Buzzard Attack Helicopter Guide

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A computer geek at heart, Arham spends his day losing games in Dota 2, switching things up to GTA Online, where he can take out his frustrations with fast cars and guns aplenty, and when he's not gaming, he's usually writing guides for fellow gaming enthusiasts.

Nagasaki Buzzard Overview

Formerly known as the Buzzard, the Nagasaki Buzzard is by far one of the most versatile attack choppers you can get your hands on in GTA Online. No other Pegasus attack automobile comes even close to the Buzzard in terms of utility.

The Buzzard is useful for aerial combat situations, as it can take on almost any type of opponent you throw at it, whether on land, sea, or air (of course).

Design

Nagasaki Buzzard — Image From GTA Fandom

The Buzzard, despite its functionality, is a compact-looking helicopter that aims to minimize components such as the fuel tank to account for a lower hitbox and better mobility. Aside from that, with a semi-circular face, exposed sides, and a small rear, the Buzzard doesn’t initially come off as something different from your average helicopter. However, as far as performance goes (that I will discuss shortly), it is nothing short of astonishing! And before you think it’s been illegally modified, I’d like to hint towards the registration number that’s etched on its bodywork.

While the exterior is generic, the interior is pretty small in contrast to what I’ve seen in most helicopters in GTA Online. That is quite unfortunate because even though I’m used to loading it up with my friends back in GTA IV multiplayer days. It’s practically impossible to do that now. If you’re considering getting an open bay installed as a consequence, then sorry to burst your bubble, but the open bay served no other functions than adding cosmetic depth to the aircraft.

Ballad of Gay Tony

The Buzzard made its debut in the early days of the HD Universe during GTA IV’s Ballad of Gay Tony DLC. However, it’s important to note that back then, the Buzzard was in its prototype form and was nowhere as decked out as it is now. Eventually, it came under the possession of Yusuf Amir, who, with the help of Luis, was able to steal it from a group of arms dealers.

Yusuf, owning the only Buzzard in the world at the time, went all out as far as to paint it Gold (akin to his heritage) and installed some M134 Miniguns on it as is seen from the “Not So Fast” mission.

Obtaining the Buzzard

The Legit Way

You can get your hands on Yusuf’s Golden Buzzard after beating the game as a token of appreciation. Once you get your hands on it, go to the helipad beside the golf club on the West River and station it there, replacing the gold ol’ Swift that’s usually seen there.

The Cheat Code Way

You can also take the easy route and get your hands on the Buzzard early by dialing the number 359-555-2899 (FLY-555-BUZZ).

The Glitch Way

After you destroy the boats in the mission Sexy Time, go ahead and land the Black Buzzard on the road. Once done, proceed to a bike or car and drive away from the area, but keep the Buzzard in your camera view. After you fail the mission, head back in reverse, and it won’t despawn.

The Online Way

The Buzzard can be found in multiple locations in GTA IV Multiplayer mode:

You can find two over at Francis International Airports on the helipads
You can find one if you head over to the heliport found in Southern Algonquin.
You can find one on your way to the helipad on the West River, where you locate the Golden Buzzard in Singleplayer mode.
You can find one at the yacht located south of Acter Industrial Park and east of Happiness Land.

Performance

The Buzzard is a prototype for a small, lightweight aircraft capable of both exploration and going on the offensive. As such, it’s no surprise to see how its mobility is top tier, being capable of changing directions mid-flight with the lowest latency possible. At the cost of such impeccable handling, though, its top speed is decent at best, something that I personally expected.

While the chopper excels in exploration tasks and offensive exchanges, it does fall flat in terms of durability – of course, we can’t have everything, right? Seeing how its canopy is not really bullet proof, anyone inside the plane can technically be gunned down with long-range weapons.

Arsenal

Machine Guns

The Buzzard’s machine guns are quite solid, especially in comparison to the level of competition back then. It stood out more as the kind of weapon tailored towards reaching high DPS values through faster fire rates and precise hit registration as opposed to just exhibiting high damage values per bullet.

While that is a respectable approach, unique in its own way, the only caveat that comes with it is quick overheating since you’re trying to do large amounts of damage over a longer spray. As such, I would recommend periodically resetting and repositioning – this way, not only will you be a harder target to hit, but you’ll also work around the aforementioned caveat.

Rocket Launcher

While modern GTA games have missile systems installed onto their helicopters, the Buzzard’s explosive counterpart was a little underdone addition. Frankly speaking, it was just a regular rocket launcher attached to the chopper without an intelligent system of its own – that means no homing or proper target acquisition.

GTA V and Online

The Buzzard returned to GTA V and GTA Online and seemed to retain all the original design features, as seen in the Ballad of Gay Tony. However, there is one stark difference that I noticed, and it’s the fact that now, the rear bay can hold two rear passengers, which is a welcome addition, especially for GTA Online.

Once again, the vehicle is available in a primary color which is set to black by default, especially on the naturally spawning versions, while other color options can be set for the Buzzard. Again, the miniguns and rocket launchers make a return on the Buzzard, which are the one and the same as the ones found on the GTA IV variant.

Obtaining the Buzzard

GTA V Singleplayer

The Buzzard Attack Helicopter can be yours for only 2,500,000 dollars at the War Stock Cache and Carry listing in GTA V’s internet browser. Another can be conveniently found over at Fort Zancudo.

A second Buzzard spawns automatically on top of the NOOSE Headquarters over at Sustancia Road in Palomino Highlands, Los Santos County. You can also use a cheat code by entering BUZZOFF in the PC version. Alternatively, you can call the number 1-999-289-9633 (BUZZ-OFF) to spawn the Buzzard.

GTA V Online

The Buzzard normally spawns on numerous helipads once you reach Rank 43 or higher. The Buzzard can also be commonly found at the Los Santos Naval Airport. If you have the bank, you can buy the Buzzard from the Warstock Cache and Carry for 1,750,000 dollars.

Although unlikely, the Buzzard can also be made available for free during certain events. For example, the Buzzard was available for free if players logged into the game on December 28, 2018, regardless of their level.

Performance

As far as performance goes, the Nagasaki Buzzard retains many of its predecessor’s trait as far as agility and handling go. Moreover, despite the small proportions of the Buzzard, it is capable of maxing out its speed at 155 mph. However, since its altitude does begin to drop at high speeds, I would only recommend accelerating to this top speed when you want to span long horizontal distances – an example of this could be an aerial high speed chase.

The Buzzard’s small size is not to be underestimated. Sure, it can go fast, but it is also capable of achieving high stability, where you can land it on both regular helipads and rough terrain.

As far as the Buzzard’s durability goes, it is extremely vulnerable to both missiles and bullets – explosives can easily obliterate the aircraft while bullets can easily penetrate and kill the pilot. However, the Buzzard does try to make up for this through its superior mobility, which makes it possible to dodge incoming projectiles. Even so, there exists a steep learning curve to mastering such agility, so I would definitely not market this chopper as the safest one to fly in.

Arsenal

Machine Gun

When compared to GTA IV’s prototype design of the Buzzard, the Nagasaki Buzzard definitely does not hold back in the firepower department. The primary machine gun installed onto the choppers offers much more range than its predecessor, excelling in exchanging bullets over wide distances. Furthermore, even from faraway ranges, contrary to what many may expect, the weapon’s destructive power falls off quite negligibly – imagine annihilating distant targets positioned over 500 feet away!

However, with the emphasis on long-range firefights, it is not all too surprising to see that the machine gun does not perform as well in close-quarters combat. As such, I would recommend keeping a safe distance from your enemies at all times and gunning them down, one by one.

Missiles

The missile system is quite straightforward on the Nagasaki Buzzard, featuring missiles that can either home in on enemies or go straight, depending on your preference. Personally speaking, my experience with the homing missiles hasn’t been all that great – the Sparrow has sadly pampered me too much with its impressive target tracking, to the point that Buzzard feels disappointing in comparison. As such, I would recommend treating both kinds of missiles as one and the same, prioritizing on precise aiming in order to land your shots.

On the bright side, though, since the Buzzard’s missile system requires a solid aim to maximize, Rockstar has allowed the co-pilot to take control of it. So, all you have to do is focus on piloting the chopper while your partner handles the rest.

FAQs

Question: How much is the Buzzard Attack Helicopter worth in GTA Online?

Answer: You can purchase the Buzzard Attack Helicopter in GTA Online from the Warstock Cache and Carry for 1,750,000 dollars.

Question: Is the Buzzard a good helicopter?

Answer: The Buzzard is agile, nimble, can land pretty much anywhere, and can deal tons of damage using its miniguns and missiles.

Question: What weapons does the Buzzard have?

Answer: The Buzzard has a dual-firing minigun along with a missile system that can fire either guided or unguided missiles.