Merryweather Security

"Merryweather is a private military and security company with over $10 billion of taxpayer's money in US government contracts to its name."

- Description at LCN.com.

Merryweather Security Consulting is a private military company and security contractor featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. They are one of the main groups of antagonists in GTA V.

Events of GTA Online
"Merryweather Security Consulting? Private army of the New World Order? The folks waging outsourced shadow wars in twenty countries around the globe, and recently cleared to operate on US soil?"

- Trevor Philips asking Floyd Hebert about Merryweather.

Sometime before the game's start, Merryweather is cleared by the American government to begin operating on U.S. soil, both in service of the government and of other organizations in the private sector.

It begins experiencing setbacks and problems almost immediately after their clearance. During GTA Online, many of its aircraft and supplies are stolen by the player, who was contacted by Lester Crest. Lester also sends the player to steal documentation and cargo guarded by Merryweather on numerous occasions. Underground crime lord Martin Madrazo has also hired the player to destroy Merryweather equipment. Ironically, the Online protagonist can call for backup, boat and helicopter pickups or airstrikes.

They also make some appearances during the online Heists, most notable during the Humane Raid - Insurgents heist setup mission, where the players must steal two Insurgents from a Merryweather test site in Davis Quartz.

Events of GTA V
Later, during Grand Theft Auto V, Merryweather suffers many problematic setbacks at the hands of the game's main protagonists, particularly those of Trevor Philips. During the game, Merryweather has one of the experimental weapons they were guarding for the U.S. government stolen; one of their planes, which was carrying millions of dollars in weaponry, hijacked and taken down; one of their courier trains, carrying millions of dollars worth of priceless artifacts, derailed; dozens of their men killed at a massive shootout in the Kortz Center; several men killed after an unsuccessful house invasion, dozens of their men killed while unsuccessfully attempting to stop a heist at the Union Depository Building and (depending on the player's choice) dozens of their men killed in a foundry while attempting to kill Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips, and one of their chief board members kidnapped, stuffed into a car, and rolled off a cliff.

By the end of the main storyline, Merryweather's reputation is in shambles after so many catastrophic failures, causing several of their regular clients to drop them from their payroll, including the U.S. government. After losing the government contract, Merryweather loses clearance to operate on American soil and is forced to shut down several operations they'd started in the country, costing them millions of dollars.

In GTA V, the player can visit their official website, Merryweathersecurity.com and also buy their stocks in the Lcn-exchange.com website.

Divisions
There appears to be three divisions of Merryweather Security. Like Gruppe Sechs, the first division provides onsite and property protection with uniformed guards; these guards can be seen patrolling properties in marked cars or walking the premises with a guard dog. Other guards can be seen guarding Humane Labs and Research during Monkey Business, and have different outfits with a red and black color scheme. They provide private security to shareholders such as Devin Weston, and they rarely help the public law enforcement in major incidents, one of which was a shootout following a bank robbery. It also acts as a neighborhood watch group, as seen in Vinewood Hills.

The second division is a paramilitary force equipped and trained for high-risk operations; this division is comprised primarily of former military servicemen, which presumably includes infantry, aviation, and special operations personnel. The U.S. Government employs this division as a courier service and it is implied the FIB and IAA use them as hired back up. They own a ship; the SS Bulker which holds an unknown device. It can be destroyed during the Freighter approach for The Merryweather Heist.

The third division is a courier service that was announced by Merryweather around the events of the mission, Friend Request. The service transports art, artifacts, and perishables for museums and collectors. This is attacked by Michael De Santa and Trevor Phillips and is deliberately derailed.

The fourth division appears to be a black operations unit, equipped with night vision gear. Members of this division were only seen during the Humane Labs raid.

Uniform and gear
Four models of Merryweather operators are present in the game.
 * 1) Named "Blackops 1" in the game files, these wear relatively light gear. They can be seen wearing a cap (either forwards or backwards, and have the Merryweather logo on them) and they equip a headset when in Aircraft. They also wear shades. For the Torso, they can wear either a polo shirt and a sleeveless shirt as well, all varying colors and tattoo designs on their arms. They can either wear a bulletproof vest or just their top. For the legs and feet, they wear pants in various camouflages, a gun holster attached to their left leg, and boots.
 * 2) Named "Blackops 2", these wear heavier equipment than the previous operator. They can wear either a military cap, or a ski hat, varying color and camouflage patterns. They also wear a pair of sunglasses.  For the torso, they can wear a military jacket, or a polo shirt. They always have a bulletproof vest as well. For the lower body, they wear tactical pants with holsters, baggies, knee pads and boots.
 * 3) Named "Chemsec 1" these are a bit different. They still wear the cap and shades combo, polo shirt with a bulletproof vest, pants with a gun holster and boots. However, they are fairly noticeable from the rest, since the color scheme of their clothes is red and black. Also, the word "SECURITY" is written in the back of their vests.
 * 4) Named "Blackops 3" these were added after the Heists Update. They are identical to the Blackops 2 variant, except they don't wear hats, have sunglasses of different colors and have night vision gear.

Stock

 * Although one might think missions such as The Merryweather Heist, Minor Turbulence, and Derailed would impact Merryweather's finances - they seem to have no impact on its stock price, or that of its competitor, Gruppe Sechs.
 * However, the events surrounding the game's finale can have a huge impact on Merryweather stocks - sending them skyward if Franklin chooses The Time's Come, or through the floor if he choses The Third Way.

Known Members

 * Members
 * Don Percival - Founder/CEO
 * Devin Weston - Major Shareholder (Determinant)


 * Associates
 * Molly Schultz (Formerly/deceased)
 * Online Player (Determinant)

Prominent Appearances in Missions

 * GTA V
 * Scouting the Port
 * The Merryweather Heist
 * Minor Turbulence
 * Derailed
 * Monkey Business
 * The Wrap Up
 * Meltdown
 * The Big Score
 * The Third Way  (Option C; Wiped out after this mission)


 * GTA Online
 * A Titan of a Job
 * Dry Docking
 * Teaser Trailer
 * Show Me the Monet
 * Defender
 * Chemical Extraction
 * American Exports
 * Docks to Stock
 * Docks to Stock II
 * Stocks and Scares
 * Various Gang Attacks


 * Heists
 * The Prison Break
 * Humane Raid - Insurgents
 * Humane Raid - Valkyrie
 * Humane Raid - Deliver EMP
 * The Humane Labs Raid
 * Pacific Standard - Convoy


 * Special Vehicle Work
 * End of Transmission

Services (GTA Online)
Merryweather Security will temporarily suspend services if the player has recently been hostile towards them, i.e. kill them in gang attacks. However, they will not suspend services if they are killed during missions (i.e. A Titan of a Job, Dry Docking, etc.)

Vehicles
Merryweather's fleet of vehicles include:
 * Dilettantes, used by Merryweather Security Guards with Merryweather decals to patrol areas.
 * Mesas, which were heavily modified for off-road cruising. It is the main vehicle of choice for ground operatives.
 * Patriots, used by ground operatives. Fairly common in GTA Online.
 * Freight Trains, used for transporting high value shipments across San Andreas. According to Ron Jakowski, it passes by every month. One of them is derailed during the events of GTA V.
 * Buzzard Attack Choppers, which are the main vehicles used by air units.
 * Mavericks, used for transport and air support (GTA Online only).
 * Valkyries, used in tandem with the US Army as a transport/attack helicopter.
 * Savages, heavy gunships used for convoy escort and patrol.
 * Insurgents and Insurgent Pick-Ups, used for patrol at Humane Labs and Research and convoys.
 * P-996 Lazers, used for dropping ammunition crates and delivering airstrikes in GTA Online.
 * Cuban 800s, alternately used for ammunition crates in GTA Online
 * Cargo Plane, used by the company for special deliveries (such as government or military shipment). It is currently unknown how many of those they own, but one is stolen and ends up being shot down by the U.S. Air Force. GTA V only.
 * Dinghies, used for transport for naval operatives and naval support.
 * Dunes, used in End of Transmission (Import/Export DLC)

Trivia

 * Merryweather is a parody of Academi, formerly known as Blackwater and Xe Services, a private military company infamous for alleged human rights violations during the Iraq War. Like Academi, Merryweather had changed its name following an incident that resulted in negative public relations.
 * The styling of the name is also derived from Academi's former Blackwater logo.
 * Every GTA V-era protagonist so far has been made an enemy of Merryweather. The only protagonist that can actually use Merryweather's services is the GTA Online Protagonist.
 * Devin Weston apparently owns 11% of Merryweather. If the player chooses the "Deathwish" ending and kills Weston, Don Percival buys out the majority of Weston's stock in the company.
 * Throughout the story, Trevor makes references to Merryweather as the "New World Order's" private army and part of the Illuminati. Their emblem, the owl, is also a reference to the Illuminati and the Bohemian Grove conspiracy. In fact, when listening to private conversations with LSPD officers, they discuss the possibility of Merryweather eventually replacing them as law enforcement in the city.
 * On their official website, a map of the World shows Merryweather has several operations and bases across the continents in locations such as Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, as well as the Middle East.
 * In GTA Online, Merryweather soldiers called by the player will, oddly enough, attack other Merryweather soldiers during missions.
 * Despite being armed in the port, when the player gains a wanted level, they start to run as if they were civilians. If standing outside, however, they will engage the player if provoked.
 * Merryweather provides security for the Humane Labs and Research during "Monkey Business", implying that they've been working at least once for the IAA. It is also possible to see mercenaries in the Labs area during "Chemical Extraction".
 * Despite endings stating that Merryweather has lost its license to operate in the U.S. in GTA V, they can still be found at the Los Santos Naval Port.
 * For the "Blackops 2" operator, their bulletproof vest, and pants are identical to those of the NOOSE operator. They only change color, and add the words "NOOSE" or "FIB" in the back of the vest.

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