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The RO-86 Alkonost (Russian: PO-86 Алконост) is a strategic bomber featured in Grand Theft Auto Online as part of The Cayo Perico Heist update.
Design
Grand Theft Auto Online
The RO-86 Alkonost appears to be a fusion between the Russian Tupolev Tu-160 and the American Rockwell B-1 Lancer, sharing the large profile and features from the former, but featuring a tail shape similar to the latter, especially the area right above the horizontal stabilator.
The Alkonost features a large fuselage with a sharp nose, a large cockpit and an access door ladder on the left, in a similar manner to aircraft like the RM-10 Bombushka and the Volatol. The main section features large angular wings with black connectors, hinting an apparent variable-sweep wing mechanism (though it is always fixed in a low-speed configuration and there is no functionality on it either). Directly below the wings, there are dual intakes on the front and four black turbines on the back, which are identical in shape to the main turbine of the Hydra. The empennage/tail assembly is also long and features a large cruciform tail, together with a small protruding section on the roots of the horizontal stabilizers. Although not usable in normal gameplay, the Alkonost features a cargo ramp door with a fully-rendered bay similar to the Titan, visible during the Cayo Perico Heist finale (if chosen as the approach vehicle).
The interior of the aircraft is relatively small, using the same green interior, panel and dial set from the Bombushka and the Volatol. The middle section is mainly occupied by the thrust controls, while additional instruments are seen mounted on the upper area of the cabin.
Similar to the Chernobog and the Akula, the Alkonost is of Russian origin, evidenced by the red star emblems on the wings and the tail, along with "PO-86 Алконост" markings on the front of the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer. The primary colour of the vehicle is applied on the entirety of the body, while the secondary colour is applied on the door latch. It uses a set of plain industrial wheels also used on the Bombushka and the Volatol.
The vehicle can be equipped with bombs.
Current Design Gallery
Performance
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Vehicle
As expected from an aircraft of this size, the Alkonost is very difficult to take off or land, as it requires a vastly open area such as the runways of LSIA or Fort Zancudo. While slow compared to most aircraft, it is seemingly quicker than the RM-10 Bombushka and the Volatol. Care should be taken when turning too sharp on the ground, as the narrow positioning of the undercarriage would cause the aircraft to lean to a side and scratch one of its wings on the ground, increasing the risk of crashing into an obstacle if the plane is moving too fast. Similarly, the aircraft's handling is quite erratic; even on the ground, the aircraft will lift if the player leans forward while going forward or backwards, so it is recommended to not force the vehicle during the landing process.
The aircraft is powered by four turbofan engines with apparent usage of afterburners, similar to fighter jets like the P-996 LAZER and the Hydra. It shares the same sound with aircraft like the Shamal and the Volatol.
- Defense
Defense-wise, the Alkonost has limited resistance like many aircraft, able to withstand two homing missiles from the Homing Launcher before being blown up with a third one. However, the Alkonost makes use of an automatic stealth mode; by flying from a considerable height, the aircraft will be invisible from enemy radars (about 1,600ft from the altimeter on the interior). This feature, however, could be rather ineffective, as the aircraft is very large and can be visually spotted easily, especially during daytime.
- Countermeasures
The vehicle can be fitted with countermeasures to improve its defensive capabilities againsts homing missiles, each one with their own attributes:
- The Chaff countermeasure disrupts the targeting system from missile launchers, rendering them unable to lock on the aircraft for five seconds. They have a delay of five seconds before being used again and only have 10 uses.
- The Flare countermeasure drops various flares from around the rear of the aircraft, which can "disorient" the homing missile in order to avoid chasing the aircraft. They have a delay of three seconds before being used again and only have 20 uses.
- The Smoke countermeasure creates a trail of smoke that can disorient the enemy pilot, but its effectiveness is very limited, as the trail is large enough for a standard cockpit and the enemy pilot would just need to move away and follow the smoke trail. It has no delay between uses and can be used indefinitely.
- Weaponry
- 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. The plane comes equipped with these as stock.
GTA Online Overview
| 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 55500 / 122356 | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Four turbofan engines w/ Afterburner | Wings | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
 |
Speed | 90.504845% | ||||
| Acceleration | 69% | |||||
| Braking | 62.448341% | |||||
| Agility | 0.594859% | |||||
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 | ||
| Countermeasures | None | $700 | |
| Chaff (10) | $70,000 | ||
| Flare (20) | $110,000 | ||
|
$68,500 | ||
| 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 (50) | None | $700 | |
| Explosive | $75,000 | ||
| Incendiary | $85,000 | ||
| Gas | $95,000 | ||
| Cluster | $120,000 | ||
| Handling | Stock Handling | $1,000 | |
| Smooth Handling | $20,000 | ||
| Sport Handling | $27,000 | ||
| Race Handling | $35,000 | ||
| Livery | None | $11,400 | |
| Forest Camo | $18,240 | ||
| Fall Camo | $19,380 | ||
| Naval Camo | $20,520 | ||
| Night Flight Camo | $21,660 | ||
| Naval Camo II | $22,800 | ||
| Desert Camo | $23,370 | ||
| Naval Camo III | $23,939 | ||
| Forest Camo II | $24,510 | ||
| Urban Flyer | $25,080 | ||
| The Winged Angel | $25,650 | ||
| Respray | Main article: Los Santos Customs/Respray Colors | - | |
| Sell | Sell Vehicle | ||
Image Gallery
Grand Theft Auto Online
Prominent Appearances in Missions
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Heist Prep: Alkonost - The player will be instructed to steal an Alkonost from Merryweather Security, which is stored in one of the Fort Zancudo hangars.
- The Cayo Perico Heist/Finale - Can be used as the approach vehicle to skydive to Cayo Perico.
Locations
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Available for purchase from Warstock Cache & Carry for $4,350,000 or for $3,262,500 (trade price after completing The Cayo Perico Heist as the heist leader and using it as the approach vehicle), provided the player already owns a Hangar.
- It is classed as an Extra Large Aircraft inside the Hangar. It also comes with "Cluster" bombs installed by default.
Trivia
General
- The name is derived from Alkonost/Алконост, the mythical woman-headed bird. According to Russian folklore, she sings amazingly beautiful songs to confuse a listener, similar to the Siren in Greek mythology.
- Under the designation system of USAF, "RO" could stand for "Reconnaissance Observation", which is quite true due to its stealth capabilities, as the player could go off-radar from a considerable height and observe their surroundings while minimizing attention from rival players.
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Passive Mode is completely disabled while piloting the Alkonost, even when the countermeasures and bombs are removed.
- When requested through the Interaction Menu, the on-screen message will display a regular plane icon instead of the unique one.
- Despite having four turbines, only the inner ones will smoke when heavily damaged.
Bugs/Glitches
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Despite being classed as an Extra Large aircraft, the Alkonost will still spawn in areas designed for Large aircraft (the Bombushka, Volatol, Titan and Miljet). Due to the gigantic wingspan, this means that the Alkonost can spawn with its wings clipping through terrain, and in some locations can make taking off impossible, even when spawned on runways such as the ones near Grapeseed and Sandy Shores.
- To avoid this, it is best to manually drive out of the hangar with the Alkonost, or to otherwise spawn the Alkonost at the end of runways when possible to avoid obstructions.
- In some cases, while entering and exiting the Alkonost, the player will simply warp into and out of the aircraft instead of using the access door, yet this glitch does not occur on its prep version during Heist Prep: Alkonost.
- Rarely, the aircraft will be destroyed by hitting obstacles upon landing it, even if the same has no visual damage around (i.e. broken wings, missing ailerons or damaged engines).
See Also
References
- ↑
Seen when parked or when another player is flying an Alkonost.
