With every update since 2023 or so, jets have been steadily becoming more powerful against even the strongest helicopters in the game. I’ve noticed that helicopters are appearing less and less in Ground RB. At this point, getting strafed or hit by a missile is almost inevitable, whether you’re reloading at the helipad or not.
However, jets being stronger than helicopters isn’t the issue, of course. The real problem is that making it back to the helipad with severe damage offers no reward to the pilot. This makes no sense—after all, the severe damage mechanic was implemented to prevent kill-stealing. In Air RB, a severely damaged jet that reaches the airbase is repaired (as far as I know), so why isn’t the same logic applied to helicopters in Ground RB?
As it stands, helicopters suffer from a situation where survival and piloting skill are nearly meaningless. Even if a pilot manages to (partially) evade enemy fire and limp back to the helipad, they receive no repair or reward, making their effort feel pointless. This discourages helicopter play in Ground RB, further reducing their presence on the battlefield. I believe the best way to determine whether a helicopter deserves repair is already in the game: if it can’t safely make it back to the helipad, it will either crash or explode due to damage, making an artificial restriction unnecessary.
A simple solution would be to allow helicopters with severe damage to be repaired at the helipad, just like jets in Air RB. This would give helicopter pilots a fighting chance to return to battle instead of being forced to J-out or sit there helplessly until the match ends.
Of course, I’m focusing on jets rather than SPAA because jets frequently miss the pilot of a helicopter, while ground-launched anti-air missiles are far deadlier than strafing runs or Fox-3s.
- Yes
- I somewhat agree; less drastic / different measures should be taken
- No