How to get a Helicopter?
Article · How to Get a Helicopter
How to Get a Helicopter in Hearts of Iron IV
Three steps: build an Aerodynamics and Avionics Facility, research the «Helicopter» special project, set up production and unlock helicopter companies. The longest wait is the helicopter research itself — 500-600 days. The helicopter itself remains a questionable investment.
Step 1: Building the Aerodynamics and Avionics Facility
How do I build the facility? 
Open the construction menu, pick the Aerodynamics and Avionics Facility and click any province with supply. It is a regular building, just an expensive one.
Note: the province must have supply. Without supply, construction is impossible. The Götterdämmerung DLC is also required — no special projects without it, so building the facility would be pointless.
How long does it take?
The base price of the first facility is 
10,000. Each next one costs 6,000 more, so the game punishes facility spam.
Under average conditions — 80% infrastructure, partial mobilization, 15 factories on construction — it takes about 1.5 months. It is the fastest of the three stages; the rest take longer.
Build the Aerodynamics and Avionics Facility from the construction menu in a province with supply. Price — 10,000 for the first.
Takes about 1.5 months. Does not work without the Götterdämmerung DLC.
Step 2: Researching the «Helicopter» Special Project
How do I unlock the project?
No unlocking is required: the project is available the moment the facility is built. The game asks for no prior research — facility done, «Helicopter» sitting in the project list.
Once finished, assign a scientist immediately. It is a long project — every lost month delays completion.
Is the research long?
It is the main bottleneck of the whole process. At research speed 
1.0 — which is the usual case — the project takes 500-600 days to complete. It ties up a scientist for a year and a half while other powers research radars.
At the end, you receive a package: the helicopter itself, the Helicopter Brigade and three techs — the transport company, the recon company and the med-evac company. The next step covers how to use the companies.
Access opens automatically once the facility is built, no requirements.
Long research: 500-600 days at speed 1.0.
Step 3: Production and Helicopter Companies
How many factories and resources?
Requirements depend on scale. The helicopter costs a lot: 9 IC apiece — for reference, a tier-2 rifle costs 
0.5 IC. Plus 
2 aluminium and 
1 steel per machine, and not every country has aluminium to spare.
A good benchmark is 5-15 military factories: 1-2 helicopter companies in every infantry division means 
15-20 factories. 5-10 is enough for a few selected divisions.
How do I get helicopter companies?
Through the research the project itself unlocks. Four total: «Helicopter Brigade», «Helicopter Recon», «Helicopter Med-Evac» and «Helicopter Transports». The right techs have a helicopter icon, making them easy to identify.
The research forms a chain: for helicopter recon, research the regular recon company first, then «Helicopter Recon». Without the base company, the helicopter variant is unavailable.
Which helicopter companies should I use?
Usually none: helicopter companies are weak, and the helicopter itself is an expensive piece of equipment. The recommended choice is «Helicopter Recon»: solid terrain buffs, and it replaces your other recon companies, so no extra recon slot is needed.
The other three only make sense for a specific purpose. All the key numbers are in one place below.
A helicopter costs 9 IC, 2 aluminium and 1 steel. Factories needed: 5-15, 15-20 for mass use.
Companies unlock via helicopter-icon research. Best pick — «Helicopter Recon», it replaces regular recon.
Useful Numbers
All the key figures in one place. Facility — construction, helicopter — equipment, project — special projects.
| What | Number |
|---|---|
| Facility, base price | 10,000, +6,000 per next |
| Facility, build time | About 1.5 months under average conditions |
| «Helicopter» project, duration | 500-600 days at research speed 1.0 |
| Helicopter, price | 9 IC, 2 aluminium, 1 steel |
| Factories for helicopters | 5-15 normally, 15-20 with companies in every infantry division, 5-10 for pinpoint use |
For perspective: a tier-2 rifle costs 0.5 IC, a helicopter 9 — one helicopter equals 18 rifles, so army-wide use is correspondingly expensive.
Facility — 10,000 and 1.5 months. Project — 500-600 days. Helicopter — 9 IC, 2 aluminium, 1 steel.
Factories: 5-15 normally, up to 15-20 for mass use.
What to Remember
1. Facility: Build the Aerodynamics and Avionics Facility in a province with supply. Price — 10,000 for the first, time — about 1.5 months.
2. Project: The «Helicopter» special project unlocks as soon as the facility is built, no requirements. Long research — 500-600 days at speed 1.0.
3. Production: A helicopter costs 9 IC, 2 aluminium and 1 steel. Factories needed: 5-15, 15-20 with companies in every infantry division.
4. Companies: Unlocked by helicopter-icon research. Best pick — «Helicopter Recon», it replaces regular recon.
5. Bottom line: Long road, weak helicopter. Only worth building for a specific purpose.
Facility, a 500-600-day project, factories — and helicopters in the army.
Only build for a specific purpose: expensive, weak equipment.