Skip to content
WALKTHROUGH · Mission 8 OF 11

Ground Control

Mission 8 of 11

A large-scale assault with vehicles and heavy resistance.
Setting: Kuwait Airport, Al-Jahra · 13 February 1991

The shotgun for the challenge drops early

No Smoking wants ten kills with a Dragon’s Breath shotgun in a single run, and the gun is not lying somewhere you have to find: the first shotgun-carrying Pantheon Elite you kill in the terminal drops it. Pick it up and keep it — the terminal fight is where the ten kills are, and past it you are in a tank.

The route, objective by objective

1. Into the airport

Adler has finally tracked down the lead to Matvey Gusev, and it goes back to Kuwait — the same ground the campaign opened on. Lawrence Sims, an old friend of Adler’s, gets you to Kuwait Airport. You come in by helicopter, and the first job is the mortars and snipers on the overpass before you push the terminal.

2. Fight through Terminal 1

Iraqi and Pantheon forces the whole way, up to the upper level. This is the long stretch and the one that matters for the challenge above.

3. Gusev’s plane, and the Engineer

Reach the plane and secure it. There is an RC-XD Engineer elite here, which is a different problem from the regular soldiers — treat the drones as the threat, not him.

4. The tarmac, the tank, and one shot

Cross the tarmac and take the tank. Gusev’s aircraft is trying to leave and one shot brings it down. Then you interrogate him, and that ends the mission.

What finishing it gives you

  • No Smoking — the challenge: ten kills with the Dragon’s Breath shotgun in one run.
  • Bulldozed — an achievement with a real cost of entry: crush 25 enemies while driving the tank. If you want it, do not rush the tarmac.
  • Tank charm — for completing the mission on any difficulty.

Still to verify

Cross-checked on 5 September 2026 against two comprehensive campaign-rewards lists (PCGamesN and NME) for the Tank charm above, and against a synthesis of achievement guides (Steam Community’s 100% guide among them) for the tank section: it reports over 100 enemies between boarding the tank and reaching Gusev’s plane, so 25 crushes are comfortably available in one pass, with a checkpoint just before Burger Town to retry if you fall short. The Dragon’s Breath drop from the first shotgun-carrying Elite is confirmed by the same walkthroughs used for the rest of this page; no source contradicts it. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it.

Track it as you play

Everything below syncs to your Game Memory, so you can tick items off on one device and pick up on another.

← High Rollers Next: Under the Radar →
Back to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Guide

Last updated

Recently updated

Shows pages changed in the last 60 days.

Community tips

Short, practical things that helped you on this page.

Sign in to leave a tip.

Support the Guide

Did This Guide Help You?

Maintained through hundreds of hours of gameplay and research. If it saved you from dying 47 times against a boss, consider supporting the project.

🅿️

Donate via PayPal

Any amount — no minimum. Every donation helps keep the guide updated with every new patch.

💙 Donate with PayPal

One-time · No subscription required

🔴

Subscribe on Patreon

A weekly email with what changed in the games you track. Your name in the credits below. Up to 25 Game Memory slots, saved builds, focus mode and export.

❤️ Join on Patreon

Cancel anytime