The Savage is a military helicopter gunship featured in Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Heists update.
Design[]
The Savage is based on the Soviet/Russian Mil Mi-24 "Hind", specifically the older Mi-24D/Mi-35 variants due to its gun configuration. The cockpit appears to be a cross between the earlier angular greenhouse-style cockpit design from the Hind-A and the "double bubble" canopy design from the Hind-D and later versions, while the side exhausts are similar to those found on export Hinds. Some of the characteristic features, such as the circular dust covers, the triangular strike guard on the tail boom, and the Anti-Tank/Anti-Air missiles on the wingtip pylons, are not present. The camouflage scheme is based on the US Military "aggressor" vehicle camouflage scheme.
The aircraft is depicted with a seemingly large fuselage compared to most helicopters, where the front section consists of the large framed cockpit with openable compartments and side steps on the left, while the lower area consists of the gun turret that is always fixed towards the front, a large antenna pod on the left side, and the underside hatches for the nose landing gear. The main section features a set of side steps, black vertical handles and sliding doors that are always open (opposed to the swinging door compartments of the real-life Hind), while the upper compartment houses the dual engines, large exhausts that are angled rearwards, and a five-bladed main rotor. On each side of the fuselage are long stub wings with six pylons, while the lower area houses large compartments for the main landing gear. The rear section consists of the long tail boom with large horizontal stabilizers and a vertical stabilizer with a three-bladed tail rotor on the left. The aircraft is seen with various military-themed decorations, including the U.S. Army star on its sides, the "Zancudo" and registration 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 that reads "Zancudo". The Savage is seen in a desert military camouflage pattern covering most of the aircraft's fuselage, stub wings and tail boom.
The interior of the aircraft features two flight control panels, with the frontal one for the pilot and the rear one for the passenger/rocket operator (an inverted layout to the real-life Hind and most gunships, which the pilot sits in the rear and the gunner on the front), while the rear bay only allows passengers sitting on the steps like the Police Maverick and the Annihilator (despite having a bench seat on the interior that is not used). In the enhanced version, it uses the "Lazer" dial set also used on aircraft such as the P-996 LAZER and the Hydra, with a layout that is also similar to the aforementioned jets. Interestingly, the Savage appears to have unused control sticks on the right side of both seats, similar to the control sticks of the P-996 LAZER and the Hydra.
Files list it as having a desert tan primary color on most of the aircraft's body (with various shades of brown due to the camo) and a silver/grey secondary color for the underside, inner pylons of the stub wings and the rocket pods. It uses a set of plain industrial wheels that are similar to the ones from the Titan and the Hydra.
The aircraft is equipped with an explosive six-barrel gatling gun that mostly resembles an M134 Minigun (in contrast with the Hind's four barrel Yak-B 12.7mm machine gun), and four rocket launchers that appear to be based on the M261 rocket pods with extra units (opposed to the UB-32 rocket pods used on the real-life Hind).
Current Design Gallery[]
Performance[]
Vehicle[]
The Savage, being a large and heavy helicopter can be difficult to maneuver and has slow acceleration. However, the Savage actually shares the same top speed of the Buzzard Attack Chopper, of 135 knots and naturally climbs at full throttle. With worse maneuverability, the pilot must make deliberate motions as it is difficult to correct the Savage's momentum. While flying forward at full throttle, the Savage cannot pitch downwards very well, which can make engaging ground targets somewhat difficult. On the other hand, if the pilot holds the helicopter at a lower airspeed, the Savage can easily aim at these targets. If the helicopter is rocked back and forth while stationary, one can almost completely aim the Savage vertically, upwards or downwards.
The Savage is powered by twin turboshaft engines, which share the same engine and rotor sound as the Buzzard and its Attack variant, appearing to be a higher-pitched variation of the one from the Maverick, with slightly faster pacing due to the five blades on the main rotor.
Defense[]
The durability of the helicopter differs between the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions and the enhanced version (after the Smuggler's Run update); up until the Smuggler's Run update, the Savage's durability was renowned as "poor" when considering its size and real-life counterpart. the helicopter was very weak, and couldn't even stand one explosive before exploding. After the Smuggler's Run update, the helicopter's explosive resistance was increased. The helicopter can now survive one explosive hit, which will cause the helicopter to smoke, but not explode. On the second explosive hit, the helicopter will explode completely. This applies to almost every source of explosive damage, including the RPG and the Rhino's cannon. The rotor blades of the helicopter also have a separate health pool from the fuselage, sometimes allowing a pilot to take one more missile, if it hits the main rotor blades. However, if two explosives strike the rotor, it will break and send the aircraft plummeting to the ground. Since the Smuggler's Run update was not released for the original versions of Grand Theft Auto Online (as with all major content updates since the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 update), the Savage's durability on the Xbox 360/PS3 versions of the game remains the same. Occasionally, when the Savage is hit by a missile or a rocket, it can flip over and stall, where it will hit the ground and explode.
The helicopter unfortunately, shares the same resistances to bullet damage as every other helicopter without armor upgrades and its engines will begin to smoke after a relatively small amount of gunfire. The Savage will be destroyed by only ten shots from the Heavy Sniper, and will begin smoking after only two. The Savage also did not become any more resistant to the explosive rounds of the Heavy Sniper Mk II, and will be destroyed after only two or three hits.
Weaponry[]
- Cannon: The Savage features a rapid-fire explosive cannon similar to the P-996 LAZER and the Hydra. However, unlike the two jets, the Savage is able to hover next to a target and sustain fire much easier, while still maintaining a degree of maneuverability. Because of this, the Savage's cannon range is reduced, reaching 120 meters/393 feet (as opposed to the jets' 180 meters/591 feet). This cannon has a fire rate of 1,500 RPM, and bullets explode on impact, with their explosive damage being the same as a missile fired from the Homing Launcher. This allows the helicopter to output incredible amounts of damage, tearing through armored vehicles in a very short amount of time. Unlike the Buzzard Attack Chopper or the Annihilator, the Savage fires its gun from the center of the aircraft, making the in-game crosshair accurate to where the bullets will impact.
- Missiles: Just like many other aircraft, the pilot can select to fire homing missiles or unguided rockets. The missiles tracking is the same as the Buzzard Attack Chopper, being particularly bad at hitting agile targets, and can lock on to targets 300 meters/984 feet away. However unlike the Buzzard, the Savage does not suffer from a "reload" cooldown and can continuously fire missiles every second. Each time a missile is fired, it alternates which missile pod is firing making aiming each one slightly different. The missiles of the Savage will travel for 540 meters/1772 feet and have a life span of five seconds before detonating. The co-pilot can take control of the missile launcher just like the Buzzard, although it shares the same downsides of slower missile speeds, fire rate, and travel distance.
| 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 | 96.3 / 155 / 83.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 14000 / 30864.7 | 100 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Twin turboshaft engines, 5-bladed rotor | Front/Middle | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
| Damage (per shot) [?] |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) [?] |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 (24) 500 (direct) |
0.04 (1500 RPM) | 120 / 393.7 | 750 | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | 1500 RPM | 120 / 393.7 | Unlimited | N/A | N/A |
 |
Damage | 30% 30% | |||
| Fire Rate/Speed | 98% 98% | ||||
| Accuracy | 10% 10% | ||||
| Range | 65% 65% | ||||
| Clip Size | 100% 100% | ||||
| Damage (per shot) [?] |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) [?] |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 2 (30 RPM) | 300 / 984.2 (Lock-on & Weapon) | 1 (20) | N/A | 2 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Explosive [?] | 60 RPM | 300 / 984.2 (Lock-on) 540 / 1771.6 (Weapon) |
Unlimited | N/A | 2 seconds (per launcher) |
|
Damage | 0% 0% | |||
| Fire Rate/Speed | 0% 0% | ||||
| Accuracy | 10% 10% | ||||
| Range | 100% 100% | ||||
| Clip Size | 1% 1% | ||||
Modifications[]
Upon being converted into a personal aircraft, the Savage can be repainted with a primary color and a secondary color, but the livery cannot be removed. Something to note is that while most colors can change the camo, a white color only results in a lighter shade of brown.
| Category | Modification |
|---|---|
| Respray | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Respray Colors |
| Remove | Remove Aircraft |
Gallery[]
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Missions[]
- Several can be found in the Pacific Standard - Convoy Heist Setup, where they are operated by Merryweather Security, and used to protect the truck from any enemy. These are destroyed by the ambush team.
- A black Savage appears in Setup: Dead Courier as the target to retrieve for the Recovery team. The same helicopter will need to be delivered to a designated location at the end of the mission.
- Up to two Savages can come to attack the Air Support team in the Doomsday Heist Act II finale.
Free Mode[]
- Will appear as an enemy vehicle used by Merryweather during the Freemode Event "Kill List" (Enhanced version only).
- Will appear in pairs to hunt down the players during certain Bunker resupply missions, particularly Rhino Tank and Ballistic Equipment.
Adversary Modes[]
- Air Quota (vehicle list 2)
Locations[]
- Available from Warstock Cache & Carry for $1,950,000 after completing the Pacific Standard - Convoy set up mission.
- After the Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit update, the vehicle is now available to players who have not completed the heist at the "full" cost of $2,593,500.
- In the enhanced version, it is classed as a Medium vehicle when stored in a Hangar.
Changes[]
| Update | Change(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto Online PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| 1.23 | Added Savage. | |
| 1.29 | Enabled co-pilot function to fire rockets. | |
| Grand Theft Auto Online PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC | ||
| 1.39 | Added "full cost" option (see Locations). | |
| 1.41 | Increased resistance to survive one explosive. | |
Oversights[]
- The Savage's missile lock-on hitbox was lowered to below its fuselage. This allows it to evade most homing missiles with little to no effort when traveling at maximum speed. Missiles chasing it from the rear will explode having exceeded their effective range, leaving the Savage with no damage attained.
- This has been fixed back to its original position in The Diamond Casino & Resort update.
- NPC-controlled Savages did not fire explosive rounds until The Doomsday Heist update, instead firing rounds similar to the Buzzard, likely for balance reasons. Now the NPC Savages fire the regular explosive rounds, most notably seen in Pacific Standard - Convoy, and the Kill List freemode event when on some occasions (enemy toll 44) the Savage comes at the end with all 4 occupant seats filled, and attacks the player/s with both missiles and explosive cannon rounds.
- Rarely, Pegasus may deliver a Savage with an "unbalanced" cannon, meaning the gun on the nose of the helicopter is not properly centered with the motor and spins oddly when firing.
- Prior to the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 update, the Savage's rockets were unable to be fired by the co-pilot, rendering them next to useless in that position. This has been fixed.
Beta Content[]
- Leftovers of Rockstar North's Agent found in the handling files of Max Payne 3 (under "Jimmy vehicles" section) reveals that a Mil Mi-24 "Hind"-inspired helicopter internally named
HINDwas originally meant for Agent.[1]- As the cancelled game shared certain vehicles models and names with the HD Universe titles (revealed through the 2022/2023 Grand Theft Auto V source code leaks and leftovers in Max Payne 3), it is implied that this was an early rendition of the Savage.
- "Hind" is also found in the original version of GTA V's handling data.
See Also[]
- Buzzard Attack Chopper - A light attack helicopter featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony and Grand Theft Auto V.
- Annihilator - A medium attack helicopter featured in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto Online.
- Valkyrie - An attack/transport helicopter exclusively for GTA Online as a part of the Heists update.
- Hunter - Another gunship attack helicopter featured in the 3D Universe and in GTA Online as part of the Smuggler's Run update.
- Akula - Another gunship attack helicopter with stealth capabilities featured in GTA Online as part of the Doomsday Heist update.
[]
- ↑ (11/14/2024)