Hunter

The Hunter is a military attack helicopter featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, and can be spawned in using a trainer in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

3D Universe
The Hunter is based on the Boeing (formerly Hughes, then McDonell Douglas) AH-64 Apache, more percisely the AH-64A Apache. In GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, the Hunter is an aesthetically correct AH-64A, though in VCS, it is technically a YAH-64A as the helicopter did not formally enter service with the United States Army until 1986. The version featured in GTA San Andreas has a similar design, however, it omits the co-pilot gunner seat (CPG), uses an eight-bladed tail rotor, and has a canopy that swings open horizontally to the right, like the Hydra jet fighter.

A deadly aircraft, the Hunter is armed with a semi-autonomous targeting Hughes M230 30mm chain gun mounted on the chin of it, dual Hydra 70 rocket pods (which can launch two unguided rockets simultaneously), and 8 AMG-114 Hellfire missiles (which cannot be used). Like the Rhino and the Hydra, both weapons have unlimited ammunition. In addition, it is highly resistant to damage, but is by no means indestructible. Despite being an military vehicle, it is never used by the them or other hostile factions in any game outside scripted circumstances.

A special Vigilante Mission is available with the Hunter, the "Brown Thunder" mission.

HD Universe
The Hunter can only be seen in a trailer for The Simian during the showing for the movie Meltdown and a picture for Warstock Cache & Carry's Lifeinvader that details their equipment selection (located in the lower right). Like in GTA VC, GTA SA, GTA VCS, and GTA LCS it's based on the AH-64A Apache but now also features attributes similar to that of the now defunct Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche such as having a Fenestron-style tail in place of the tail rotor, similar to that of the Apache from Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf.

In the trailer for The Simian it's seen that the pilot is visible in the co-pilot gunner seat, like in previous renditions. The Hunter's front suspension is raised in order to fit the Hughes M230 30mm chain gun mounted on the chin of the craft's fuselage when grounded, and is also equipped with 4 Hydra 70 rocket pods and is no longer equipped with 8 AMG-114 Hellfire missiles. The tail boom is briefly seen and has a build similar in appearance to that of the RAH-66 Comanche. The the stabilizers have moved to the top of the tail fin and the rotor is removed and replaced with a Fenestron-style fan-in-fin. The canopy of the Hunter now resembles that of the RAH-66 Comanche as well. The nose of the Hunter features detailed cameras, mounted in similar fashion to that of the AH-64 Apache series and its 3D era predecessor. The engines have been modified slightly too, with the exhaust vents on the rear of them horizontal instead of vertical as seen in the previous 3D models and its real-life counterpart.

Although it is not possible to see it in action, presumably, the front chain gun will have a high rate of fire with high to very high damage. The rocket pods could fire 1 rocket (or more) each, with the pods firing alternating with each activation of the weapon system, and could be powerful enough to destroy heavily armored targets. The front mounted camera (if it can be accessed at all) will mostly likely maneuver like any other helicopter's camera such as those of the Maverick and Buzzard. It may be possible that the pilot will be able to maneuver chain gun freely or it will auto target in order to compensate for the lack of a passenger cabin for support to shoot out from.

GTA Vice City

 * Fort Baxter Air Base - Inside the base after completing either Keep Your Friends Close or collecting all 100 hidden packages, which will appear only after a certain percentage of the game is complete.
 * Ocean Beach - At the helipad next to Lance Vance's house after finding all 100 hidden packages and completing Keep Your Friends Close.

GTA San Andreas

 * Easter Basin, San Fierro - On a helipad inside the Easter Basin Naval Station after completing Pilot School with all golds. The player instantly gains a 5 star wanted level upon entering the base and therefore will be engaged by two NPC Hydras firing heat-seeking missiles.
 * Verdant Meadows, Bone County - At the airstrip after getting gold on all Pilot School tests. (Note: When both the Hunter and Leviathan are unlocked at Verdant Meadows, only one of them can spawn at a time. Arrive from the west to spawn the Hunter and arrive from the east to spawn the Leviathan).
 * Used in Heli Hell - instead of completing the course, take the Hunter to the aircraft hangar in Verdant Meadows.
 * Can be spawned by inputting the cheat during gameplay.

GTA Vice City Stories

 * Escobar International Airport - At the southern part of the airport near the Biplane after completing Last Stand. Starts the "Skywolf" side-mission automatically upon entrance.

GTA Liberty City Stories

 * The Hunter aircraft itself is not available in the regular game, but left over code from GTA Vice City is, and can only be spawned in with a third-party trainer.

Notable Appearances in Missions
The Hunter's most notable use is in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories missions Over The Top and Last Stand, when Victor Vance steals a Hunter (in Over the Top) in order to attack the Mendez Cartel (in Last Stand). It appears too in a previous mission, From Zero To Hero. It also appeared in Learning to Fly, race event Heli Hell and two flown by NPC in Up, Up and Away! (part of casino heist mission) from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City it makes one single appearance in the mission All Hands On Deck.

Although it isn't considered a mission, the Hunter appeared in a multiplayer match for the PSP version of GTA Vice City Stories named "Might of the Hunter".

Skywolf Mission
The Skywolf mission is a side mission in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories available after Last Stand, it is activated by simply entering the Hunter at Escobar International Airport. The mission requires the player to use the Hunter's weaponry and destroy a certain amount of targets while flying through some rings. The targets are boats, cars and for the last part, another helicopter. Completion of the mission gets the player a step closer to 100% Completion.

Trivia

 * Although it does not appear within the game, leftover Hunter files from GTA Vice City are present in the code of GTA Liberty City Stories. With the aid of third-party trainers, a fully functional Hunter can be spawned. It has the same design as the GTA Vice City model but cannot be used for Vigilante missions, nor does is it have a in-game name.
 * In GTA Vice City the front wheels are designed in the same orientation. Thus, the black side is on the left side of both wheels.
 * In GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, and GTA Liberty City Stories, the player is able to play the game's radio stations while flying the Hunter. However, this ability was removed in GTA Vice City Stories. The default radio stations for the Hunter are V-Rock in GTA Vice City, K-DST in GTA San Andreas.
 * The Hunter is the fastest helicopter in the series, but has the widest turning radius. This isn't true for GTA San Andreas, but the Sea Sparrow, Sparrow, and News Chopper are all faster.
 * If GTA San Andreas is modded to make the Hunter replace the Police Maverick when pursued by the police, the AI-controlled hunter will almost always crash shortly after spawning.
 * In GTA Vice City the Hunter's machine gun has a firing sound like the M-60, instead of a 30mm chain gun.
 * In GTA San Andreas, using the turret to destroy any vehicles does not attract police attention, but killing people while grounded using the turret or rockets (unless they hit the ground, a structure, directly at criminals spawned by a Vigilante mission or explode in the air) does attract a wanted level.
 * One must be careful when shooting the rockets from the Hunter in Vice City Stories because if the helicopter strafes too much, the rockets will hit the chopper immediately after firing, thus, destroying it in the process. Same is true for any Hunters in other games when firing too close to the ground as the splash damage will instantly kill the player.
 * In San Andreas if the player fits a Hunter into a Pay n' Spray it will be sprayed and if you have a wanted level the stars will flash. (Note: it is extremely difficult to fit a Hunter into a Pay n' Spray so you'll have to squeeze as much as you can into the garage until the door closes).
 * Even though the cockpit has the correct two personnel layout, the Hunter in GTA Vice City only has the control stick in the gunner position. AH-64 Apache helicopters actually have control sticks in both the pilot and co-pilot gunner seats.
 * Tommy Vercetti flies the Hunter from the co-pilot gunner seat situated at the front of the cockpit. AH-64 Apache helicopters are actually piloted primarily from the rear of the cockpit.
 * The Hunter's "Brown Thunder" Vigilante mission is the best way to earn money in GTA Vice City, and third best in GTA San Andreas (after the Inside Track betting trick and using the Rhino in Vigilante missions). The mission allows the player to take-out criminals in a specific time period, earning more time with each succsessful kill. Once at a high level (level 30 & beyond in GTA Vice City, level 150 & beyond in GTA San Andreas), the money earned can be massive, sometimes over 100K.
 * The name "Brown Thunder" is a reference to the 1983 action film Blue Thunder, which centers on a heavily-armed law enforcement helicopter.
 * Jacking the Hunter from Fort Baxter Air Base without a police uniform is not easy. The easist way is to fly another helicopter (purchasing the Hyman Condo is the easiest) to the rear of the base (where the Hunter is parked), then slam down and land right next to it, hop out, and then jack it. This must be quick because eventually guardsmen will spawn around the base with M4's, and will shoot the player down.
 * The Hunter makes a brief cameo in GTA V when watching the movie Meltdown. During an advert for the movie The Simian, some Hunters will make a brief appearance at the start of the ad. For some reason, the only pilot seen is wearing an LSPD flight helmet.

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