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Template:Next-Gen Template:Infobox vehicles

Not to be confused with the Akuma, a sport motorcycle in The Ballad of Gay Tony, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.

Once upon a time, a blank radar screen meant you could relax. But times change. With the Akula in town, a blank radar screen probably means you're a few seconds away from being vaporized by a cackling sociopath in an attack helicopter. And there's only one way to make sure you're on the right side of that brave new world...
Please note: This aircraft is excluded from Pegasus Lifestyle Management and must be stored in a personal hangar.
Warstock Cache & Carry description.

The Buckingham[1] Akula is a stealth gunship attack helicopter featured in Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Doomsday Heist update.

Design

Grand Theft Auto Online

The Akula is an attack helicopter based on the Boeing–Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche, with a canopy that combines the aspects of the Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" (front windows) and the Kamov Ka-50 “Black Shark” (side windows). The tail setup is very similar to that of the FH-1 Hunter, being a fenestron, but the rearranged fins makes it similar to that of the Airbus Helicopters H145M, but with a wider and lower tail structure similar to a Kawasaki OH-1 and the aforementioned Comanche.

The Akula is of Russian origin, as evidenced by its markings, including "RF1 АКУЛА" and the characteristic red stars (much like the V-65 Molotok). The helicopter can transport four occupants, situated in a sedan-like seating, where the pilot and the copilot sits in the front row and the passengers on the rear one.

The aircraft also features two folding stub wings, with two 20mm M197 Vulcan miniguns. When mounted with Homing Missiles/Missile Barrage, the aircraft adds two additional stub wings to carry the missile pods.

Current Design Gallery

Akula-GTAO-FrontQuarter

Front quarter view

Akula-GTAO-Top

Top view

Akula-GTAO-RearQuarter

Rear quarter view

Akula-GTAO-Front

Front view

Akula-GTAO-Side

Side view

Akula-GTAO-Rear

Rear view

Akula-GTAO-Engine

Engine view

Akula-GTAO-Underside

Underside view

Akula-GTAO-Badges

Detailing

Akula-GTAO-Inside

Inside view

Akula-GTAO-Other

Other modelling


Performance

Grand Theft Auto Online

Vehicle

The helicopter is relatively fast, agile, and has similar handling to the FH-1 Hunter. According to Rockstar Games Social Club, the Akula currently holds the fastest acceleration and best agility records, however it is still barely surpassed by the Volatus in top speed. Handling wise, the Akula is extremely responsive, requiring minor inputs to smoothly control the aircraft.

The Akula has the unique ability to perform an aileron roll, if either roll input is held while maintaining significant forward momentum. If the roll is not completed, the helicopter may begin falling out of the sky if the pilot does not recover.

The vehicle features two cameras with three vision modes: regular, thermal vision or night vision, which can be operated by the two rear passengers. While the Akula's weapons cannot be used while in stealth mode, the cameras can still be operated, allowing the operators to spot any enemy.

Defense

The Akula serves as a versatile transport helicopter with strong armour and superior maneuverability, allowing it to evade threats such as homing rockets, which can also be outrun by the Akula's very high speed. With maximum armour upgrades, the helicopter will take eighteen Heavy Sniper rounds before exploding and can withstand five explosive rounds from the Heavy Sniper Mk II. The helicopter can survive two direct hits to the fuselage from homing missiles and a third one will destroy it. The helicopter's lock-on "hit box" is midway down the tail of the helicopter. This can make avoiding missiles while flying straight forward more difficult, compared to if it was centered on the engine of the aircraft. In addition, just like the Hunter, the Akula's rotor blades have a separate health pool. This potentially allows the Akula to survive up to four missiles, if two hit the helicopter's blades and two hit its main body.

The most notable feature of the vehicle is its stealth mode, which allows the entire crew to navigate around the map without being spotted by enemy radars, making it useful for surprise attacks and getaways. However, its weapons are disabled for the pilot and the copilot during the stealth mode. In addition, cloaking the Akula does not protect it from a Galaxy Super Yacht's defense system, the Weazel News TV spectator channel or being spotted by the Orbital Cannon surveillance system. Also, most homing weapons are still able to lock onto it. Combined with the Lack of countermeasures, the Pilot must be careful or skillful enough to dodge enemy missiles.

When stealth mode is enabled, it will hide the aircraft from the minimap along with all items carried by the occupants. These include:

Weaponry

Like the Hunter, the Akula features an array of weapons available for use:

  • Nose-Mounted Turret: A three-barreled .50 caliber Minigun turret mounted on under the nose of the aircraft, which can be operated by the co-pilot. This weapon provides a camera view, similar to the Valkyrie or the FH-1 Hunter. While aiming coverage is good, the turret is not stabilized like the aforementioned helicopters. As result, the gunner's aim will be disrupted by the pilot maneuvering the aircraft. By default the Akula comes with only a single gun, but can be upgraded to dual guns.
  • Miniguns: Two .50 caliber Miniguns, which can be operated in the same way as in a Buzzard Attack Chopper, having longer range, but suffering a significantly reduced firing rate. While the bullets individually deal the same damage, the slower firing rate, significantly reduces the overall damage output. This, paired with the unsteady nature of the Akula's handling, makes using these weapons difficult unless when dogfighting another helicopter. When not in stealth, the wings are opened up to align the guns and when entering stealth mode, the wings will fold back to the vehicle. If the wings are damaged enough, they will start dangling and the helicopter cannot enable/disable stealth mode.
  • Barrage Missiles/Homing Missiles: Unlike most aircraft, the pilot must choose to either equip either barrage missiles or homing missiles. The barrage missile pods behave similarly to those of the FH-1 Hunter sharing the same range, damage but also the smaller blast radius. However, the Akula can only fire up to four missiles in a barrage, compared to the Hunter's seven. After firing a full volley, the pilot must wait for a short cooldown. If a full barrage is not fired, the pilot must either switch weapons or fire the remaining missiles before the "reload" cooldown is triggered. The alternative is equipping homing missiles, which have no "reload" cooldown like the FH-1 Hunter, Savage, or Pyro. In addition, the Akula's homing missiles have the same missile tracking as the Homing Launcher, making them more likely to hit their target but at the cost of a shorter lock-on range.
  • The vehicle has the option for installing bombs, providing heavy firepower against ground targets. There are four different Bomb choices: Explosive, Incendiary, Gas and Cluster;
    • The Explosive option has high damage over targets from all ranges, meaning any target caught in the "edges" of the blast radius receive the same damage as in the "center".
    • The Incendiary option creates a trail of fire similar to the Molotov Cocktail, burning the targets for a constant damage. Although the bombs are powerful at the center, it causes less damage on the "edges".
    • The Gas option causes a noxious effect on players and NPCs on impact, similar to the Tear Gas. It has a slightly larger blast radius than the standard bomb, but is unable to damage vehicles. The gas lasts for around 25 seconds.
    • The Cluster option creates a smaller explosion than the standard one on impact, but small clusters spread within its radius, allowing for greater damage over a single armored target.

GTA Online Overview


Aircraft Statistics - Grand Theft Auto V
Take-Off Speed
(0-60 knots in Seconds)
Top Speed
(mph / kmh / knots)
Vertical Climb/ Descent Rate
(ft/min)
Engine Type Engine Location Mass
(kg / lbs)
Fuel Tank
Size (litres)
Handling.meta
N/A 99 / 160 / 86 N/A N/A N/A 8000 / 17637 100
Website Statements [?]
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Observed / First-Person Airspeed Indicator (Enhanced version)
N/A N/A N/A Twin Turboshaft engines, 4-bladed rotor Middle Cannot be observed Cannot be observed


Weapon Statistics - Grand Theft Auto V
Damage
(per shot) [?]
Fire Rate [?] Range
(m / ft) [?]
Ammo Specifications/
Capacity
Reload Mechanism Reload Speed [?]
Weapons.meta
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
In-game Statements / Markings
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Observed
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rockstar Games Social Club [?]
ImageGallery-Placeholder
Damage
Fire Rate/Speed
Accuracy
Range
Clip Size


Weapon Statistics - Grand Theft Auto V
Damage
(per shot) [?]
Fire Rate [?] Range
(m / ft) [?]
Ammo Specifications/
Capacity
Reload Mechanism Reload Speed [?]
Weapons.meta
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
In-game Statements / Markings
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Observed
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rockstar Games Social Club [?]
ImageGallery-Placeholder
Damage
Fire Rate/Speed
Accuracy
Range
Clip Size

Modifications

Grand Theft Auto Online

Category Modification Cost Image
Armor No Armor $1,000
Armor Upgrade 20% $7,500
Armor Upgrade 40% $12,000
Armor Upgrade 60% $20,000
Armor Upgrade 80% $35,000
Armor Upgrade 100% $50,000
Engine EMS Upgrade, Level 1 $9,000
EMS Upgrade, Level 2 $12,500
EMS Upgrade, Level 3 $18,000
EMS Upgrade, Level 4 $33,500
Bombs None $700
Explosive $150,000
Incendiary $195,000
Gas $260,000
Cluster $335,000
Handling Stock Handling $1,000
Smooth Handling $20,000
Sport Handling $27,000
Race Handling $35,000
Livery None $11,400
Basic Camo $18,240
Zancudo Camo $19,380
Sprayed Camo $20,520
3 Color Outline $21,660
90s Sandbox $22,800
Modern 5 Color $23,370
Arid Theater $23,939
Winter Camo $24,510
Urban Warrior $25,080
Nature Reserve* $25,650
Naval Battle* $26,220
Urban Geometric* $26,789
Coyote Geometric* $27,360
Large Geometric* $27,930
Naval Geometric* $28,500
Desert Fractal* $29,070
Urban Fractal* $29,639
Large Digital* $30,210
Medium Digital* $30,780
Small Digital* $31,350
Released as part of the After Hours update.
Hunting Camo[2] FREE
Released as part of the Festive Surprise 2018 event.[3]
Galaxy FREE
Trees Camo FREE
Candy Cane FREE
It's a Wrap FREE
Deck the Halls FREE
Respray Main article: Los Santos Customs/Respray Colors -
Primary Weapons .50 Cal Minigun Turret $700
Dual .50 Cal Minigun Turret $300,000
Secondary Weapons No Secondary Weapons $700
Mounted Missile Barrage $300,000
Mounted Homing Missiles $325,000
Sell Sell Vehicle
* Denotes items that can only be unlocked for purchase via research in the Bunker property.

Image Gallery

Grand Theft Auto Online

Video

Locations

Grand Theft Auto Online

  • Available for purchase on Warstock Cache & Carry for $3,704,050 or $2,785,000 (trade price after completing the Server Farm setup mission as the heist leader)
  • This will require a Facility and a Hangar.
  • The Akula is considered a "medium" sized vehicle when stored inside of a player's hangar.

Changes

Update Change(s)
Grand Theft Auto V
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
1.42 Added Akula. Available for purchase.
1.44 Updated Akula. Corrected camera functionality when operated by co-pilots and passengers.[4] Also made minor model, modifications and livery changes to the Akula.[5]
1.46 Updated Akula. Homing Missiles now operate correctly when installed with the .50 Minigun option.[6]

Trivia

General

  • "Akula" (АКУЛА) means "shark" in Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and numerous other languages. This might be a reference to Ka-50's nickname 'Black Shark'.
  • The Akula does not feature any non-aesthetic physical instruments (that display real information), but the pilot can see the airspeed and altitude on the pilot's helmet HUD in first-person view.
  • The lights have a road legal cut off pattern, much like a car's headlights, indicating reused textures from some sort of vehicle.

Grand Theft Auto Online

  • Although the Akula lacks a manufacturer in-game, the patch notes from the Rockstar Support page states it is manufactured by Buckingham. This is peculiar, considering that Buckingham is a British company and the Akula is a Russian helicopter.
  • The Akula's Missile Pods differ from most other missiles, as they appear to be AGM-114 Hellfire Air-to-Ground Missiles, despite the damage being on par with the Homing Launcher.
  • A yft node named "countermea" is present on the Akula's model, suggesting that countermeasures had been included during internal tests but never made it into the game.[citation/verification needed]
  • Contrary to what one would expect from a Fenestron tail (which should protect the tail rotor from solid structures), the tail rotor can be still broken if the player scratches the tail with the ground.

Bug/Glitches

Grand Theft Auto Online

  • Camera functions in the Akula would not properly work for the passengers even if they are not in stealth mode. This was corrected in the After Hours update.[4]
  • Installing the dual .50 cal miniguns prevents the homing missiles to lock on to targets. This was corrected in the Arena War update.[6]

See Also

References

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named patchnotes
  2. Awarded for players who logged during the Scramjet Week event (August 21st, 2018 - August 27th, 2018).
  3. Awarded to players who logged on December 29, during the Festive Surprise 2018 event.
  4. 4.0 4.1 GTAV Title Update 1.44 Notes (PS4/Xbox One/PC):
    Fixed issues with the Akula helicopter that were preventing the co-pilot turret and rear passenger cameras from functioning correctly
  5. GTAV Title Update 1.44 Notes (PS4/Xbox One/PC):
    Fixed minor model, livery, and modification issues on the following vehicles:
    • Akula
    • Annis Savestra
    • Benefactor Streiter
    • Buckingham Nimbus
    • Canis Kamacho
    • Grotti Visione
    • Karin 190z
    • Överflöd Entity XXR
    • Pfister Comet Safari
    • RUNE Cheburek
    • Übermacht Revolter
    • Vapid Dominator GTX
    • Vapid GB200
    • Vapid Riata
    • V-65 Molotok
  • 6.0 6.1 GTAV Title Update 1.46 Notes (PS4/Xbox One/PC):
    Fixed an issue where the Akula helicopter’s homing missiles would not lock onto targets when certain turret modifications were also applied to the vehicle
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