History Main / GunshipRescue

* The squadron of Indian Air Force Hawker Hunters shows up at daybreak to pull this off for Major Chandipur's embattled weapons company, in the UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} movie ''Film/{{Border}}'', which was based of the events of the Battle of Longewalla.

* Hilariously played with in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': This trope is shown oh-so '''very beautifully''' during the Defense of Italica from the soldiers-turned-bandits when they decide to raid Italica [[EvilIsPetty to try to replace the utter shame they got when they miserably failed to retake Alnus Hill from the vastly superior JSDF forces.]] Huey and Cobra gunships do their work '''exquisitely''', and the reaction from the Gate-worlders show equal fascination/terror upon viewing such advanced military technologically might firsthand, with the Princess and her royal aide reacting to it especially.

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': This trope is shown oh-so '''very beautifully''' during the Defense of Italica from the soldiers-turned-bandits when they decided to raid Italica [[EvilIsPetty to try to replace the utter shame they got when they miserably failed to retake Alnus Hill from the vastly superior JSDF forces.]] Huey and Cobra gunships do their work '''exquisitely''', and the reaction from the Gate-worlders show equal fascination/terror upon viewing such advanced military technologically might firsthand, with the Princess and her royal aide reacting to it especially.

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': This trope is shown oh-so '''very beautifully''' during the Defense of Italica from the soldiers-turned-bandits that they decided to raid Italica [[EvilIsPetty to try to replace the utter shame they got when they miserably failed to retake Alnus Hill from the vastly superior JSDF forces.]] Huey and Cobra gunships do their work '''exquisitely''', and the reaction from the Gate-worlders show equal fascination/terror upon viewing such advanced military technologically might firsthand, with the Princess and her royal aide reacting to it especially.

* Mildly subverted in the last episode of ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', where [[spoiler: a Vajra "[[OrganicTechnology gunship]]" is about to blast its WaveMotionGun point-blank into the ''Battle Frontier's'' bridge, only to have the ''Macross Quarter'' -- a ship ''much'' smaller than ''Frontier'' -- skewer the ''Vajra'' with its own main cannon while coming out of Fold space]].

** DoubleSubverted in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' when Han and Leia manage to take care of a couple of storm troopers giving them trouble, only for a AT-ST Scout Walker to approach them. They give the OhCrap look, only to find out it was the one Chewbacca and the Ewoks hijacked earlier. And in the end they used the communications link in the walker to draw the base guards out rather than just blast open the doors.
*** This is not the only time this particular Scout Walker was used this way. Just after hijacking it, Chewie started blowing away other Scout Walkers that had been chewing up the Ewoks pretty badly.

** There's a bluffed GR in the episode "The Train Job", when Wash shows up in ''Serenity'' to save the crew from a fight, threatening to "blow another crater in this little moon". ''Serenity'''s sudden appearance is apparently so intimidating that the locals back off without stopping to think that, as a transport ship, she doesn't actually have any guns. Jayne laughs at the locals for falling for it.

* Subverted at the end of ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix Ranbow Six: Vegas 2]]''. The player, Bishop, orders his team to stand down while he goes to face off against the BigBad. He's in a white shirt carrying a handgun, and you're fully armed and armored... this'll be an opportunity to PayEvilUntoEvil. And then his own Gunship Rescue shows up, and you have to distract it for a while until your allies can shoot it down.

* In ''[[VideoGame/GhostRecon Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter]]'', Captain Mitchell (the player) is given the chance to direct gunships at armored targets at various point in the game. However, there is a deliberate invocation of the trope in the infamous Plaza del Angel mission: after the US Embassy has been blown up by insurgents, the Ghost squad must protect the dignitaries -- and the "football" -- from a sheer ''onslaught'' of enemy forces. These start as endless on-foot infantry... then a couple of jeeps... then an [=APV=]... Then you see a ''tank'' just a few blocks away, and all of a sudden the ruins of the embassy are demolished by cannon fire... Then you hear the roar of helicopter blades and the tank ''disintegrates'' as a US gunship descends from ''[[TheCavalry freaking nowhere]]'', giving Mitchell and his squad the chance to evacuate on a Blackhawk, providing a glorious finish to [[NintendoHard the most intense firefight]] in the entire game.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' had a gunship come and help the player deal with a lot of zombie/soldier things. Which is then promptly subverted [[spoiler:when it gets hit by a well-aimed [=RPG=] and is destroyed.]]

* Arguably, any RTS where you can call in an air attack to bail out your ground forces can count. ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'''s Strafing Runs from Airborne Company P-47s have been known to turn the tide of many a game. In the expansion pack, the Panzer Elite can request Henschel close air support aircraft for a similar purpose. The Soviets in the ''Eastern Front'' fan-made expansion take it UpToEleven in typical Russian style by calling in an entire squadron of Il-2 Sturmoviks. Nothing says "Gunship Rescue" like watching Panther and Tiger tanks disintegrate under a storm of [[MacrossMissileMassacre aerial rockets.]]

* ''Arcus Prima'''s return to active duty in ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' takes place just in the nick of time to save ''Messis'' from an overwhelming Argentum attack.
* At the end of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'''s first season, Saito shows up in a WWII-era fighter plane, turning the battle and [[spoiler:giving up his chance to go home.]]
* In ''Anime/TransformersArmada'', the Decepticons decide to call in Tidal Wave as a backup. Tidal Wave happens to be a gunship. In the sense that he's [[MilitaryMashupMachine a Flying Aircraft Carrier with Guns]].
* ''Durandal'' gets the medal for her appearance to save ''Elsa'' from Gnosis in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. ''Episode 1'' goes one better with a heavily-armed mobile ''space colony'', appearing to similarly relieve the Durandal and the colony it is docked with.

* ''Fanfic/KimiNoNaIowa'': Subverted in Chapters 32 and 33. Faced with [[spoiler:Northampton's impalement of Takanami]], Naganami calls in fire support from the Chinese bombers on overwatch. The attacker proceeds to [[spoiler:TeleportSpam her way around the incoming missiles and then use Judgment Cuts to slice both bombers in half, killing all but one of the aircrew.]] Later on, additional fire support is deployed from Australian [=F-35s=] firing antiship missiles, and [[spoiler:both the Demons and Northampton dodge the missiles before the latter tries to Judgment Cut them as well.]] Naganami ends up having to save the saviors, and for her troubles [[spoiler:she gets punched into a missile meant for Northampton.]]

* The squadron of Indian Air Force Hawker Hunters shows up at daybreak to pull this off for Major Chandipur's embattled weapons company, in the UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} movie ''Border'', which was based of the events of the Battle of Longewalla.

* At the end of Afghan-Russian War movie ''Film/NinthCompany''. Seven surviving Russian paratroopers (down to half a magazine each) surrounded by at least 50 mujahideen fighters. Cue the arrival of two Mi-24 Hinds.
* In ''Off Limits'' two American military policemen are surrounded by corrupt South Vietnamese police. The chief policeman tells the Americans, "I am afraid you are outgunned today." As a helicopter BDG appears from behind the buildings, the lead MP replies, "You still don't get it, do you? We [Americans] are ''never'' outgunned!

* In the Clive Cussler novel ''The Mayan Secrets'', at the very end, the townsfolk are ready to be on the receiving end of a major curb-stomp when two attack helicopters arrive, seemingly out of nowhere. Apparently Sam Fargo, one of the main characters, has some secrets in his background.

* Creator/DavidWeber is extremely fond of this trope.
** It happens several times in ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', which both played this straight and subverted it, depending on the book in question.
** Also is used to good effect in the ''[[Literature/EmpireFromTheAshes Mutineer's Moon]]'' and ''Excalibur Alternative'' universes. "Break off ''and leave them to us!''"

* In ''Apache: Air Assault'', you ARE the Gunship Rescue most of the time.

'''Radio Operator:''' On the outpost? That’s crazy!\\

When played straight, this is a variant of TheCavalry. Not classified as DeusExMachina, since most times it is set up in advance and rarely anticlimactic. And while most examples are of aircraft, specifically helicopter gunships or the [[TechnologyLevels Technology Level]] equivalent, ground vehicles and ocean vessels with a {{BFG}} mounted can sometimes be used for a Gunship Rescue.

** Subverted. The Argo II doesn’t get to Camp Jupiter until the day after the invasion.

* Ralph Peters's ''Literature/RedArmy''. Soviet close air support with ''fuel-air bombs'' destroy the remaining Dutch tanks about to overrun Kryshinin’s forward security element.

** At the final climax in the first season episode “Scimitar”, Harm and Meg while driving a limousine are chased by Iraqis in a Soviet made Hind. But at the Kuwait border a U.S. Army Apache saves the day.
** Also in the fifth season episode “The Bridge at Kang So Ri”, two U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles out powers two North Korean Migs.

* ''Zombie Gunship'' has your AC-130 occasionally doing rescue missions were you keep the zombie hordes from catching fleeing humans as they scramble to safe zones.

->'''Johnny Rico:''' I request retrieval, now!\\
'''Radio Operator:''' What is your location?\\
'''Johnny:''' Come down on my transmission.\\

->'''Chief Master Sergeant Epps:''' I hope these F-16s got good aim.\\
'''Major Lennox:''' Yeah? Why's that?\\
'''Epps:''' I told them to hit the orange smoke.\\
''[orange smoke drifts between them]''\\
'''Lennox:''' You mean '''that''' orange smoke?\\
'''Epps:''' It wasn't my best toss, okay?
-->-- ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen''

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': This trope is shown oh-so '''very beautifully''' during the Defense of Italica from the soldiers-turned-bandits that they decided to raid Italica [[EvilIsPetty to try to replace the utter shame they got when they miserably failed to retake Alnus Hill from the vastly superior JSDF forces.]] Huey and Cobra gunships do their work '''exquisitely''', and the reaction from the Gate-worlders show equal fascination/terror upon viewing such advanced military technological might firsthand, with the Princess and her royal aide reacting to it especially.

* Happens in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheBalladOfGayTony'' [[spoiler: during the final mission. Luis is on a motorcycle being chased by assassins when Yusuf shows up in a ''gold plated helicoptor'' and blows up the assassin's vans.]]
* Whether you choose the "Deal" or "Revenge" path in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', the final battle leads to a pretty much unwinnable chase. It's either Niko in boat vs. badguy on helicopter, or Niko on dirt bike vs. badguy in boat. Until Little Jacob swoops down in an aptly-named Annihilator helicopter to give you a lift and provide supporting fire.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' has quite a few, a notable one being near the end, where the Navy shows up with a formerly mothballed battleship to save Snake from the super-submarine Outer Heaven.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' also ended with one, as Snake and Holly escape from Zanzibarland.
** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Ground Zeroes]]'' features this as a ''gameplay mechanic'' with the extraction helicopter, which can be called in for an emergency extraction if neccessary. [=Subverted=] in that calling it into a high-danger zone runs the risk of it being [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome shot out of the sky.]]
*** One Mission even revolves around it, having Snake provide air support from the chopper while an Intel Operative [[spoiler: modeled after and voiced by ''[[CreatorCameo Hideo Kojima himself]]]]'' makes his way to the landing zone.

* ''Film/9thCompany'' depicts a last stand by a company on a hilltop in Afghan mountains. Just when the very last of the defenders are cut down by Mujahedeen, Mi-24 Hind gunships show up and annihilate the enemies with 30mm cannon, leaving the last survivor to contemplate his sacrifice (note that in the real defense of Hill 3234, most of 9th Company survived and was successfully relieved, after getting regular fire support throughout the fight).

** In ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'', Captain Sulu and the ''Excelsior'' show up to help the ''Enterprise'' fight a cloaked Bird-of-Prey. In this case it wasn't necessarily for the firepower but in Sulu's own words "Give them something else to shoot at" while the technicians figured a way around the cloak.

* In the final episode of ''Series/CowboyBebop2021'', Spike is ForcedToWatch Vicious and his men execute Jet and [[WouldHurtAChild his daughter Kimmie]], when suddenly Faye Valentine opens up from outside the building with the guns on her Red Tail, using a thermal imager to target the goons inside without hitting their prisoners.