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The MQ-12 Falcon is a rotary-wing Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle used exclusively by Pacific NATO forces in ArmA 3. It was added with the release of the Apex DLC.

Overview[]

  • Roles:
    • Observation
    • Laser targeting
    • Air-to-ground fire support
« This autonomous/remotely controlled helicopter drone is mainly used as close air support and can be deployed in the most dangerous zones thanks to its unmanned construction. The Falcon is equipped with a laser designator and can therefore handle surveillance, reconnaissance and target designation tasks. Its greatest strength, however, lies in its armament. It carries two rocket pods, each with 12 unguided rockets and six Scalpel air-to-ground missiles. MQ-12 Falcon can also use countermeasures for self-defense.
Field Manual
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Design[]

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This is a premium asset that requires ownership of the Apex expansion pack.

The Falcon is a single engine, five-bladed, long-endurance helicopter drone. Designed as a semi-stealth VTOL UAV, the Falcon has the ability to autonomously take off and land on any prepared and unprepared surface.

Arma3-Falcon-Loadout

MQ-12 pylon configuration

Armament
It has up to four pylons (two on each stub wing) that support dynamic loadouts.

Any of the following can be fitted onto each of the pylons (1-4):

  • Scalpel (1×)
  • Scalpel (3×)
  • Shrieker HE (7×)
  • Shrieker AP (7×)
  • DAGR (12×)
  • DAR (12×)

The Falcon also has a laser designator which can be used to provide self-designation for some of its weapons.

Arma3-falcon-00

Falcon preparing for take off. Note the DAR rocket pods and Skalpel ATGMs mounted on its stub wings.

Features
Because the Falcon is a rotary-wing helicopter as opposed to being a fixed-wing turboprop/jet aircraft, it is more stable and can hover near a target for extended periods of time.

Through assuming manual control of the Falcon, the operator can command it to act in a forward observation role, lasing targets for other UCAVs (such as for Greyhawks or Sentinels) without having to constantly reposition itself.

As with Ghost Hawk transports, the Falcon's airframe possesses stealthy attributes and is more difficult to detect via radar. Since it lacks an active radar, there is no risk of the Falcon drone getting itself spotted by ground-based anti-aircraft radars (such as those used by the ZSU-39) even when flying within range of ground radars.

However, flying too high will still broadcast its position away to fighter jets, so maintaining a low altitude in a contested airspace is still advisable.

Drawbacks
While the Falcon is quite resilient to ground fire compared to most rotary-wing UAVs, it is by no means impervious to damage. Infantry small arms are still capable of penetrating through its hull's armour, and the Falcon itself is not capable of surviving even a single hit from surface-to-air missiles.

Its lack of turret-mounted autocannons or even a forward-facing Gatling gun greatly hampers the Falcon's utility. It can either bombard clumped-up infantry with rockets or attack light/medium-armoured vehicles with its ATGMs. But outside of those two target types, the Falcon's armament is overkill or is simply a waste against individual soldiers/heavily-armoured vehicles.

Needless to say, it is also completely helpless against enemy jets and armed helicopters, which can attack the Falcon with relative impunity. As such, the drone is not particularly useful by itself due to its lack of flexibility. Just like the larger Blackfoot gunship, the Falcon is best employed as a force multiplier or as a stealthy scout for friendly troops.

Protection[]

The Falcon has a base armour value of 25.

Hull[]

Hull damage is calculated based on the integrity of other components on the Falcon. Until all other parts of the helicopter have been critically damaged, the hull itself can never be "destroyed".

Engine[]

The Falcon's engine can only take a meagre 6.25 points of damage before failure. It incurs a 200% damage penalty from high-explosive (HE) type weapons.

If damaged: Reduced power output and makes it difficult to gain both speed and altitude.
If destroyed: Can potentially blow up the Falcon instantly if overall status of helicopter is at critical.

Avionics[]

The Falcon's onboard avionic systems can only survive 25 points of damage before failing. They take 200% increased damage from HE-type weapons.

Destroying the Falcon's avionics will cause its targeting displays to fail, though it does not actually prevent it from locking on with its weapons or continuing to use its sensors.

Fuel tank[]

The Falcon's fuel tank can only resist 25 points of damage before failure. It takes 200% increased damage from HE-type weapons.

Rupturing the Falcon's fuel tank will not result in a total loss unless the helicopter's damage levels are already at critical.

Main rotor[]

The main rotor can survive 75 points of damage before failure. It takes 250% increased damage from HE-type weapons.

A disabled main rotor makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the Falcon's lift. Unless the tail rotor has also been disabled however, the Falcon can still be (reasonably) controlled at low airspeeds.

Tail rotor[]

The tail rotor can resist up to 50 points of damage before failure. It receives 600% increased damage from HE-type weapons.

A disabled tail rotor will drastically increase torque from the main rotor. At low airspeeds, the Falcon will become extremely difficult to control due to constant yaw shifting to one side.

Stealth[]

The Falcon is harder to detect by infrared/visual-based sensors. It retains limited stealth capabilities against active radars:

RCS[]

The Falcon has a radar cross-section rating of 0.7, which lowers the maximum detection range of active radars by 30%.

IR[]

The Falcon has reduced visibility on the infrared spectrum, and can only be detected at 80% of an infrared-based sensor's maximum range (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).

Visual[]

The Falcon is harder to spot visually, and will reduce a visual-based sensor's range to only 80% of its default distance (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).

Sensors[]

The Falcon has a basic set of sensors that optimise it for its role in providing air-to-ground fire support:

Sensor type Max range (Air/Ground) Min range (Air/Ground) Affected by environment? (%) Target max speed (km/h) Azimuth coverage (°) Elevation coverage (°) Friendly identification range (m)
Infrared A: 3,000 m
G: 2,000 m
A: 500 m
G: 500 m
Fog (0.005%) 180 km/h 50° 36° 2,000 m
Laser A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 180° 180° 0 m
NV A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 180° 180° 0 m
Passive A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 360° 360° 12,000 m
Visual A: 3,000 m
G: 2,000 m
A: 500 m
G: 500 m
Fog/Light (6%) 180 km/h 50° 36° 2,000 m

Infrared Sensor[]

The Falcon's IR Sensor is located in the targeting camera (represented by the orange cone on the SENSORS panel). Although it is technically affected by heavy fog, the range reduction effect is so miniscule (-0.15 metre reduction) that it will be barely noticeable.

Laser Sensor[]

The Falcon's Laser Sensor is forward-facing only. Any designated targets will become visible on the drone's SENSORS panel only when drone is (mostly) facing in the direction of the laser spot.

NV Sensor[]

The Falcon's NV Sensor is forward-facing only. Any IR grenades on the ground will only become visible on the SENSORS panel when the Falcon is (mostly) facing in the direction of the grenade.

Passive Radar[]

The Falcon's Passive Radar can detect Active Radar threats in any direction (regardless of the drone's facing direction). It is represented by the green circle on the SENSORS panel.

Visual Sensor[]

The Falcon's Visual Sensor is located in the targeting camera (represented by the orange cone on the SENSORS panel). The Visual Sensor can be affected by heavy fog and can lose up to 6% of its range depending on its thickness. The Visual Sensor becomes completely blind at nighttime and very low-light conditions.

Armament[]

NOTE: Only the weapons used on the default loadout for the Falcon are listed here. For full details on ordnance that can be mounted on the Falcon's pylons, refer to the dynamic loadouts article.

The Falcon's "gunner" AI controls both weapon systems, which are affixed onto the stub wings extending out from the Falcon's airframe. The AI's camera pod has access to three fields of view and can toggle a day, night or black-hot/white-hot thermal vision mode:

Skalpel[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-mq12falcon-skalpel
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#Skalpel

Infrared-guided air-to-ground anti-tank missiles with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads.

Relies on the Falcon's IR Sensor to function.

DAR[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-mq12falcon-dar
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#DAR

Unguided air-to-ground rockets fitted with high-explosive (HE) warheads.

Strong against groups of infantry and unarmoured/lightly armoured ground vehicles.

Trivia[]

  • The Falcon is based on two real-world UAV designs:[1] the American-made "MQ-8 Fire Scout" (designed by Northrop Grumman) and the "Snark"[2], a UCAV prototype then-designed by New Zealand-based aviation company Tgr Helicorp Ltd.
    • According to the artist who created the model (Christopher Torchia), the Falcon was originally intended to be featured as part of ArmA 3's asset pool but was scrapped from launch. It would not be until the release of the Apex expansion that the Falcon's design was finalised and added into the game.[1]
  • Excluding those from third party-developed Creator DLCs, the Falcon is the only armed rotary-wing based UCAV in ArmA 3.
  • It is the product of an Armaverse company, the Macrotech Corporation.[3]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Torchia, C 2016, MQ12 Falcon UAV, ArtStation, viewed 25 August 2023, <https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EZgz4>.
  2. Eyre, D 2019, TGR HELICORP BANDIT, WOLVERINE, SNARK, ALPINE WASP, Aeropedia, viewed 25 August 2023, <https://aeropedia.com.au/content/tgr-helicorp-bandit-wolverine-snark-alpine-wasp/>.
  3. ARMA 3: Art of War 2021 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., SHOWCASE: Art of War, \a3\missions_f_aow_data\img\showcase_aow_diorama_screen_inforgraphic_ca.paa

External links[]

See also[]

Drones of comparable role and configuration[]

Vehicles of ArmA 3
Wheeled AFV-4 GorgonAMV-7 MarshallHatchbackHEMTTHunterIfritKartMB 4WDMSE-3 MaridOffroadProwlerQilinRhino MGS (UP) • StriderSUVTempestTractorTruckQuadbikeUGV StomperVanZamak (MRL)
Tracked 2S9 SochorAWC NyxBTR-K KamyshCRV-6e BobcatED-1D Mini UGV (ED-1E) • IFV-6a CheetahIFV-6c PantherFV-720 MoraM2A1 Slammer (A4 UP) • M4 ScorcherM5 SandstormMBT-52 KumaT-100 Varsuk (X Futura) • T-140 Angara (T-140K) • ZSU-39 Tigris
Rotor-wing AH-9 PawneeAH-99 BlackfootAR-2 DarterCH-49 MohawkCH-67 HuronDemining DroneMH-9 Hummingbird (M900) • Mi-48 KajmanMi-290 TaruMQ-12 FalconPO-30 OrcaUH-80 Ghost HawkUtility DroneWY-55 Hellcat
Fixed-wing A-143 BuzzardA-149 GryphonA-164 WipeoutCaesar BTTF/A-181 Black Wasp IIKH-3A FenghuangMQ-4A GreyhawkTo-199 NeophronTo-201 ShikraUCAV SentinelV-44X BlackfishY-32 Xi'an
Aquatic Assault BoatMotorboatRHIBSpeedboatSDVWater Scooter
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
Karts DLC | Helicopters DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC
Arma3-factionicon-nato NATO - Vehicles (ArmA 3)
Wheeled AMV-7 MarshallHEMTTHunterProwlerQuadbikeRhino MGS (UP) • UGV Stomper
Tracked CRV-6e BobcatED-1D Pelter (ED-1E Roller) • IFV-6a CheetahIFV-6c PantherM2A1 Slammer (A4 UP) • M4 ScorcherM5 Sandstorm
Rotor-wing AH-9 PawneeAH-99 BlackfootAL-6 PelicanAR-2 DarterCH-67 HuronMH-9 HummingbirdMQ-12 FalconUH-80 Ghost Hawk
Fixed-wing A-164 WipeoutF/A-181 Black Wasp IIMQ-4A GreyhawkUCAV SentinelV-44X Blackfish
Aquatic Assault Boat (Rescue) • Speedboat MinigunSDV
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
Helicopters DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC
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