Ka-50 Attack

The Ka-50 Attack is a Russian Mafia anti-armor and anti-infantry helicopter that is featured in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

Overview
The Ka-50 is the rarest helicopter in Mercenaries 1, found and usable only once in the entire game. Which is a shame as it is a very versatile helicopter with very good maneuverability and armor.

The Ka-50 is encountered only during the contract 'Housekeeping'. During this mission you must take out 4 renegade Mafia officers, one of which is located right near a Ka-50. The officer you're looking for is at the NK village. It is wise to approach with a Mafia disguise or one of the Mafia Thugs may pilot the Ka-50, making it difficult if not impossible to acquire. There is a way to capture the Ka-50 every time. Approach the site from the west on foot. Just to the left of some boulders are two buildings. Pass between them, hugging closer to the northernmost of the 2 buildings and run straight for the Ka-50 and hijack it. If you are fast enough, you can get away and hide the bird, return to the site and snipe the officer from the hills to the east.

Tactics
The weapons featured on the Ka-50 make it extremely useful in dealing with all sorts of armored vehicles and at the same time still retains good anti-infantry capabilities. Unlike most helos, this one has a double cannon that fires 2-shot bursts in rapid succession. Watch your ammo as it will deplete faster than a K-200 or M-3 Bradley. The destructive power is the same as those AIFVs.

Due to the sleek design of the helicopter it is also quite fast and easy to maneuver when compared to other gunships. Although not as strong as the Mi-35 Gunship in terms of armor it can still take a good amount of small arms fire and continuous heavy MG fire, however, explosives will easily bring it down.

Trivia

 * A repainted version of Ka-50 returns in the PlayStation 2 version of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. It is seen flying for the Venezuelan Army and is called the Ribera Gunship.
 * The Ka-50, at the time the game was released, was only used by the Russian Air Force. How the Mafia got a hold of it is unknown. It is possible they bought it from a corrupt officer in the Russian military.

Real life
The Ka-50 Attack is based on the Kamov Ka-50 "Black Shark".