Red Dawn finally gives Team Yankee players the big transport helicopters many have wanted for ages.
Better still, these are not trapped inside one special mission. They can appear in normal games, which opens some very cinematic list-building doors. For Soviet, NATO, and allied forces, this is pure rule-of-cool with real tactical bite. This is a summary of a Battlefront Community article found here.
Red Dawn Hips, Chinooks, Sea Knights, and Sea Stallions Change Deployment
The article focuses on four transport helicopters: the Mi-8 Hip, CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-47 Chinook, and CH-53 Sea Stallion. All four have door guns, firing only on the turn they land with ROF 4. However, their main value is transport capacity, not damage output. The Mi-8 and Chinook carry eight passengers, the Sea Knight carries six, and the Sea Stallion carries ten. All have 5+ saves, so careless flying can get expensive fast. The Mi-8 is hit on 3+, matching Soviet doctrine, while the NATO helicopters are hit on 4+. That makes table position, timing, and enemy anti-air suppression very important.
The Mi-8 Hip serves Soviet, Warsaw Pact, and Cuban forces. Soviet BMD Air Assault, VDV Afgantsy, mortar, and Afgansty Air Assault units can add one Hip per eight teams. Attachments are ignored when buying helicopters, although excess teams must be left out. That matters when adding SA-14s, AGS-17s, or AT-4 Spigots. BMDs and BTR-Zs parachute in during Airborne missions or arrive later in normal missions. Warsaw Pact and Cuban motor rifle units can also swap ground transports for Hips under similar rules. Honestly, Mi-8s carrying Afgantsy beside Mi-24 Hinds sounds like a beautiful nightmare.
The CH-46 Sea Knight belongs to US Marines. It replaces a Marine Rifle Platoon’s Hueys with three Sea Knights at no extra cost. Meanwhile, the CH-47 Chinook serves US Army and British forces. U
S Huey Rifle Platoons can swap to two Chinooks, while British Lynx Airmobile or Milan platoons can use one Chinook. Again, these swaps cost nothing.
Finally, the CH-53 Sea Stallion supports US Marines and West German Fallschirmjäger. Marines swap Hueys for two Sea Stallions, while Germans can use one for infantry. More importantly, CH-53s can carry Wiesel TOW or 20mm AA teams. That is huge, since air-mobile infantry can land with nearby anti-tank and anti-air support.
Summary and Final Thoughts
Overall, these helicopters add style and utility without rewriting the game. Players can buy resin models, use cardboard cut-outs, and get unit cards through the Airborne mission pack. The NATO kits include cardboard rotors, while the Mi-8 uses plastic rotors from a Hind sprue. For more details, read the original article, Red Dawn Transport Helicopter Preview. That is great news for players who love dramatic vertical movement.
