MD-500 Scout

"Perfect for lightning-fast attacks."

- Merchant of Menace store caption

The MD-500 Scout is the Korean People's Army's primary light helicopter that is featured in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

Overview
"Originally imported from the US, the MD-500 has been upgraded with a powerful 7.62mm minigun and twin anti-tank missiles. Warning: we cannot be responsible for friendly-fire incidents caused by the use of North Korean vehicles."

- Merchant of Menace store description

The MD-500 Scout is maneuverable, fast (making a good transport for people who are rather impatient), and one of the most common helicopters in the game.

The Scout is worth hijacking from the KPA, and is easy to hijack as well. While the mercenary cannot use a grappling hook like he/she can in the 2nd game, it is easy to shoot out the pilot using a sniper rifle, hopefully causing it to crash-land with little damage. It is very common in the southern province, especially from easy driving distance from the Mafia HQ, along with spawning quickly, meaning that if you accidentally destroy one, there's more where it came from. It's even commonly found parked in NK bases, although they will attempt to get them in the air when the mercenary is spotted.

If friendly with the Mafia, they offer this helicopter at $92,000. It is preferable to hijack one or snipe the pilot and hope that it doesn't blow upon crashing. Due to being a helicopter, you cannot sell this vehicle. It can be unlocked in the Merchant of Menace by completing the bonus objective in 'Raw Materials'.

When the player destroys a North Korean MD-500 Scout helicopter, $4,000 is added to their account.

Tactics
Once in the player's hands it is very deadly against light vehicles, with a minigun that can quickly kill off the crew of many non-armored vehicles. It also comes with two missiles, although the missiles are usually only enough to destroy one armored unit. The minigun is very effective against infantry, if you can spot and hit them, which is pretty hard to do if the player is trying to fly high enough to not be hit.

The MD-500 is not NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) shielded and cannot be taken into radioactive areas without harm to its pilot and passenger.

The MD-500 is also very fragile, capable of sustaining small-arms fire for only a little while, although thankfully, the player cannot be shot out of the cockpit. The pilot should also be very aware of any potential anti-air units, and immediately land if one is spotted, as the MD-500's light armor cannot withstand direct fire from anti-air missiles.

Real Life
The MD-500 Scout is based on the MD 500 helicopter series, which were acquired and modified by the North Koreans to fire anti-tank missiles.

Related pages

 * MD-530 Scout