Saints Row: The Third Co-Op Aerial Combat and Dogfight Tactics

To survive high-heat aerial combat during co-op sessions in Saints Row: The Third, put both players in a single two-seater gunship with one dedicated pilot and one dedicated gunner. Splitting movement and gunnery duties keeps your aircraft evasive while maintaining continuous fire on enemy attack helicopters and ground-based rocket launchers.

Co-Op Flight Formations and Crew Roles

Operating a single multi-seat attack aircraft yields higher survivability than flying two separate helicopters. A dedicated pilot can concentrate entirely on defensive maneuvers and positioning while the gunner tracks and destroys threats.

Single-chassis crew: The pilot focuses on altitude adjustments and evasive banks. The gunner operates miniguns and rocket pods. To maximize damage, the pilot must level the craft briefly during heavy rocket barrages before breaking away into a dive.
Dual-aircraft split: If flying two separate aircraft, avoid trailing directly behind one another to prevent mid-air collisions. Have one player fly high as an aerial anchor to intercept incoming choppers, while the second sweeps at mid-building height to clear rooftop RPG infantry.

Evading Anti-Air Missiles and Ground Fire

Stationary hovering is the most common cause of downed aircraft in Steelport. Airborne notoriety brings heavy lock-on missile fire from rival helicopters and rooftop infantry. Maintain forward momentum and use reactive maneuvers against specific ordnance types:

Incoming Threat	Flight Maneuver	Counter-Tactic
Ground-Fired RPG	Lateral strafe and climb	Move perpendicular to the projectile path; unguided rockets fly straight and miss moving targets.
Homing Chopper Missile	Sharp bank into a descending spiral	Turn tightly across the missile's trajectory to out-turn its tracking radius.
Air Torpedoes / Rocket Pods	Skyscraper dive	Drop between building corridors to force incoming ordnance into concrete walls.

Air-to-Air Target Priority

In crowded sky battles, eliminating targets in the correct order prevents damage from compounding:

Hostile Missile Choppers: Destroy missile-equipped enemy helicopters first. These units deal the highest burst damage and will quickly overwhelm your hull if left unchecked.
Rooftop Rocket Launchers: Once the immediate airspace is clear, scan high-rise roofs for infantry armed with RPGs. Their elevated firing angles can easily catch low-flying helicopters.
Ground Vehicles and Objectives: Address road convoys, barricades, and mission targets only after neutralizing the air and rooftop threats.

Using Steelport's Skyline for Cover

Do not fight over open water where your aircraft is exposed to fire from all angles. Herd enemy patrols into downtown Steelport and use the urban architecture:

Missile interception: When targeted by tracking ordnance, dive between high-rises. The tight corners and vertical concrete faces intercept tracking rockets.
Hull stabilization: If your vehicle is smoking and near destruction, break line of sight behind a building cluster to buy time for your team's defense to stabilize.
Corner ambushes: Hover behind skyscraper edges, step out laterally to release a missile salvo into incoming hostile formations, and reverse behind cover before return fire lands.

Choosing the Right Aircraft

Select your aerial vehicle based on the combat requirements of the engagement:

Tornado: Best suited for sustained firepower and protracted battles. It features heavy armor, miniguns, and rocket pods that allow a two-player team to dominate entrenched positions.
Oppressor: A lighter, more agile police helicopter. It weaves through narrow street gaps more easily than military gunships but has less armor protection.
F-69 VTOL: Provides dual-mode propulsion. Use hover mode to act as stationary beam artillery against tough targets, then switch to jet mode to escape hot zones when incoming fire intensifies.