Field Assessment
The Buzzard is the armed helicopter. The light attack configuration that bridges the gap between the surveillance role of the Police Maverick and the heavy military aircraft. Rockets and a cannon in the same airframe as the MD 500 Defender.
In Leonida, the Buzzard appears in the high-stakes mission inventory and at the extreme end of the wanted level escalation. The law enforcement escalation chain progresses: ground police, SWAT, State Police, NOOSE, and at the upper limit, the Buzzard covering operations from above.
The maneuverability of the light helicopter platform combined with the weapons systems makes the Buzzard the aircraft most capable of maintaining pressure on a target across the Vice City geography. Fast enough to track ground vehicles, armed enough to be relevant when it arrives over them.