 | Call Of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 |
Counter-UAV is a multiplayer killstreak reward in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. After achieving a killstreak of 4 (killing 4 enemies in a row without dying, or three in a row if the perk Hardline is selected), the player can call in a Counter-UAV Predator drone that will competely obscure the maps and minimaps of all enemies with static for 30 seconds. This effect is identical to that of the Scrambler perk at its closest range. As with either effect, any affected player that activates a killstreak reward that causes the full map to come up, as for an airstrike, will find that map and the player markers on it completely obscured as well. The Counter-UAV drone is identical to the UAV Recon drone, and can likewise be destroyed in order to end its effect - it does, however, fly slightly higher than its Recon cousin. The Counter-UAV will (as its name may suggest) obscure enemy maps even while they have a UAV Recon drone active, even if the Recon drone is actived after the Counter-UAV. It is not available as a killstreak by default and must be unlocked. As with the UAV Recon killstreak, the player is awarded 100 XP upon its activation.
This killstreak best complements an overall stealth/recon class, complete with UAV Recon, Ninja, heartbeat sensor, and silenced weapons. When used altogether, the player can, at least for a short time, be completely impervious to detection by anything but the naked eye. Alternately, it can be used to compensate for a lack of stealth, allowing a player without a silencer to open fire with much less fear of being located.
Obviously, the Counter-UAV offers almost no advantage against an opponent that simply does not use their map/minimap. Likewise, it does not contribute at all to the stealthiness of those already using silenced weapons andCold-Blooded, as they will already never appear on enemy radar (though, as always, silencers will still make it more difficult for enemies to locate the shooter either by sound or watching tracers). The argument can even be made that, while enemies excessively focused on their minimaps are easier to catch unaware, the Counter-UAV forces them to take their eyes off the minimap and search their surroundings more carefully, and may therefore actually make them more dangerous to those using silencers. Its usefulness is also greatly reduced on the smallest maps, such as Rust andScrapyard, where the fight is often too fast-paced and obvious to afford or warrant a glance at the minimap. However, there is always at least one guaranteed use of the Counter-UAV: enemies will be unable to aim their killstreak airstrikes on the map while it is obscured. If an enemy activates such a killstreak while under a Counter-UAV, they will either have to guess at their target or be immobilized while they wait for the Counter-UAV to depart.
Counter-UAV is often considered useless in Hardcore games, where there is generally no minimap. However, not only is it useful to counter Recon UAVs, but obscuring the large map with it prevents an enemy team from locating each other with anything but the naked eye, as well. As such, activating it while they are spread out, as after a mass respawn, can destroy their cohesion and allow them all to be picked off individually
Counter-UAV is particularly useful in Search and Destroy as it makes locating the HQ and planning avenues of approach to it far more difficult. It is also ideal for Free for Allgames, as it will obscure every single player's map but your own, giving you a distinct advantage.
