Annihilator

"This classic four-bladed, twin-engine combat chopper has not only seen active duty in the Middle East, it's starred in 3 movies about the Middle East since it returned! The Annihilator is renowned for its stealth capabilities... as much as a huge black helicopter with 4 machine guns can ever be considered stealthy."

- Elitás Travel description.

The Western Annihilator is an armed utility helicopter that appeared in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto Online.

Grand Theft Auto IV
The Annihilator is based on the helicopter, specifically the MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator version, judging by its stub wings, which is able to carry four mounted weapons on the same wings (two in each one). Its livery is modeled after the US Custom And Border Protection's Office Of CBP Air and Marine Colors. The Annihilator's design is also comparable to that of the Raindance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is based on a variant of the real-life Black Hawk. It fills the attack helicopter role previously taken by the 3D Universe Hunter.

The aircraft is depicted with a rather large fuselage, having a rounded nose, a large cabin and large access doors, as well as a searchlight/camera fitted below the nose and the main undercarriage. The middle section of the fuselage is tall and wide, with large engine intakes/exhausts, side doors and access steps, as well as stub wings with the corresponding pylons and support frames. The tail boom features a large empennage with a wide (though it is always set in a cruise position), a tall vertical stabilizer and a tail rotor on the right side, while the underside has the corresponding tail landing gear with dual wheels. The helicopter bears yellow stripes with National Office of Security Enforcement markings around the fuselage, as well as LC Patriotism And Immigration Authority stencils on the tail boom and a registration code on the doors.

The interior is relatively large and features a wide instrument panel, along with a cut-out section leading to the rear bay. Like the Maverick and the Police Maverick, the rear passengers sit on the borders of the same bay and can use Assault Rifles.

The helicopter is only available in a black primary color, and uses a set of industrial wheels derived from vehicles like the Airtug, the Mule and the Benson.

The vehicle is armed with four Miniguns mounted on the pylons of the stub wings, which resemble s.

Grand Theft Auto Online
The Annihilator returns in Grand Theft Auto Online with the same design and features as its GTA IV predecessor. However, it has gained some visual details, like a red light that illuminates the passenger bay and a more detailed metal fuselage texture. The front searchlight/camera can be used by the copilot to look through, like most helicopters. While retaining the same livery as in GTA IV, the registration code on the doors were removed and the stencils of the tail boom lack the "L.C." part. The interior of the aircraft remains identical to its previous iteration, but adds two additional seats on the rear bay. In the enhanced version, it uses a dedicated "Flyer" dial set also used on the Maverick and the Police Maverick. Again, the helicopter is only available in a black primary color, and retains the same wheel design as before.

The vehicle is still equipped with four miniguns, which in the enhanced version, rotate when using them.

Vehicle
The Annihilator has the highest speed of all helicopters and, possibly, any vehicle in GTA IV, as the player can reach to a destination quickly. However, it is difficult to slow down and somewhat hard to maneuvre due to its rather large design, especially when travelling through buildings and when landing onto a busy street. The Annihilator is upgraded in The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, where it moves more quickly.

The aircraft is powered by twin engines, evidenced by the intakes and exhausts seen on either side. It has a unique loud sound.

Armor
While having average resistance to collisions and its cab provides a slightly better protection from enemies on the ground, it is very vulnerable to Rocket Launchers, Assault Rifles or other Annihilators, especially on the upper side, where a single magazine from a Carbine Rifle can damage the vehicle enough to set them on fire and explode. A single rocket directly to the fuselage can completely destroy the Annihilator, while a rocket hitting the tail or the main rotor will blast it off or damage the helicopter severely, forcing the player to leave the vehicle before it explodes.

Weaponry
The Annihilator is equipped with four miniguns operated by the pilot, which have devastating firepower against pedestrians and vehicles. However, they are difficult to aim due to the lack of a reticle. While having an infinite amount of ammunition, they stop when 100 rounds are fired, so the player would have to wait for two seconds or so before they can resume firing.

In The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, the miniguns are upgraded with explosive rounds, being even more devastating against most targets. However, the lack of bullet trail makes them even more difficult to aim.

GTA IV Overview
Annihilator=

Miniguns (GTA IV)=

Miniguns (EFLC)=

Vehicle
The Annihilator differs a lot from its predecessor due to the upgraded aircraft mechanics in the game. In terms of performance, the Annihilator is much slower and feels even heavier to handle, being comparable to the Cargobob (as a result of an increased mass). However, unlike in GTA IV, that does not make the helicopter highly uncontrollable, even by travelling with the maximum forward pitch angle, apart that it is one of the steadiest when hovering, indicated by the airspeed indicator. As of the Smuggler's Run Update, rear passengers can rappel down the Annihilator, if the vehicle is held steady at a low altitude.

Again, the helicopter is powered by twin turboshaft engines, which produce a more traditional sound shared with most helicopters, such as the Maverick and the Frogger.

Defense
The Annihilator's low speed, sluggish handling and thin armour makes it hard to compete against most of the other armed aircraft within the game. The helicopter will be destroyed instantly from any standard explosive, but can withstand two to three hits from the Heavy Sniper Mk II equipped with explosive rounds. The helicopter's lock-on "hit box" has been moved lower, making all but hard tracking missiles, such as Deluxo, Ruiner 2000 and Stromberg missiles miss more frequently. The helicopter is also vulnerable to regular bullet damage, and will be destroyed in only ten rounds from the Heavy Sniper. With its poor maneuverability and large frame, the Annihilator is especially vulnerable to jets equipped with explosive rounds such as the Hydra or P-996 LAZER.

Weaponry
Machine Gun: The Annihilator is still equipped with four miniguns operated by the pilot as in its previous appearance. However, they fire at a much faster rate and aiming is somewhat easier thanks to the addition of a reticle, but they are reverted back to regular rounds instead of the explosive ones from Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. They can fire indefinitely without having to reload.

Despite having four miniguns, the weapons deal the same amount of damage as the Buzzard Attack Chopper's two miniguns, due to a damage buff the Buzzard received. The Annihilator's miniguns can fire up to a range of about 600 feet but have a larger split between the two sets of miniguns. Just like the Buzzard, the Annihilator can deal large amounts of damage when sustaining fire, but the weapons' firing paths do not converge, making hitting small targets with all four miniguns difficult.

GTA Online Overview
Annihilator=

Miniguns=

Grand Theft Auto Online
Upon being converted into a personal aircraft, the Annihilator can only be repainted with a primary color, which covers all of the aircraft's body. The livery cannot be removed, however.

Grand Theft Auto IV

 * Seen in the mission The Snow Storm, where it takes part of the NOOSE's raid at the abandoned hospital.
 * In Three Leaf Clover, an Annihilator appears in front of Niko Bellic, Packie and Derrick, forcing them to escape through the subway.
 * In both Out of Commission (Revenge ending) and A Revenger's Tragedy (Deal ending), Niko and Little Jacob (plus Roman Bellic in Out of Commission) will use one to chase Jimmy Pegorino or Dimitri Rascalov up to Happiness Island.

The Lost and Damned

 * In Marta Full of Grace, an FIB-operated Annihilator appears in an attempt to take out Johnny Klebitz.
 * Appears during the chase in the mission Shifting Weight, after Johnny, Malc and DeSean reach Middle Park East.
 * In Get Lost, a NOOSE team will arrive to the Alderney State Correctional Facility in two Annihilators.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * In I Luv LC, the same Annihilator from Three Leaf Clover is seen searching for Niko, Packie and Derrick in the introduction cutscene.
 * In Corner Kids, an Annihilator deploys a NOOSE team on a roof and later, it will try to kill Luis Lopez, Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas, but Luis manages to destroy it with an RPG.
 * In High Dive, several Annihilators will try to kill Luis.
 * An LCPD-operated Annihilator appears in the mission Frosting On The Cake, after Luis and Gay Tony reach the Algonquin Bridge. A police gunner attacks the vehicle, but Luis manages to destroy it.
 * In Not So Fast, two Annihilators will try to destroy Yusuf Amir's Buzzard. They must be destroyed.
 * In For the Man Who Has Everything, several Annihilators, along with Police Mavericks, will try to kill Luis.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * In the mission On Maneuvers, the player must steal one from a military training ground.
 * In the Mobile Operations mission Cover Blown, enemy agents will employ Annihilators in an attempt to intercept the Mobile Operations Center. (Gunrunning).
 * Used by attacking enemies in various Survivals:
 * Project 4808C: Grapeseed
 * Project 4808E: Arena
 * Project 4808F: Pillbox
 * Kortz Survival

Singleplayer

 * On a helipad at the East Holland Police Station in Algonquin. It is watched over by LCPD officers armed with Carbine Rifles, but stealing it will only attract one star for vehicle theft, which can easily be evaded with the chopper.
 * On the helipad atop the Lower Easton Police Station in Lower Easton, Algonquin.
 * Can be found in the Westminster Helipad near the Golden Pier. Taking this will attract no Wanted Level, since no one is guarding it.
 * One in Francis International Airport in singleplayer. Taking this will attract a 4-star wanted level, as the Annihilator is in the FIA runway area. Mentioning that in GTA IV is scripted to set the search radar on it, one can't escape a wanted level of 3+ stars while flying a helicopter.
 * An Annihilator occasionally spawns on top of the MeTV building in Star Junction, Algonquin in place of a Maverick after the player shoots all 200 pigeons.
 * Spawn by dialing 359-555-0100 using the phone. This disables the Walk Free and One Man Army achievements, doesn't disable trophies in the PlayStation 3 version.
 * Can be seen flying near the many bridges in Liberty City, sometimes accompanied by a Police Maverick.

Multiplayer

 * At the Helitours heliport.
 * Can be found in the helipad on Westminster near the Golden Pier.
 * On top of the Tudor Fire Station in Tudor, Alderney.
 * On top of the airport police station on the west side of the parking building.
 * On top of a building in The Exchange.
 * On top of a building in Castle Gardens.
 * Can be seen flying around Charge Island.
 * Three can be found at the heliport in Francis International Airport.
 * On top of the East Holland Police Station in Northwood.
 * On top of the MeTV Building.

The Lost and Damned
The Annihilator is very difficult to acquire in single player. It cannot be seen parked on any of the helipads in the city. As a result, it can only be acquired with cheats, or by sniping an Annihilator pilot flying low enough so that the helicopter won't explode upon crashing. The Annihilator remains available in TLAD's Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.

Singleplayer
Again, the helicopter is difficult to obtain. However, it can occasionally spawn on the same spots as in GTA IV, though in rare chances.

Multiplayer

 * On top of the police station on the west side of the parking building in Francis International Airport.
 * One can be found at the heliport in the airport, between the two Buzzards.
 * On top of the Tudor Fire Station in Tudor, Alderney.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * Can be bought for $1,825,000 from the Elitás Travel website.
 * Prior to the Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit update, the vehicle could only be purchased after reaching Rank 37.
 * In the enhanced version, it is classed as a Medium vehicle when stored in a Hangar.
 * Can be found on numerous helipads at Rank 37 and above.

Grand Theft Auto IV

 * Entering an Annihilator in multiplayer automatically grants the player a Rocket Launcher with eight rounds (like all helicopters).

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * Entering an Annihilator will give the player a Sniper Rifle with 10 rounds.

General

 * Although the Annihilator has four M134 7.62 NATO miniguns, each has an unrealistically low rate of fire (ROF) of 200 rounds per minute (RPM). The ROF of all four guns is 800 RPM (13 rounds per second), comparable that of an SMG; in real life, each of these should fire at least 4000 RPM, with the helicopter's total ROF being 16000 RPM (266 rds/second) to 24000 RPM (400 rds/second) with all miniguns firing. However, when heard from a third-person view, it sounds as if the miniguns are firing much faster than during normal circumstances. The rate of fire has been increased in GTA Online.
 * Unlike other helicopters, like the Maverick, the Police Maverick and the Frogger, the Annihilator's camera has a missing lens, only showing a black sphere. However, when viewed from afar, the same lens appears. The best way to see this is moving away from it from the side of the helicopter until the LOD model is visible.
 * Occasionally, the main gear wheels seem to turn when yawing the helicopter to a side for no reason, before correcting themselves when landing it.

Grand Theft Auto IV

 * In a pre-release render, the Annihilator is depicted with a single minigun on the nose and four fuel tanks on the stub wings, giving it a more military look.
 * During development, the Annihilator was painted black overall, with a NOOSE emblem. The final version includes a yellow stripe along the fuselage.
 * Along with the APC and Buzzard, the Annihilator is one of the few vehicles in GTA IV and its episodes to have mounted weapons.
 * Although the Annihilator has been updated on the PC version of GTA IV, the Annihilator has arguably faster miniguns and also has very high amount of damage output. The miniguns seen on the PC Annihilator do not exist on the console versions, therefore for making it harder to kill other players or inflict damage. Although the Buzzard's miniguns shoot at the same speed, they do not have the same amount of damage output when compared to the Annihilator on the PC version.
 * Like the Police Maverick, it will suffer the same glitch in that if the player obtains a helicopter from the police and leaves the vehicle, it will briefly gain altitude by itself despite there is nobody inside to do so.
 * If the player manages to get on the stub wings or in the tail stabilizer, they may fall, even if the helicopter is static.
 * The Annihilator in the final mission (A Revenger's Tragedy or Out of Commission) of GTA IV has unique properties: it has one back door closed and the helicopter has a unique warning sound. One can notice that the closed door has a slighty different texture and, if the player tries to save it at a parking space of a safehouse, the door disappears.GTA IV Annihilator Slide-door closed variant.png/Out Of Commission.]]
 * The Annihilator is the only helicopter to have its tail rotor on the right side. However, due to reused assets with the Maverick and its variants, the main rotor rotates clockwise, defying the purpose of the tail rotor. This was corrected in GTA Online.
 * In the mission Corner Kids (TBoGT), Henrique will mention the helicopter by its name ("Shit. They sent the Annihilator in").

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * The Annihilator is no longer in use by the law enforcement during wanted levels, although it is used by the Military during the mission "On Maneuvers".
 * The Annihilator was originally intended to be used by the NOOSE during wanted levels. Within, the Annihilator is listed alongside the Police Maverick as air vehicles used by the NOOSE. However, the set of data is not used.
 * As of patch 1.17, the machine gun's aim is reset to a larger dot. This can be changed in the settings menu, though.
 * Despite only appearing in GTA Online, police scanner audio files still contain the Annihilator as one of the many model names, even though the police scanner is absent in GTA Online.
 * Despite having only four miniguns, handling files still lists a rocket launcher item on it, possibly a leftover data from the Buzzard Attack Chopper.

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