flies off for repair, the player can advance with the Airboat through Gate 5, far enough for the next chopper to appear, but not far enough for gate to close. When the next chopper starts pursuing, the player can retreat to the tower with pulse turrets and destroy it, because it does not flee. On some occasion it may just stand still and does not chase or shoot the player after all but may not reach to the tower.
  • In order to destroy the Hunter-Chopper in Episode Two, the player must use its mines via the Gravity Gun and punt them at the Chopper itself. There is an achievement called Puttin' On A Clinic, which involves destroying the chopper with its mines without any misses.
  • When the Hunter-Chopper's mines - even inactive ones underneath structures - are taken by the Gravity Gun, they beep much louder and flash. Closed Captions mark it as "Mine captured."
  • In Lost Coast, the Chopper is just a Gunship using the Hunter-Chopper's model. It has the same capabilities as one, gets destroyed in three RPG blasts, and destroys a catwalk when it is destroyed, allowing the player to advance.
00565086-photo-half-life-2-episode-two

Rebel firing at a Hunter-Chopper with an OSIPR in the Outlands.

  • The Chopper gun mounted on the Airboat looks identical to the one used by the chopper, but sounds completely different. It also does not need to charge up before firing, having to recharge its ammo after it is depleted and shoots a tighter pulse stream than the Chopper's.
  • During the final fight with the chopper at the end of Water Hazard and Riding Shotgun, it is possible to see the corpse of a Combine Soldier fall out of the chopper after it has taken enough damage. However, this is entirely cosmetic. It has no effect on the actions of the chopper itself - the gun does not stop firing nor does the aircraft fall to the ground.
    • This could imply that the chopper has a autopilot or that the other Soldier will take his place, and the chopper can be controlled with only one crew member at minimum.
  • After acquiring the pulse rifle on the Airboat, it is possible (although tricky) to drive it past the barricade at the start of the level and return to the previous map (where the Chopper was seen chasing the player), and destroy the Chopper with the newly installed weapon there. However, since the chase spans several maps, the player will find that each map actually contains its own Hunter-Chopper; each of them can be destroyed to allow the player to explore the levels more thoroughly.
  • When the helicopter is damaged enough, it makes a warning sound that sounds like the "Autopilot disengaged" warning from a Boeing 767.
  • On the body can be seen the alphanumerics "V952", also featured on other Combine devices.
  • A Hunter-Chopper will always make a short noise that sounds like a beep becoming higher in pitch.

Gallery[]

Pre-release[]

Retail[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

Imagecat The Half-Life Wiki has more images related to Hunter-Chopper.
Advertisement