Helicopters have gotten a bad rep in previous Battlefield titles, and Battlefield 6 appears to be no different, for a good reason – they’re fast, they’re strong, and a good pilot can ruin an objective in thirty seconds flat out. But the good news is, these flying pests aren’t invincible, and no magic is needed to bring ‘em down.
There is a notable trend sweeping across TikTok in the early weeks of release, where players are posting videos of themselves destroying helicopters, jets and sometimes even tanks. The phenomenon is affectionately known as ‘death to metal birds’, with players seemingly eager to eliminate threat from above.
So what’s needed to destroy attack helicopters in Battlefield 6? Well, a good amount of preparation, positioning, and a good team to attack it with, for one. We’ve compiled a guide to show you exactly how to punch holes in those pesky rotors, a little bit like you’ve been doing it your whole life already.
How to Destroy Helicopters and Planes in Battlefield 6
- Pick The Right Gear
This might seem like a no-brainer, given the class-system in BF6, but that doesn’t detract from its truthfulness. If you want chopper scraps, you’ve got to select the right Battlefield class for you. The Engineer for example is perfect for this. Lock-on anti-vehicle rockets are your best friend, because shoulder-fired SAMs are reliable at taking choppers down, as well as taking almost no aim to do the job.
If you prefer to have at least a little bit of a skill ceiling, try vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft cannons or the heavy rocket launcher, if you can get those direct hits. In order to keep fire sustained, bring ammo packs or, even better, a support teammate – because there’s nothing worse than being hunted by a helo after a first successful shot, and then running out mid-engagement.
- Lock On First, and Then Test Your Patience
In our time with Battlefield 6, and years of practice with previous entries, we’ve seen one big rookie move being the death of a lone, perhaps overzealous soldier all too often; spamming those rockets as soon as the helicopter rears its ugly head. News flash ladies, modern choppers have countermeasures, such as flares, ECM bursts, or even jammers – and Battlefield 6 incorporated some of those mechanics.
Our tip? Force the pilot to use counters, get him where you want him, and then wait. Fire one lock-on to bait a flare, wait for the pilot to dump it, letting him think it’s safe. Then you hit them with the follow-up that brings the helicopter down, maybe reposition in between. Our first point still stands, bring a backup battle buddy to re-supply you, if you run out of ammo. Never hurts.
- Still Want to Use Unguided Rockets? Lead Your Shot
Still want to be the hero, eh? Fine, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. If you’re facing a good Battlefield 6 pilot, they will first play with you, and then eat you up for breakfast, but there’s countermeasures to even that.
You track the helicopter’s movement – should you still be undetected and not hunted, that is – and then lead slightly in front of where you think the pilot is going to swerve to next, because you know, that’s what helo’s do best. Hitting the rail rotor or engine does the most damage in our experience, so aim low at the rear, hope for the best, and then relocate.
- Use the Map Layout To Your Advantage
As you might know, a helicopter flies. Shocker, we know. But as a foot soldier, you can use that to your advantage, just don’t give it any open air to make use of. Pull fights into urban cores, under bridges, or even forested areas, if you have the choice.
Buildings and trees not only break line of sight, but they also let you use cover cleverly, and gives you the opportunity to strike from an unsuspected angle. Works even better with a squad of battle buddies to give you suppressive fire against other soldiers. A neat side-effect is that this terrain make lock-ons for the helicopter tricky, but they also give you predictable chokepoints to ambush a helicopter, if it happens to fly by.
- Teamplay, Teamplay, Teamplay
We’ve kind of hinted at this one already, but there’s nothing more effective than a dedicated helo-death-squad. And yes, we’re coining that term. What we’re trying to say, is that one rocket may not destroy a pro-pilot’s little bird, but two or more definitely will.
Call out your target, sync fire, and use your squad with plenty of ammo drops to keep the pressure on. Even better, if you can force the chopper to land, converge with an AT vehicle or a couple of engineers to finish the job effectively. Battlefield 6 gives you the tools – use them to your advantage.
- Use Vehicles to Bait – And Then Finish The Job
This one might also be a little bit on the nose, but sometimes a pretty obvious tank is the best bait, since helicopters – and jets, for that matter – are built as anti-tank vehicles, so a pilot sometimes can’t resist the cheese on the trap, if you will.
Place a friendly vehicle as bait, hide with your AA – preferably several – and just wait. Of course, you might also have to fend off an enemy squad or two, and you risk being called out, if the squad relays communications to the pilot, but if the pilot commits – coordinate and strike. There’s nothing more satisfying than that.
