Which Decepticon transforms into a helicopter and attacks the U.S. military base in the first live-action film? The answer is Blackout.
Blackout is the massive Decepticon helicopter seen at the beginning of Transformers (2007). He attacks a U.S. military installation in Qatar, using his intimidating size and heavy weaponry to overwhelm the defenders. The sequence establishes the film’s military-threat storyline before the main conflict shifts toward Sam Witwicky and the Autobots.
In vehicle mode, Blackout resembles a Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low, a large military transport helicopter. He is accompanied during the assault by Scorponok, a smaller mechanical scorpion that deploys from him and pursues surviving soldiers. Blackout’s transformation and attack helped demonstrate the live-action film’s emphasis on recognizable military hardware.
Blackout is sometimes confused with Grindor, another helicopter-form Decepticon from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Grindor has a similar visual design, but he appears in the second film, not the first. Soundwave is also a Decepticon, yet his film incarnations do not perform this opening-base attack.