Savage

"The gunship your dad thought he'd be running from in World War III. Like a Russian politician, it refuses to give up no matter how old it gets or how many people campaign for its decommissioning, and it's at its best setting its enemies on fire."

- Warstock Cache & Carry description

The Savage is a military gunship helicopter released in Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the Heists Update.

Description
The Savage is based on the Soviet/Russian Mil Mi-24 "Hind", and features its armament of rockets and a nose-mounted machine gun. However, rather than the Hind's four barrel Yak-B 12.7mm cannon, a six barrel Gatling gun is fitted.

The vehicle's cockpit appears to have a cross between the earlier angular greenhouse-style cockpit design from the Hind-A and the "double bubble" canopy seen on the Hind-D and latter. Erroneously, it is piloted from the forward seat, while the gunner sits in the rear seat. A Hind is piloted from the rear seat, while the gunner sits in the forward seat. Unlike the Hind, the Savage features enlarged side exhausts similar to those found on export Hinds and the helicopter lacks the triangular strike guard on the tail boom. Also, the wingtip pylons for mounting AT/AA missiles are empty. The rocket pods appear to be based on the Hydra 70 rocket usually fitted on the AH-64 Apache. The side doors are made to resemble traditional sliding doors; in contrast with the real-life door compartments, with one of them acting as a step bar when opened. The circular dust covers are also absent from the air intakes.

A feature of the Savage is the retractable tricycle landing gear, which can be retracted by clicking in the Left Stick.

The vehicle has various military-themed decorations, including a desert military camouflage pattern, the U.S. Army star on its side, the "Zancudo" and the numbers on the side doors, a badge near the cockpit area with "Enduro Fortes" markings and a similar one on the opposite side reads "Voxusm Delicat" and a yellow line on the tail edge where the word "Danger" would be that reads "Zancudo". It is operated by Merryweather Security.

Performance
In terms of function, the Savage has similar features to the Buzzard. The pilot has access to the machine gun and rockets; the latter of which can be set to heat-seeking or free fire. However, the Savage's rocket pods can be fired non-stop without delay; a feature not shared by the Buzzard. Unlike the Buzzard, the co-pilot does not have the option to fire rockets.

The Savage can carry four occupants. The pilot and co-pilot are seated in the front canopy, while two additional passengers can be seated at either side of the cargo bay. The additional two passengers can fire a variety of weapons including pistols, SMG's, LMG's, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and even RPG's out of the side door of the Savage.

In terms of weaponry, the Savage is likely the most well equipped vehicle in the game. Its rockets function like the Buzzard's, however, there is no cooldown, meaning the player can fire rockets one after another without pause, which is very practical. The machine gun uses explosive rounds, similar to the machine guns of the P-996 Lazer and Hydra, albeit with a faster firing rate, which makes it even deadlier. The machine gun cannot pivot up and down or rotate, so the pilot must tilt the helicopter forward to engage ground targets. It cannot tilt as far forward as the Buzzard (it has trouble tilting more than 6 degrees from level flight, while the Buzzard can tilt as far forward as 25 degrees) so engaging targets directly below it may be difficult. To make matters worse, the gun has a very limited range, similar to the LAZER and Hydra. The most effective way to use this helicopter against ground targets is to treat it like an airplane; make several fast "strafing runs", as loitering will cause the Savage to take damage.

Compared to the Buzzard, the Savage has more firepower but is heavier and bigger, making it an easier target. The heaviness is particularly evident when rotating the helicopter, which takes a considerable amount of time. It is incredibly vulnerable to the Homing Launcher, going down in one hit. Its mass and low maneuverability make avoiding missiles difficult.

Contrary to the Hind's fearsome reputation as a "flying tank", the Savage is very weak - even weaker than the Valkyrie. Small-caliber fire, such as that from SMGs and pistols, will make the engine start to smoke and stall, and eventually cut out completely. The Savage is susceptible to the smallest crashes, however, explosions from its own weaponry will hardly affect the engines. Care must be taken to avoid obstacles when landing and when in flight, as both its rotors are quite large and vulnerable, and it does not have a strike guard on the end of the tail boom.

Prominent Appearances in Missions

 * Several can be found in the Pacific Standard - Convoy Heist Setup, where they are operated by Merryweather, and attack the ambush team.

Locations

 * Available from Warstock Cache & Carry for $1,950,000 after completing the Pacific Standard - Convoy set up mission.

Trivia

 * NPC-controlled Savages have the ability to rotate the gun and pivot it up and down, whilst the controllable ones cannot (even when a second player is in the cockpit), likely for game balance. NPC Savage guns also do not fire explosive rounds, instead firing rounds similar to the Buzzard.
 * Compared to other military vehicles with camouflage patterns in GTA V, the Savage comes with a very dark camouflage scheme, based on the actual camouflage used by US Army "aggressor" Hinds.
 * Despite the presence of seats in the Savage's troop bay which would suggest it can carry more passengers, it can only carry two.
 * The Savage is the second helicopter in the game that has the ability to put up its landing gear; the first being the Swift.
 * Because of the cockpits singular-seat design, it can take the player a considerable amount of time to exit the vehicle in mid-air, making abandoning the Savage from rockets or crashing a risk in its self.
 * Rarely, Pegasus may deliver a Savage with an "unbalanced" Gatling gun. Meaning the gun on the nose of the helicopter is not properly centered and spins oddly when firing.