The Best Aircrafts in GTA Online

Summary

• Best aircraft like Buzzard, Avenger, and Raiju make gameplay easier in GTA Online – new players should consider investing.
• The Sparrow allows easy grinding for heists, while the B-11 Strikeforce excels in dogfights, well-suited for experienced players.
• High-speed Mammoth Hydra and versatile Akula are essential for various combat scenarios, offering good weapons and stealth capabilities.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise is predominantly known for its missions and driving experience, with every installment featuring a wide range of vehicles to choose from. Aircraft have been in the series for more than 2 decades. However, they were often sidelined in previous entries. In GTA Online, it’s a different story.

Owning a good aircraft is now a necessity as it makes the gameplay experience much easier. They are faster to travel in and some of them have great offensive capabilities making them great enough to survive in public lobbies. So, here are some of the best aircraft players can own in GTA Online.

8

Nagasaki Buzzard Attack Chopper

Price: $1,750,000

The Buzzard Attack Chopper is a great starter aircraft that every new player should go for. It is quite cheap for what players are getting and is one of the fastest helicopters in the game with offensive capabilities. It has machine guns that deal below-average damage, but homing and non-homing missiles do the job.

Players can spawn three Buzzard Attack Choppers at a time – one through Pegasus, one from the CEO vehicle menu, and one can be called as a personal vehicle.

7

Sparrow

Price: $1,815,000

When it comes to aircraft that provide the most convenience, the Sparrow comes to mind. It is a 2-seater offensive chopper that players can only customize inside their Kosatka submarine. It makes it very easy to grind the Cayo Perico heist, the best way to earn money, much easier. In addition, unlike personal aircraft, it spawns near the player’s location. It is among the top 5 fastest helicopters in the game.

However, one of the downsides is that, like Oppressor MkII, players can either equip machine guns or missiles. It also has countermeasures available, making it much easier to avoid forthcoming homing missiles. There’s also a Sea Sparrow helicopter in GTA Online which has pontoons at the bottom allowing it to land on the water. However, it can’t be stored in Kosatka and costs the same, so players prefer the regular sparrow.

6

B-11 Strikeforce

Price: $3,800,000

In the world of Raiju, Hydra, and Lazer, the B-11 Strikeforce remains a somewhat underrated aircraft in GTA Online. Only the hardcore aircraft enthusiast appreciates this plane. It is among the very few jets with a missile barrage along with a bomb bay. One of the unique features of this aircraft is that it slows down a little as players get closer to the surface, making it easier to hit a target and land the plane.

Strikeforce is quick and has a good turning circle, making it very good for dogfighting. Players should definitely give Strikeforce a try and let their primary jet some rest.

5

Mammoth Hydra

Price: $3,000,000 – $3,990,000 (Trade price)

Hydra is a fan-favorite aircraft in GTA Online. However, its popularity has diminished with time. It was the very first jet with the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) mode. Previously, Hydra had explosive cannons that could tear apart anything in seconds; Rockstar Games nerfed them, but are still viable. Along with this explosive cannon, Hydra comes with homing and non-homing missiles.

It is a Pegasus vehicle that players can take to their Hanger store and customize, though only the color can be changed. One issue with Hydra is that, despite having a high top speed, it has quite a slow launch. All the early-generation aircraft with VTOL have this issue, but once Hydra catches up with speed, it goes pretty fast. The best thing about Hydra is its price. It costs almost half of the P-996 Lazer and provides the ultimate value for money.

4

Avenger

Price: $3,450,000

Over time, Rockstar Games poured some love into the Avenger and made it one of the most powerful aircraft in GTA Online. It is a flying fortress through which players can easily wreak havoc in the lobby with their friends. Players can equip it with a remote gun turret which can one-shoot non-armored vehicles.

After the San Andreas Mercenaries DLC, players can take their Avenger to Hanger to add homing missiles, machine guns, and bombs along with other performance upgrades. It can take up to 23 homing missiles or 8 RPGs before going down. Players can also upgrade their Avenger with a stealth module to further enhance its defenses. However, its stealth mode is very boring as it causes players to just stay still in the air. Through the hanger workshop, players can also install an Operation Terminal, through which players can access San Andreas Mercenaries DLC missions.

3

FH-1 Hunter

Price: $3,100,000 – $4,123,000 (Trade price)

Like Hydra, FH-1 Hunter is an OG attack chopper in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. It has appeared in each installment from GTA 3 to GTA Online, excluding GTA 4. This military helicopter is kitted out completely to wreck anyone. With the usual weaponry, it has a 7-missile barrage which can just annihilate any target, and a bomb bay through which players can drop explosive, gas, or incendiary bombs in clusters.

The co-pilot also gets control of the explosive autocannon. It can take 3 explosives before going down and, with the countermeasures, it can make a pretty good fight. Players can upgrade Hunter in their Hanger workshop and customize it to their liking.

2

Buckingham Akula

Price: $3,375,000 – $4,500,000 (Trade price)

When it comes to choppers, Akula is the best a player can get. Akula is among the few 4-seater offensive choppers and has all the generic weapon options, i.e., machine guns, homing, and non-homing missiles. Players can also equip a 4-missile barrage instead of homing missiles, but they sometimes feel useless. It also has a bomb bay available to it which can carpet a pretty hefty area.

For co-pilot, Akula has a 0.50 cal minigun turret that can be upgraded to a dual turret. Defensively, it can withstand 3 homing missiles or 3 RPGs. Akula also has a stealth mode and is highly maneuverable, so players can comfortably fly this helicopter in the city. All in all, Akula is a complete chopper that players must have in their Hangar.

1

Mammoth F-160 Raiju

Price: $5,141,250 – $6,855,000 (Trade Price)

The F-160 Raiju is a must-have aircraft in GTA Online. Ever since its release, it has been a popular choice for traveling from point A to Point B thanks to its great speed. It is faster than all the existing jets, including the P-996 Lazer and Hydra. In addition, Raiju has VTOL mode, which makes it much easier to land, but it can also accelerate quickly.

Players can customize its handling and change how it looks in the Hanger workshop to suit their playstyle. It has dual explosive cannons that can shred anything in its way and has homing and non-homing missiles. It also has a toggleable stealth mode to go off the radar, letting players travel without popping up on the map. It is decent for dogfighting but requires some practice. It also has great handling which enhances maneuverability. All this performance comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s completely justified. So, players must save up and get Raiju if they want a great aircraft in GTA Online.