AH-33 Topachula

The AH-33 Topachula is an armed helicopter in Just Cause 2.

Description/appearance
This is a gunship best resembling the AH-1Z Viper or the Boeing AH-64 Apache with a rear-end similar to the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche. The cockpit bears a slight resemblance to the Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark. It is armed with missile pods and miniguns. It can be found in one of three color schemes, including desert, snow, and jungle.

The helicopter has an impossible design and could not actually fly in reality. The reason for this is the lack of the tail rotor. Without a tail rotor, the torque from the main rotor would cause the craft to spin uncontrollably. However, there are two types of real helicopters that do not need a tail rotor, but this helicopter is clearly neither, as those would need other components that are also not present on the AH-33:


 * The first option would be the NOTAR system. See the schematic below in the gallery.
 * The other type would be a second co-axial main rotor that spins in the opposite direction, like the Kamov 27 (link to Wikipedia).

The "AH" in this helicopter's name conforms to the US armed forces tri-service designation system.

The name "Topachula" likely refers to an obscure Florida unrecognized Native American tribe.

Performance
This helicopter is slightly slower than the Sivirkin 15 Havoc (probably due to its size) but faster than the UH-10 Chippewa. Because of its slow rate of turn, it's best used in ranged attacks against bases. Its dual miniguns can not aim as low as the Havoc's. This makes it difficult for taking out ground troops and small objects. Its takeoff sequence is much more lengthy than those of the other two attack helicopters and you may get shot while waiting for it to complete. The Topachula has the same armor as the Havoc.