Helix Assault Helicopter

WA-11 Helix Assault Helicopter
Minor Faction	North Korean Reinforcements
Other Faction(s)	None
Unit Type	Multirole Helicopter
Designation	Anti-Ground/Transport
Production Building	Reinforcements
Secondary Ability	Disembark Passengers
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	Unknown
Heroic Upgrade	N/A
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Produced by/ Recovered from	Wonsan Aerospace Plant
Key Features	» Yak-B 23mm Gatling cannon  » PKX40 60mm grenade launcher (x2)  » Coaxial rotors eliminate need for tail rotor  » Spacious passenger compartment  » Kim Il-Sung glamour photo (signed)

"We're going to RUIN somebody's day!"

- Helix pilot eager to start a mission.

Tactical Analysis

• The Thunderstorm: Big, armoured and powerful, the Helix is essentially a larger cousin of the Twinblade. While not as fast, the Helix can withstand far more punishment.

• Prepare the Gatling Cannon: The Gatling cannon of the Helix allows it to rain down a constant barrage of bullets on enemy soldiers. In addition, a pair of grenade launchers provide additional firepower against heavier targets.

• The Bunker is Ready: The Helix also serves as a transport. It can carry a staggering number of soldiers across the battlefield, and often serves to transport the DPRK's famed commandos into battles.

• No Upgrades Needed: Helix pilots sent to China have been vetted for their skill in combat and experience. As such, they cannot gain veterancy or heroic upgrades, because they already are heroic!

Operational History

While the KPA has some of the most well trained special forces in the world, even the North Korean commandoes cannot take on an entire army alone. Because of Korea's mountainous terrain, tanks were out of the question. After discarding various concepts (such as mountain terrain walkers and airships), the North Koreans settled on using helicopters, borrowing the idea from the Soviets. Work started right away on a helicopter that could operate in any weather condition, engage multiple types of ground units and transport troops.

After about a dozen failed prototypes and twice the number of men killed in disastrous crashes, the WA-11 Helix was born.

Basically, the fuselage was based off the Krasna KA-32 heavy lift transport helicopter. The design possessed coaxial rotors to provide high lift and a diesel tesla hybrid engine to improve range and speed (which was copied from a Soviet example). To allow it to support the men it drops unto the battlefield, it was given a 12.7mm gatling cannon and a pair of grenade launchers.

These weapons gave the Helix comparable firepower to the Twinblade, and although it cannot lay down devastating rocket barrages like the Twinblade, it can constantly bombard the target with grenades. Though the Helix is much slower, it can take considerably more punishment than a Twinblade, which was considered a fair trade off.

In fact, the Soviets were so impressed by the Helix that they even commissioned North Korean State Industries to build an order of 120 Helix Helicopters for their military, and were considering placing additional orders. However, only 12 were delivered before the Chinese nuclear exchange caused North Korea to shut its borders completely.

Behind the Scenes

• Yes, it's the Helix from Generals: Zero Hour.