Helix (Zero Hour)

Introduced late in the conflict with the GLA, the Helix helicopter provided China with a highly flexible airborne platform.

Background
China's reliance on raw firepower on the ground meant that they lacked speed to pursue the retreating GLA. The GLA would be able to outgun China's faster yet light armoured units such as the Gattling Tank and outrun China's heavier assault tanks. The MiG fighters compensated to some degree but could only pursue so far before returning to rearm. By then the GLA would have retreated too far ahead for a second run. The Helix was developed to withstand a durable amount of anti-air fire and have the speed and flexible firepower needed to harass and destroy the hunted. Dubbed the "Overlord of the skies", it also provided a means of transport to fly in units more quickly to the front lines.

The Helix was by default equipped with a basic machine gun/chaingun similar to the USA Comanche's but was able to transport 5 infantry units, a single Construction Dozer, or a single combat vehicle (with the exception of Troop Crawlers, Listening Outposts, or Nuke Cannons) and two infantries. Slow moving and heavily armoured for an airborne unit, the Helix was truly comparable to the Overlord Tank, and was so large that it could even transport a single example of the enormous tanks. Unlike the Overlord, the Helix could be constructed without a Propaganda Center, enabling it to be deployed earlier in any conflict.

The Helix could be upgraded in multiple ways accordingly to the role desired.

General Shin Fai had his forces develop a more specialized model called the Assault Helix, that can be loaded with up to eight infantry who can fire at the enemy below, clear a safe landing zone, land, and attack the enemy.

Abilities
"Like a ton of bricks."

- A Helix dropping its napalm or nuclear bomb

Unit
The following upgrades are purchased for each individual Helix. Only one may be applied to any single Helix at a time.

Weapons
"The Napalm Bomb is ready. Hehehe."

- Helix, after getting the Napalm Bomb

Strategy
"Punish them!"

- Helix in combat

Perhaps the most useful Helix upgrade was the Battle Bunker upgrade, in spite of the fact that it removed the Helix's capacity to transport vehicles, as it turned the Helix into a very useful weapon to counter early tank rushes, particularly by inexperienced generals who may have forgotten to supplement their tanks with anti-air protection. A Helix filled up with Tank Hunters essentially becomes a slower, more expensive, but more powerful Comanche, that could fire upon both tanks and aircraft from within. This flying bunker could also prove deadly against structures. For those who wished to use their Helixes for tactical redeployment of units, the Gatling Cannon was a good option, providing some protection against lightly-armored anti-air units.

Counters
"Heh, more room for weapons."

- Helix dropping off its cargo

While being a rather sturdy aircraft, the Helix was also large and relatively slow-moving. This meant that while it could shoulder a heavier amount of anti-aircraft fire it was a very easy target, especially when damaged. Stinger Sites and Patriots in particular were useful for taking it down. General Alexander's EMP Patriots were nearly unapproachable because of their EMP capabilities. It was a poor match for concentrated anti-aircraft fire. Aircraft such as the Raptor could defeat them easily thanks to their high speed.

Changelog

 * Zero Hour patch 1.03:
 * now displays upgrade cameo for black napalm (China only)
 * now displays upgrade cameo for nuke bomb (Tao only)

Trivia

 * The Helix resembles an over-sized version of the real-life Kamov Ka-29 (NATO reporting name Helix-B), a Russian marine assault helicopter developed from the earlier anti-submarine warfare Kamov Ka-27.
 * Originally, the Helix was supposed to lose its minigun when upgrade it with the Gatling gun. This is the reason why the minigun is a sub-object in the model which can be hidden and also why the Helix has an upgraded weapon set that is identical to the normal one. It was likely changed because the Gatling Cannon needed time to spin up while the minigun can fire right away.
 * The Helix was supposed to drop a pair of napalm bombs; in the final game it will only deploy one.
 * There are unused versions of the Helix for Nuke General. The only significant difference in these is that the Chinese red star is replaced by a radiation symbol.