Two years ago, developer Digital Illusions and publisher EA Games released what would become one of the most popular online games today: Battlefield 1942. This fast-paced first-person shooter let you play as a WWII soldier armed with contemporary weapons. Additionally, this soldier had the ability to jump into just about any nearby vehicle to go for a ride. The original game included fighter planes, battleships, and plenty of tanks and artillery. All the vehicles were easy to jump into and drive but required some amount of skill, timing, and finesse to use effectively. You can expect to see even more vehicle-based action in Battlefield Vietnam, which (of course) will take place during the Vietnam War. The new game will let you play as either the US forces or as the Vietnamese opposing forces. You'll not only coordinate ground assaults with armored personnel carriers, tanks, and jeeps, but you'll also be able to creep up river deltas in patrol boats, and you can descend on enemy positions in attack choppers. Take a look at the vehicles of Battlefield Vietnam in our third and final profile preview.

Air Vehicles, US

The Huey transport may not look like much--at least until its passengers start using the side guns.

Huey transport
Passengers: 1-5
Weapons: Two side-mounted M60 machine guns (gunners)

The Huey transport chopper is a well-rounded support vehicle that can seat a pilot and up to four passengers. Two passengers can man the powerful side-mounted M60 machine guns, while two others can use their infantry weapons to take gunner positions off to the sides of the chopper. Even though the Huey pilot has no primary or secondary weapons to speak of, the chopper can not only ferry four other teammates, but it also has a mounted winch that can airlift small land vehicles, like jeeps. The Huey transport appears in four levels: Operation Game Warden, Ia Drang Valley, Operation Hastings, and the Fall of Lang Vie.

The gunship's missiles are decent, but its passenger cannon can be devastating.

Huey gunship
Passengers: 1-2
Weapons: Dual missile launchers (pilot)
M5 40mm nose-mounted grenade launcher, M134 autocannon (co-pilot)

The Huey gunship is a heavy-duty chopper that's good for support and great for assaults. This powerful chopper can carry only two passengers--a pilot and a gunner--but it can also airlift ground vehicles to flashpoints and is no slouch in battle. The Huey's pilot can use the ship's dual missile launchers to attack, while the gunner/copilot can either use the side-mounted M134 autocannon, or he can blast nearby targets with the nose-mounted grenade launcher. The gunship is available in four levels: Operation Game Warden, Ia Drang Valley, Operation Hastings, and the Fall of Lang Vie.

Be warned: This Cobra comes with heat-seekers.

Huey Cobra
Passengers: 1-2
Weapons: Dual missile pods (pilot)
Heat-seeking missiles, M134 autocannon (co-pilot)

The Huey Cobra is a fast-moving attack chopper that can't airlift any vehicles, though it's versatile enough to be used for both strafing runs and air-to-air battles, assuming you have a decent gunner on board. Piloting the Cobra lets you use the chopper's standard missile launcher, though the gunner has access to the ship's powerful autocannon, in addition to nasty heat-seeking missiles, which can be deadly when used from the right range. The Cobra appears in four missions: Operation Flaming Dart, Operation Hastings, the Siege of Khe Sahn, and the Fall of Lang Vie.

The cavalry in the air.

ACH 47 Chinook
Passengers: 1-6
Weapons: Two forward-facing autocannons (pilot)
Two missile launchers (co-pilot)
Two door-mounted M60 machine guns (gunner)
One ramp-mounted M60 machine gun (ramp operator)

The Chinook isn't the fastest ship in the sky, but it's a welcome sight to allied players, especially if it's airlifting heavy ground vehicles, like tanks. This huge ship carries up to six passengers, including a pilot, a copilot, two side-gunners, a ramp operator, and an additional passenger. If you've got a skilled pilot at the helm, hitching a ride in one of these things is a much better prospect than going on foot in the jungle. The Chinook is available in three missions: Operation Flaming Dart, Ia Drang Valley, and Operation Irving.

Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning?

F-4 Phantom
Passengers: 1
Weapons: Heat-seeking missiles, napalm

While the F-4 doesn't have mounted guns, which puts it at a bit of a disadvantage in air-to-air dogfights, this jet-propelled fighter still has plenty of speed, as well a dangerous cache of heat-seeking missiles. However, the F-4's most devastating offensive offering would be its napalm bombs, which wreak havoc on enemy infantry. The F-4 is available on four maps: Operation Flaming Dart, Ia Drang Valley, Operation Irving, and the Siege of Khe Sahn.

Death from above!

A7 Corsair
Passengers: 1
Weapons: Autocannon, bombs

The Corsair is a ship whose powerful bombs are far more effective against ground vehicles than napalm, while its autocannon allows it to dogfight against other ships in the sky, even if it's not quite as fast as an F-4. The Corsair is available in three missions: Operation Flaming Dart, Operation Hastings, and the Siege of Khe Sahn.

Air Vehicles, NVA

The Mi8 attack chopper isn't all that fast, but it's a decent transport with quite a payload.

Mi8
Passengers: 1-6
Weapons: Four missile launchers (pilot)

The Mi8 is essentially an airliner that's been converted for combat duty, so it's neither especially fast nor especially tough. However, this sizable attack chopper does allow the North Vietnamese Army to bring up to five passengers behind American lines, and its four mounted missile launchers are nothing to sniff at either. The Mi8 is available in five missions: Operation Game Warden, Operation Flaming Dart, Operation Hastings, the Siege of Khe Sahn, and the Fall of Lang Vie.

The Mi8 cargo ship doesn't carry any weapons, but its powerful support abilities can be the deciding factor in a battle.

Mi8 cargo
Passengers: 1-6
Weapons: None

The Mi8 cargo, like the original Mi8, is an airliner that's been converted for combat duty, so it's not fast or durable. It doesn't even have any mounted weapons! However, it can transport up to five passengers, as well as a mobile spawn point, so a pilot who stays out of harm's way can actually harry the enemy by dropping waves of infantry. The Mi8 cargo is also equipped with a resupply shipment (a package that contains both medical supplies and extra ammo) that can be dropped anywhere on the battlefield, though it eventually expires. The versatile Mi8 cargo appears in only two missions: Operation Game Warden and the Fall of Lang Vie. Be warned: This important ship spawns only once per mission!