The Best Planes and Helicopters in GTA Online
The best planes and helicopters in GTA Online for grinding and combat, from the Buzzard and Sparrow to the Hydra, Akula and F-160 Raiju jet.
Picking the best planes and helicopters in GTA Online depends entirely on what you actually do with them: fast travel between heist setups, dogfighting other players, or running cargo. The best aircraft for grinding are rarely the best for combat, so this guide splits the top choices by use case. Every price and feature below is current Warstock and in-game data.
Best Helicopter for Grinding: Sparrow
The Sparrow is the single most useful aircraft for money-making in GTA Online. It costs $1,815,000, but it is only available as a Moon Pool upgrade for the Kosatka submarine, so you need the sub first. Once owned, you request it straight from the Interaction Menu under Kosatka Services and it spawns next to you, which makes it perfect for the Cayo Perico Heist loop.
The Sparrow is small, fast and can be fitted with either a mounted minigun or homing missiles. Because it carries weapons and seats you solo, it doubles as both a grind taxi and a light combat helicopter. For anyone running Cayo Perico repeatedly, it pays for itself fast. Pair it with our GTA Online cheats and console commands reference if you are testing setups in single-player first.
Best Starter Combat Helicopter: Buzzard
The Nagasaki Buzzard Attack Chopper is the go-to first armed aircraft for most players. At $1,750,000 from Warstock Cache & Carry, it is cheap for what it does. It carries miniguns and missiles, seats up to four, and can be requested directly from the Interaction Menu under CEO/VIP, MC or Aircraft, plus the Pegasus concierge.
That instant-spawn ability is the Buzzard's real strength. You can call one in seconds without flying to a hangar, which makes it the default vehicle for clearing freemode missions, hunting NPC targets and getting across the map quickly. It is not the toughest helicopter in the game, but for the price it remains one of the most cost-effective combat picks.
Best Stealth Helicopter: Akula
The Akula is the upgrade path once you have outgrown the Buzzard. It costs $4,500,000 from Warstock, with a trade price of $3,375,000 unlocked after the related Doomsday Heist mission (you need a Facility for that). It comes with two .50 caliber minigun turrets and can equip either a missile barrage or homing missiles.
Its headline feature is stealth mode, which hides the entire crew from enemy radar. That makes it strong for surprise attacks, evading bounties and clean getaways. The trade-off is that weapons are disabled for the pilot while stealth is active. With full armor upgrades the Akula is also genuinely tanky, surviving multiple homing-missile hits before going down.
Best VTOL Jet: Hydra
For air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, the Mammoth Hydra is the classic pick. It costs $3,990,000 from Warstock, with a trade price of $3,000,000 unlocked by playing the EMP job in The Humane Labs Raid heist. The Hydra is a VTOL fighter that can hover in place, which makes landing easier and lets you line up targets without constantly circling.
The Hydra carries explosive cannons, missiles and homing missiles, and it is fast and agile. Hovering also lets it engage ground targets the way a gunship would, something standard jets cannot do well. For years it was the default griefing and dogfighting jet, and it is still excellent value next to the more expensive options.
Best Overall Jet: F-160 Raiju
The Mammoth F-160 Raiju is the strongest fixed-wing aircraft in the game for combat. It costs $8,500,000 from Warstock, with a trade price of $6,375,000 unlocked after completing the "On Parade" mission in the Mercenaries update. Fully upgraded it reaches a top speed of 232.50 mph (374.17 km/h), making it the fastest jet in GTA Online.
The Raiju combines VTOL hovering with a stealth mode that drops it off the minimap, plus a front-mounted cannon and homing missiles. With full armor it takes three homing missiles to destroy. The price is steep, but if you want one jet that beats the Hydra and Lazer at speed, agility and survivability, this is it.
Best Cargo and Utility Plane: RO-86 Alkonost
The standard Cargo Plane that appears in missions cannot be bought or stored, so it is not a real option. The closest purchasable heavy transport is the RO-86 Alkonost, added in the Cayo Perico Heist update. It costs $4,350,000 from Warstock and is an armored, weaponized plane with its own stealth mode that hides the whole crew from radar.
The Alkonost is large and slow compared with the jets above, so it is not a dogfighter. Its appeal is moving a crew quietly and surviving fire while doing it. For most solo grinders, the Sparrow and Buzzard cover the day-to-day work, but the Alkonost fills the transport role when you need it. Browse the GTA Online screenshots gallery to see how these aircraft look in action.
Which Aircraft Should You Buy First?
If you are grinding Cayo Perico, the Sparrow is the first aircraft to own. If you want a cheap all-purpose attack helicopter, the Buzzard is unbeatable for the price. For PvP and combat, build toward the Hydra, then the Akula for stealth, then the Raiju once your bank can handle it. Buy in that order and you will cover every use case without wasting cash on overlapping vehicles.
