Hydra

"These British jets have been decommissioned for twenty years, but who cares when you've got vertical take-off capabilities and rockets up the wazoo. The billionaire action movie enthusiast's toy of choice."

- Warstock Cache & Carry description.

The Hydra is a military attack jet featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Heists Update. It is the first military jet available in the Grand Theft Auto series. It is manufactured by Mammoth in the HD Universe.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Hydra is suggestively based on the (formerly known as the Hawker Siddley Harrier), a well-known British fighter jet with Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capabilities, with minor detailing from the, such as the cockpit and air intake. The Harrier's influence is further proven by the cheat code that is used to spawn the jet in the PC version: "Jumpjet", which is a nickname for Harrier jets.

The aircraft has a narrow nose with a glass canopy that swings to the right, and a large intake below, as well as the main wings with six pylons on each side and the tail boom/empennage with the corresponding stabilizers. The aircraft uses two main landing undercarriages on the fuselage and a smaller one on each wing. The aircraft is only seen in a dark gray colour with of the  on its wings, as well as registration letters and numbers on the nose and vertical stabilizer.

The Hydra is equipped with unguided rockets and heat-seeking missiles. Unlike the real-life iteration, however, it lacks a machine gun pod.

Grand Theft Auto Online
The Hydra in Grand Theft Auto Online is based largely on the British Aerospace Harrier II, similar to its previous iteration; however, the nose, vertical fins, and horizontal stabilizers resemble those of the. The B variant is utilized by the US Marines and is the STOVL (Short-take off and Vertical Landing) / VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) version. The Hydra's cockpit resembles the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, especially the integrated control panel below the HUD, which is directly taken from that of the F-16. The Hydra's air intakes are from the AV-8B, as well as the side air holes and the four rotatable exhaust nozzles. In fact, the entire VTOL system of the Hydra is still based on the AV-8B Harrier II, rather than the F-35B's Lift Fan System, two steering nozzles and rotatable "Lobster Back" exhaust for its main engine.

The aircraft assumes a much bulkier construction compared to the GTA San Andreas iteration, having a triangular-shaped nose with an air data probe/sensor on the end, as well as a glass canopy that pivots from the front (rather than from the right like its previous iteration). The main section of the aircraft has large intakes beside the fuselage, four vectoring nozzles on either side, and lower hatches for the main landing undercarriage, while the wings hold the corresponding ailerons on each side, six weapon pylons below, and long gear struts that pivot to the rear when the landing gear is retracted. The rear/tail area has two large s, two long vertical stabilizers and a single jet turbine. The aircraft bears a registration code on the tips of the vertical stabilizers and is utilized by the United States Navy.

The interior of the aircraft is very similar to that of the P-996 LAZER, being a compact cabin with a narrow instrument panel, green display screens and a control stick on each side. In the enhanced version, it uses the same "Lazer" dials from the aforementioned fighter jet and several other aircraft.

The aircraft is only seen in a light gray colour with a subtle digital camo livery. It also uses a set of industrial wheels also used on the Titan and the Savage.

Similar to the P-996 LAZER, the Hydra is equipped with dual cannons below the fuselage and just beside the front main landing gear, as well as six radar-guided missiles on both wings appearing to be modeled after the (which uses smaller rockets derived from the Rocket Launcher, similar to the P-996 LAZER).

Vehicle
The Hydra is the most sophisticated aircraft in the game, boasting a variety of equipment. One of its more prominent abilities is its (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) capabilities, which allow it to hover, descend or ascend vertically like a helicopter, and travel horizontally like an airplane; these abilities are achieved by directing thrust from four jet outlets downwards or backward using specific directional controls (by pushing the right analog stick forward / back on console, or by holding down 2/8 on the number pad or Ins/Del on PC, by default. On the iOS version, it snaps automatically forward at a moderate speed). Due to its excellent engine and maneuverability, the Hydra is the fastest and most fail-deadly aircraft (and one of the fastest vehicles) in the game, and one of the easiest to fly when the player learns the basics of fixed-wing flight. It is able to travel from the southernmost point in Los Santos to the northernmost point of Las Venturas in roughly 60 seconds (1 in-game hour). However, similar aircraft, like the Rustler and the Stuntplane, can still be more agile. Flying the plane efficiently still requires increased concentration; one mistake can send it plummeting towards the ground.

The Hydra is generally the most preferred aircraft for its speed, agility, and weapons which make it an excellent choice for nearly any purpose requiring an airplane. Its chief disadvantage comes not from the vehicle itself, but the game engine. High-speed flight can allow the plane to hit objects, such as trees, before they've become visible due to model/texture loading being slower than the plane itself (this process is also nick-named 'pop-in'). Another drawback is that there is no passenger or co-pilot seat, restricting it to only carry one person, making it unsuitable for several-man transport.

Unlike the Hunter in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Vigilante side-missions cannot be started or performed using the Hydra.

The aircraft is powered by a single engine and produces the same loud sound from jet-powered aircraft such as the Shamal and the AT-400.

Weaponry/Features
The Hydra is well-known for being one of the best performing in-game vehicles when it comes to combat, being on par with the Hunter. The Hydra comes with the following:
 * Rockets: The Hydra can fire two simultaneous unguided rockets, one from either side of the jet. Despite being unguided, if correctly aimed (deadly when used with the downward thrusts), it will make short work of vehicles, blowing them up on contact (except for the Rhino). The missiles, if they do not hit anything, will travel a relatively long distance before blowing up, and have about the same travel speed as the ones from the Hunter.
 * Heat-seeking Missiles: This alternative firing mode for the missiles is identical to the handheld Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher. The Hydra can lock onto vehicles, and proceed to fire individual heat-seeking missiles that head towards their target. These missiles deal roughly a third of the standard missiles's damage, although with the advantage of being much more accurate. Like the Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher, firing a rocket towards an aircraft will result in a much faster missile.
 * Countermeasures: The Hydra can deploy white flares that will deviate incoming heat-seeking missiles from enemy Hydras at high wanted levels, as well as the surface-to-air missiles of Area 69. Deviating the flares is not always guaranteed to work, as dropping one too early or too late may render it ineffective. Missiles may also sometimes not be fully deviated, requiring additional flares to be stopped.

Vehicle
Similar to the GTA San Andreas rendition, the Hydra is able to switch between vertical and horizontal flight by pressing right on the D-pad on consoles, or pressing E on the keyboard on PC.

When in horizontal flying mode, the Hydra has the highest top speed in the game, around 160 knots while under 900 MSL, and approximately 210 knots while higher than 900 MSL. However, the Hydra is relatively heavy thus has slightly slower acceleration than the Lazer, and when performing a vertical climb, the Hydra will start to lose speed and eventually stall out, unlike the P-996 Lazer which will continue to gain altitude. The Hydra has acceptable maneuverability, being able to quickly pitch, yaw and roll in any direction; however, due to the Hydra's extra weight, it is one of the least maneuverable jets, only beating the V-65 Molotok in a tight circle.

When in VTOL mode, the Hydra is surprisingly less maneuverable than its previous rendition; it is easily controllable in this mode, but has difficulty pitching downwards to engage targets, and has trouble correcting its momentum. It has a tendency to continue moving in the direction it was traveling if switched into VTOL mode, and also takes a while to ascend and descend in the same mode. The VTOL capabilities make using the vehicle's weaponry much easier, but it is a double-edged sword; it is not as maneuverable as a helicopter and responds to inputs differently. It is difficult to slow down from flight mode into hover mode and the throttle must be constantly modulated, otherwise the engine will cut out if the Hydra is close to the ground. If slowed down to the point that the main engine shuts off, switching to VTOL mode and accelerating will not start the engine, preventing any thrust coming through the nozzles, and the plane will plummet to the ground. One should be careful when using the Hydra in VTOL mode to attack targets, since it also makes the Hydra much more vulnerable to direct fire and leaving very little chance of dodging rockets from the Rocket Launcher and locked-on Homing Missiles from the Homing Launcher and most weaponized aircraft. Also, when switching to flight mode, the Hydra may lose a small amount of altitude before it takes flight, therefore it is not suitable to change to Jet mode mid-air while very close to the ground or near buildings. If the Hydra plummets to the ground with retracted landing gears, there is an opportunity to change to VTOL mode if the player reacts quickly before it results in an imminent crash. This problem is negated if the Hydra is flying forward while it transforms to flight mode. It also suffers from the Lazer's tendency to wobble in flight due to turbulence, as well as its unresponsive controls if the afterburner is not engaged.

The Hydra's VTOL capabilities make it able to land basically anywhere as long as there is enough space available for the aircraft to safely land. The pilot of a Hydra can also land and take off just like a normal plane if the controlling player wishes to do so, having greater stability to perform sharp turns on land compared to the Lazer. Care should be taken when landing in VTOL mode, as the aircraft may bounce slightly away from the ground, thus triggering the ejection mode if the player is not careful on the exit. With VTOL mode and the rudder imputs, one can basically spin the aircraft at any safe direction before take-off, in case the aircraft is facing a building or another obstacle.

Overall, the Hydra can be considered as a VTOL counterpart to the Lazer. Its finicky performance in VTOL mode is realistic; VTOL aircraft are not like helicopters and, while able to, are not designed to operate in hover mode, which is usually only for takeoff and landings. Despite being a little heavier, the VTOL features make the Hydra a very deadly aircraft with its weaponry (if players take the time to learn its unique quirks), which is partially balanced by not only its price, but also by the fact that the vehicle is not available outright to players in ''GTA Online. ''However, as of the Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit update (enhanced version only), the Hydra can be purchased outright, albeit at an even greater price.

Again, the aircraft is powered by a single turbojet engine and is equipped with an. It also shares the sound with the Lazer.

Armor
The Hydra is as durable as the Lazer and every other airplane without armor upgrades, being able to take two homing missiles before being destroyed. However, a direct explosive hit to the plane's rear will usually blast away some of the Hydra's control surfaces. While it is still possible to pilot the plane like this, the plane may lose the ability to maneuver along certain axes and the engine will usually have been damaged as well (indicated by the afterburner struggling to ignite or heavy smoke), and another hit to the plane will destroy the aircraft completely.

With the introducing of newer, more specialized aircraft since the release of the Smuggler's Run update, the Hydra's lack of countermeasures proves to be a significant risk, as ground vehicles with significantly more reliable, faster, longer-range or more accurate missile attachments (such as the Oppressor, Deluxo, or Chernobog) can easily target a Hydra and take it down, putting the pilot in an extremely difficult position, given the accuracy of these missiles make them difficult to avoid, especially in open-space areas. Also, many aircraft introduced in the Smuggler's Run update also have a lead against the Hydra in both speed and maneuverability; even the Seabreeze is a surprisingly maneuverable plane, being better at turning a tighter circle than the Hydra, and the Pyro takes the lead with the fastest acceleration and superior maneuverability. Despite these disadvantages in agility, the Hydra more than makes up for it in sheer firepower. Most of the Smuggler's Run aircraft cannot withstand much fire from the Hydra's powerful cannon.

The Hydra does not have any flares or other types of counter-measures against locked-on missiles that are fired at the jet, forcing the pilot to manually evade the missile.

Weaponry

 * Cannon: Similar to the Lazer, the Hydra is equipped with dual explosive cannons, which are extremely powerful and effective against most targets, being able to easily finish off an enemy with a single well-aimed burst, capable of destroying even heavily armored targets such as the Avenger, Mobile Operations Center, or the Insurgent Pick-Up Custom, with sustained fire. However, it has a limited range of about 600 feet. With the VTOL capabilities of the Hydra, one can keep sustained fire on a target very easily, at the cost of maneuverability.
 * Missiles: the Hydra is also equipped with missiles, which can be fired with or without lock-on. Unlike the Lazer, the Hydra's missiles only have a lifespan of about five seconds (compared to the ten-second lifetime of the Lazer's missiles). This results in the rockets having less range and less flight time before the rocket self destructs, along with sub-par tracking, as they may miss the target. The missiles have a short "reload" time, where if two missiles are fired in quick succession, the pilot cannot fire another one until after a short four-second cooldown.

GTA Online Overview
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Grand Theft Auto Online
Upon being converted into a personal aircraft, the Hydra can be repainted with just a primary color for the entirety of the vehicle, excluding the vectoring nozzles and the intakes. The nose and wing armaments will only be slightly tinted. The digital camo livery will be also removed, causing it to have a more uniform color.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 * Easter Basin Naval Station: Available on the aircraft carrier after completing Vertical Bird, the player instantly gains a 5-star wanted level upon entry of the base, then stealing will cause the player to be chased down by enemy Hydras.
 * May be seen in the sky in San Fierro during stormy weather on Mondays.
 * Verdant Meadows: In the hangar furthest away from the Abandoned AC Tower after the mission Vertical Bird.
 * Ganton: On Sweet's House rooftop after attaining 100% completion.
 * Area 69: Two spawn by a tank garage after Vertical Bird (dangerous to obtain, as Surface to Air Missiles will shoot at the player unless destroyed beforehand).
 * Two enemy Hydras pursue the player when in the air after reaching a 4-star wanted level; although it's extremely difficult as the wreck is likely to disappear, one can attain 6-star wanted level, shoot down one of them with a Rustler or Hunter, theoretically even a Sea Sparrow, as close as possible to Verdant Meadows (this is the easy part), land and bail out next to the wreck, jack a nearby Rhino and use it to push the wreck into the hangar.
 * The Hydra can be obtained with the cheat code "jumpjet" for PC. For other consoles, see Cheats in GTA San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * It can be purchased from Warstock Cache & Carry for $3,000,000 after the Humane Raid - EMP heist setup is completed for the whole crew, and will be available through Pegasus Lifestyle Management.
 * After the Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit update, the vehicle is now available to players who have not completed the heist at the "full" cost of $3,990,000.
 * As of the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update, the Hydra will now also spawn at helipads when called for.
 * In the enhanced version, it is classed as a Medium aircraft when stored in a Hangar.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 * In Vertical Bird, Carl Johnson must steal one for Mike Toreno from the aircraft carrier in Easter Basin and use it to destroy a flotilla of spy ships in Tierra Robada.

Heists

 * Humane Raid - EMP - players must steal one from the USS Luxington ATT-16 in order to obtain an EMP device.

Doomsday Heist

 * Heist Prep: Onboard Computer - A Hydra must be shot down in order to retrieve a frequency module so they can get over the missile system controlled by Avon and his army.

Freemode Events

 * Can appear as a Kill List or Kill List Competitive vehicle. 1 player can participate.

General

 * The Hydra is named after, a 9 headed serpent-like creature that lived in Lake Lerna on the Pelopennese Island in Greece. Other vehicles named after mythological creatures include the Leviathan, Phoenix, Banshee, Daemon, Kraken, Titan, Chimera and Valkyrie.
 * Both of its introductory missions are very similar. They both involve the player stealing the VTOL from an aircraft carrier after a shootout with military personnel, only to use it for another ultimate purpose.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 * Once the player attains a 4 star wanted level or higher and is in an aircraft or in a Vortex, two Hydras will pursue and try to shoot down the player. The enemy Hydras should be no match, as they have a penchant for flying in lazy circles and not deploying flares, and as a result they will easily crash into buildings when flying in cities.
 * Like any other aircraft that appear in the sky, Hydras that spawn when the player reaches a 4-6 star wanted level do not have a pedestrian piloting them.
 * Hydras in the mission N.O.E., however, do have a pedestrian piloting them (model id 43 - HMORI).[[Image:DMAHydra.jpg|thumb|190px|The lettering on the rear fuselage.]]
 * Part of the text on the side of the aircraft features the letters "DMA"; this is likely a reference to Rockstar North since the company was formerly known as DMA Design. DMA is also a play on United States Marine Corps squadrons that use the AV-8B Harrier II (VMA).
 * The Hydra has a U.S. Air Force logo on its left wing, but on the right wing, it does not.
 * In reality, the left wing should have the national insignia while the right has the logo. However, in reality, since the U.S. Air Force does not operate the AV-8 Harrier, but the Marines, it should have the U.S. Marine logo instead.
 * An alternative model of the aircraft can be seen on one of Zero's hobby shop kits, sporting a V-tail and a more Harrier-esque look.Hydra model kit.jpg
 * If the player enters the Hydra with the landing gears retracted, upon entering the plane, the Hydra will explode.
 * The flare has the same texture/model as the Tear Gas.
 * For unknown reasons, if the player tries to take off when by traffic, the AI cars will enter "panic mode" and drive away. However, if the player sits by the road or in front of a car, they will drive as normal.
 * Similarly for unknown reasons, if the player lands the Hydra (or any other helicopter/aircraft) in the city, pedestrians will scream in terror. It is unknown why they are screaming since they don't do this in other GTA games when the player lands an aircraft in the city.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * From an aeronautical standpoint, the Hydra's dual rotating nozzle/fixed engine afterburner design in GTA Online makes little sense. Having Harrier-style thrust nozzles on the fuselage coupled with an F-16 style jet engine in the rear would increase fuel consumption and weight (as both the nozzles and afterburner are supplying rearward thrust in flight mode, and the jet engine will still supply rearward thrust when the fuselage nozzles are pointed down in hover mode, making landings difficult) and require the afterburner to constantly shut off and on as the aircraft transitions from hover mode to flight mode.
 * Unlike the Lazer, the Hydra does not seem to possess any airbrakes as none are shown deploying when the aircraft slows down in flight mode.
 * The Hydra is described by Agent 14 to be a piece of 40-years old technology, yet it is fairly comparable to the Lazer in design and performance. This may simply be a misstatement on his part, or because the real world jump jet system was developed in the 1960s and introduced into the United States in the 1970s. This could mean that it is based on the first generation McDonnell Douglas AV-8A Harrier, which in itself is based on the Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1/GR3; this is further evidenced by the fact that the Warstock Cache & Carry description states that it was retired 20 years ago. The RAF retired this model in 1994, by which point it had been retired by the U.S. Marines after the construction of AV-8B Harrier II in the 1980s. The later BAE Harrier II was retired in 2011, whilst the U.S. Marine versions are still in service. It is most likely similar in performance to the Lazer for gameplay balance. The Hydra in-game is likely a modernized variant, as it features a cockpit comparable to the Lazer, including a side mounted control stick.
 * In the Heist Setup mission Humane Raid - EMP, the Hydra has the EMP device placed where the radar would be. This could be a developer's oversight or possibly a reference to the infamous "blue circle" radar system developed by the British in the 1970s - 1980s. Although it could be a tongue-in-cheek joke since any radar system emits electromagnetic radiation.
 * The Hydra can burnout like a car when in VTOL mode on asphalt with its landing gear deployed, by holding brake and yawing to one side.
 * Strangely, the dual-wheel landing gear does not produce tyre marks on any surface.
 * The end description by Warstock Cache & Carry of the Hydra, "The billionaire action movie enthusiast's toy of choice" is a reference to and his 1994 movie , in which  character, Harry Tasker, pilots an AV-8B Harrier II to rescue his daughter from a group of nuclear armed terrorists.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 * There is a glitch that occasionally occurs with the flares; at times they do not deploy. The player would then have to rely on the Hydra's evasiveness in order to avoid incoming missiles (if flying at a high enough altitude, roll the Hydra upside down, then pull up - this will likely divert the missile. If it is too high to dive, then use the rudder and turn at the same time.)
 * If the player locks-on to a bicycle and fires missiles at it, the Hydra receives damage until it explodes as if the player is being attacked. This is due to the fact that bicycles are not meant to receive damage and/or explode, causing a glitch that, somehow, damages the player-controlled vehicle. This can be done easily at Mount Chiliad, as it is a fixed spawn for a Mountain Bike.
 * Sometimes when flying the Hydra in one of the three cities, flying near or flying in the direction of a safehouse with a garage might cause the lock-on icon to pop up out of nowhere, locking onto one of CJ's cars, despite the fact they cannot be seen and are too far away. This is exclusive to garaged safehouse cars, as normally the Hydra is unable to lock onto vehicles behind solid barriers.
 * Like the ordinary rocket/rocket launcher, firing the Hydra's rockets while swinging the aircraft left or right may cause the wings/launch tubes to make contact with the rockets, causing then to instantly explode and causing splash damage to the aircraft.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * In the enhanced version, the Hydra's attitude altimeter rotates in the opposite direction, so much so that the land (brown) on the dial is 90 degrees to the actual horizon.
 * After the Smuggler's Run update, the Hydra's thrusters lacked power when switching between flight and VTOL mode to perform a quick land, causing the jet to quickly descend when engaging VTOL mode and thus crashing.
 * This was fixed in the Southern San Andreas Super Sport Series update.

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