Buzzard Attack Chopper

"The Buzzard is a light, compact helicopter for military or millionaire use. With a 5-bladed main rotor and a top speed of 175mph, it's widely considered to be the best performing helicopter in its class. These hardly ever drop out of the sky like a stone. Helicopters are one of the safest ways to travel."

- Warstock Cache & Carry description.

The Buzzard Attack Chopper (formerly named "Buzzard") is a light attack helicopter featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
"The ultimate party starter: light, maneuvrable and armed with rockets and a high-calibre machine gun"

- TBoGT Official Website.

Similarly armed with machine guns as the Annihilator, as well as additionally featuring rocket pods, the Buzzard is evidently an AH-6, an attack variant of the MH-6 Little Bird light observation helicopter, which in turn is a military version of the OH-6 Cayuse and the MD 500C. The Buzzard also features a FLIR (Forward looking infrared) pod under the cabin, similar to the real life AH/MH6M Little Bird variant. It's important to note that the Buzzard has the old-style tail stabilizer, characteristic of the MD-500C and its corresponding defender AH/MH-6 counterparts. As mentioned above, the Buzzard is based on a military class light attack helicopter.

According to in-game speech, the Buzzard that Luis Fernando Lopez intended to steal for Yusuf Amir was a prototype, meaning there is possibly only a single one in existence. The same stolen one was later repainted gold, by Yusuf - this difference would be first recognized during the mission, "Not So Fast", where Luis must use it to land on the roof of the Libertonian. LCPD will call it a "black/gold helicopter", depending on which version Luis uses - the black Buzzard acquired by a cheat code or the gold Buzzard from Yusuf at the end of the game.

Grand Theft Auto V
Returning in GTA V, it retains the original design, only now featuring different badges, and is now classed as a legal vehicle, no longer being a prototype.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
Designed as a light exploration/attack helicopter, the Buzzard has an excellent maneuvrability, able to turn quickly and move with a reasonable top speed (though it is not as faster as the Annihilator). It holds two people, and is equipped with two high-powered miniguns and rockets. Miniguns on the Buzzard are much more effective than those on the Annihilator - they have a much faster rate of fire, a narrower spread, and are fired both simultaneously, unlike the Annihilator, which only fires one gun at a time. However, they do considerably less damage than the Annihilators guns. They also never overheat, which allows for continuous fire.

The Buzzard's weakness is its bubble canopy and low bullet protection, which can prove dangerous to the pilot and passenger when faced with heavy weapons like the M249 or Explosive Shotgun. Firing a rocket at the side of an Annihilator will cut it in half. However, they will not destroy an APC.

Grand Theft Auto V
The Buzzard handles similarly to how it did in TBoGT; the Buzzard Attack Chopper now features missiles which lock on to vehicles. Both the machine guns and rockets cannot be used at the same time, unlike in TBoGT. The missile can lock on any AI-controlled helicopter or plane, police vehicles during pursuits, and hostile persons. It is possibly one of the fastest helicopters in the game, even faster than some airplanes, this is maybe due to its small size and lightweight body, especially its weaponless variant.

In Grand Theft Auto Online, like in GTA V, it does not feature the lock-on ability on players, except if they are piloting a helicopter or an aircraft. A skilled pilot can easily kill players using the rockets. If a co-pilot is present in the passenger seat, they have the ability to aim the rockets from a mounted camera, which can make it deadly. One should be careful however, as the open cockpit makes the player very vulnerable to gunfire.

Notable Owners

 * Abdul Amir
 * Frickie Van Hardenburg
 * Los Santos Police Department
 * Federal Investigation Bureau
 * International Affairs Agency
 * Luis Lopez
 * Merryweather Security
 * Yusuf Amir
 * Military (GTA V)

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * Sexy Time
 * Not So Fast
 * Departure Time

Grand Theft Auto V

 * Three's Company
 * Cargobob
 * The Merryweather Heist
 * The Bureau Raid (Roof Entry)
 * The Wrap Up
 * Legal Trouble
 * The Big Score

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * The Prison Break
 * Humane Raid - Insurgents
 * Humane Raid - Valkyrie
 * The Humane Labs Raid

The Ballad of Gay Tony
In multiplayer, there are multiple locations where Buzzards can be found:
 * Singleplayer
 * Yusuf Amir gives his golden Buzzard Attack Chopper to the player as a gift after completing the game. It will be then available at the helipad beside the golf club on the West River. It replaces the Swift that was parked there.
 * Can be spawned via cheat code, by dialing the number: 359-555-2899 (FLY-555-BUZZ).
 * There is one way to obtain the black Buzzard without entering the chat code stated above. After destroying the boats in "Sexy Time," land the black Buzzard Attack Chopper on a road. Get into a car or bike, and drive away from it but keep the camera fixed on the Buzzard Attack Chopper. After you have failed the mission, reverse and it will be there.
 * Multiplayer
 * The first two can be found at Francis International Airport on the helipads.
 * One can be found at the heliport in southern Algonquin.
 * One can be found at the helipad on the West River where the golden Buzzard Attack Chopper is in single player.
 * One can be found at the yacht (not removed in multiplayer) just south of Acter Industrial Park and east of Happiness Island.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * Can be bought from Warstock Cache & Carry for $2,500,000.
 * It may rarely spawn in a unique white paint scheme in story mode.
 * Can be found at Fort Zancudo.
 * On top of the NOOSE Headquarters on Sustancia Road in Palomino Highlands, Los Santos County.
 * Can be spawned by using the cheat code:
 * XBox B.png, XBox B.png, LB, XBox B.png, XBox B.png, XBox B.png, LB, Xbox LTrigger.png, RB, XBox Y.png, XBox B.png, XBox Y.png (Xbox 360)
 * PS3 Circle.png, PS3 Circle.png, PS3 L1.png, PS3 Circle.png, PS3 Circle.png, PS3 Circle.png, PS3 L1.png, PS3 L2.png, PS3 R1.png, PS3 Triangle.png, PS3 Circle.png, PS3 Triangle.png (PlayStation 3)
 * buzzoff (PC)

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * Spawns on numerous helipads at Rank 43 or higher.
 * Commonly parked at Los Santos Naval Port.
 * Can be bought on Warstock Cache & Carry after reaching level 43 for $1,750,000. It can be ordered after via Pegasus Lifestyle Management.
 * Will also spawn on numerous helipads, such as in the Paleto Bay Police Station helipad.
 * If a VIP owns one, his bodyguards can choose to spawn one in using the interaction menu.

General

 * The name "Buzzard" may be a reference to Buzzard 1, a named Police Maverick helicopter from the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mission, "Reuniting the Families".
 * The name may also be a reference to the AH/MH-6 Little Bird Attack Helicopter, as a Buzzard is a type of Bird.
 * The Buzzard Attack Chopper was named simply "Buzzard" in The Ballad of Gay Tony, but when returning to Grand Theft Auto V, it was renamed "Buzzard Attack Chopper", and the name "Buzzard" was given to an unarmed counterpart introduced into GTA V.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * Despite it being considered an illegal helicopter in Liberty City, flying it will not give the player a wanted level.
 * Firing the miniguns and rockets will not gain you a wanted level at all if no one is hurt in the process.
 * Firing a rocket at a low altitude (lower than about a person's height) may cause the Buzzard that the player is in to be destroyed because of the rockets' firing system. Before a rocket takes flight, it is first dropped out of the container, then takes flight when the fuse lights itself. However, at ground level the fuse doesn't have enough time to ignite, thus making the rocket explode when it hits the ground.
 * When firing the miniguns at a vehicle, the driver may burst into flames even if the car is not on fire. (Same with Annihilator and the APC.)
 * In TBoGT's Multiplayer, the Buzzard's rocket fire can vary on rate of fire.
 * The Buzzard, despite being a military vehicle, has a radio just like the Annihilator does. However it is turned off when entered.
 * Like the Annihilator, the tail section of the Buzzard can be torn off. However unlike the Annihilator if it is torn off, the Buzzard cannot sustain flight and will simply plummet toward the ground.
 * The Buzzard's rockets do not move faster than the Buzzard at top speed, which makes it possible to destroy the vehicle using its own rocket without an obstacle detonating the rocket before the fuse triggers the explosion. If the rocket is fired parallel to the ground and the Buzzard moves in the same direction, the rocket will detonate and right next to the Buzzard, destroying it.
 * Like the Annihilator, the Buzzard's miniguns do not spin while being fired.
 * In TBoGT, standing on the Buzzard's rockets while turned off will cause Luis to trip even if nothing happened.
 * Oddly, bullet belts are placed onto the minigun's cannons, instead of being placed in the main body. This can be easily seen aiming to the stub wings with a weapon in the copilot seat.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * Despite the description saying it "hardly falls like a stone from the sky", ironically in Grand Theft Auto V's story mode, it is destroyed numerous times, mostly in missions.
 * In Grand Theft Auto V, the Buzzard's miniguns can rotate vertically when these are controlled by Merryweather. These cannot do this outside of missions.
 * In Grand Theft Auto Online, when doing a standard air race in the Buzzard, the weaponless variant is used.
 * In Grand Theft Auto V, the Buzzard Attack Chopper seems to fire RPG shells, rather than its Hydra 70 rockets fitted in the pods. This is best seen when one have the camera on cinematic view and having it on slow-motion by pressing PS3 R3.png, or by using the Slow-Motion cheat. The reason for this is unknown, but it is likely added in due to balancing reasons since the RPG is just as effective as the Buzzard Attack Chopper's rockets.
 * The cheat code used to spawn the Buzzard Attack Chopper is the same cheat used to spawn the Rhino tank in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with a few button modifications.
 * The Buzzard Attack Chopper in GTA V has the same code below the main propeller as its TBoGT version. The unarmed variant features MP over it, which will stand for "Military Police".
 * Oddly, in GTA Online, when a passenger using the mounted camera rockets successfully destroys another player's insured personal vehicle, the players in the Buzzard Attack Chopper will not have to pay for the insurance costs or get a strike as being a "bad sport".
 * The Buzzard Attack Chopper in both GTA V and GTA Online can aim both ground and aerial targets, even despite JT Boyd claims that is equipped with air-to-ground missiles (in Online).
 * In the enhanced version of GTA V, the minigun barrels rotate when fired.
 * As of patch 1.17, the machine gun's aim is reset to a large dot. However, this can be changed in the settings menu.
 * The player can actually change the sound of the machine guns being fired in GTA V. To do this, the player must find a cinematic camera and fire the machine guns, a specific cinematic view will make the sound higher pitched, the player must not let go of firing the guns, but release the cinematic camera, the guns now produce a higher pitched sound.
 * This can also be done with the Annihilator, P-996 Lazer, Savage and Hydra.
 * The Buzzard in GTA V has a search light, like the Frogger, Maverick and Police Maverick. However, if somehow turned on, it will glitch and face upwards.