The Swift is a luxury four-bladed helicopter appearing in The Ballad of Gay Tony, in Grand Theft Auto V and Online as part of The San Andreas Flight School Update, and due to appear in Grand Theft Auto VI. It is manufactured by Maibatsu in TBOGT and Buckingham in GTA V and GTA Online.
Description
Grand Theft Auto VI
A Swift can be seen flying over the skies of Vice Beach in an official screenshot labeled under Vice City.
Influence
The Swift is heavily based on the AgustaWestland AW109S Grand, as evidenced by its cockpit design, four-blade rotor, and tail boom featuring a strike guard at the rear, along with side-sliding doors. Additionally, the helicopter features a strong influence from the Bell 222 apparent in the design of the front nose, engine, exhausts, and certain tail components. The side vents and winglets are nearly directly derived from the Airwolf helicopter, a modified Bell 222, which was a star vehicle in the Airwolf television series. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, the landing gear is static and modeled after the AW109S, whereas in GTA V, it is retractable and functions identically to that of the 222.
Liveries
- The Santo Capra livery featured in TBoGT is inspired by the Versace VIP edition of the AgustaWestland AW109S.
Design
The Ballad of Gay Tony
The Swift is considered a private shuttle helicopter with a long fuselage, which also makes use of marvellous aerodynamics, living up to its name. The aircraft has an angular nose with a relatively large cockpit, access doors for the pilot and copilot, and a nose landing gear. The main section features an open bay with relatively ample space (though unable to carry passengers), a tall engine compartment with a four-bladed main rotor and numerous intakes, along with side extensions that house the main landing gear and dual exhausts. The tail boom is slightly angled upwards and has small fins on the horizontal stabilizers, a four-bladed tail rotor on the right, and a strike guard on the lower vertical stabilizer. The interior features a small flight instrument panel with the corresponding control sticks and pedals.
The aircraft only spawns in a white primary colour for the fuselage and the tail boom, a secondary colour for the engine compartment, lower rear portion, part of the tail boom and the fins, and a blue pearlescent colour, together with a Santo Capro livery. It uses a set of industrial wheels derived from trucks such as the Benson, Mule and Phantom.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online
The Swift returns with the same design as in TBOGT, but it is re-elaborated in terms of details. It features a retractable landing gear system just like its real-life counterpart, and working taxi lamps on the side extensions. The windscreen and front door windows no longer have a light tint by default, and the bay doors have a sliding animation, along with additional seats that allow it to carry two more passengers. In the enhanced version, the instrument panel uses the "Flyer" dials derived from the Maverick and the Police Maverick, with a similar arrangement on both halves of the panel; the functional dials are located on the right side of both panel halves, as well as in the gauges on the left of the halves and on the rightmost side of the panel half. There are numerous blue displays on the upper side of the whole panel and the "Gear Up/Down" displays on the left-hand side. The red switches are also located on both side edges of the whole panel.
The Swift is available in two versions:
- A "classic" version which spawns in a black primary colour for most of its fuselage and a grey secondary colour in the form of stripes on the sides of the vehicle and most of the tail boom.
- A Flying Bravo version which spawns in a green/red livery with the brand's markings around the nose, engine compartment and tail boom. The aircraft is set to spawn in a white colour, which is only visible on the trimmings around the doors.
Current Design Gallery
Performance
The Ballad of Gay Tony
In terms of performance, the Swift is slightly faster and more maneuverable than other large helicopters, such as the Maverick. While it is not as fast and armed as the Annihilator or the Buzzard, the Swift makes up for it with its handling, which proves to be efficient when landing in a hurry, as well as having a decent take off speed.
The Swift is powered by twin turboshaft engines, which produce a similar sound to the Annihilator and the Skylift, albeit with slightly less intensity.
TBoGT Overview
| Take-Off Speed (0-60 knots in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Engine Type | Engine Location | Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 99 / 160 / 86 | N/A | N/A | 3800 / 8378 |
| N/A | N/A | Turbo Shaft (TBOGT official site) | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | Twin turboshaft engines, 4-bladed rotor | Middle/Rear | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto V and Online
The Swift is one of the fastest and most maneuverable helicopters available, with a top speed of 150 knots (higher than the Buzzard Attack Chopper) and very fast acceleration. The helicopter is incredibly responsive to being able to quickly correct its flight path. The Swift can carry up to four players, with players in the back seats having access to assault rifles and light machine guns.
However, this comes at the expense of build quality. The Swift's armor is weak, making it just as vulnerable as other helicopters. While the pilot is relatively protected, the helicopter's engines will begin to fail after a small amount of gunfire, and it takes only one explosive round to destroy the Swift. For that reason, the Swift is best suited for transportation rather than combat. The Swift is also quite fragile, and it can sustain heavy damage such as severe deformation or engine damage during rough landings – parts such as the nose gear and even the tail also break off easily.
Again, the Swift is powered by twin turboshaft engines, which have a similar sound to standard helicopters such as the Maverick and the Police Maverick.
GTA V and 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 | 99 / 160 / 86 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6500 / 14330 | 100 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Twin engine (Website) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Twin turboshaft engines, 4-bladed rotor | Middle/Rear | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Variants
| Image | Vehicle | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 A Swift Deluxe in Grand Theft Auto V and Online. |
Swift Deluxe | Deluxe variant with gold paintjob and upgraded interior. | Added as part of the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update for Grand Theft Auto V and Online. |
Modifications
Grand Theft Auto Online
Upon being converted into a personal aircraft, the classic Swift can be repainted with a primary colour and a secondary colour, The Flying Bravo variant, however, cannot be repainted due to the permanent green/red livery.
| Category | Modification |
|---|---|
| Respray | Main article: Vehicle Customization in GTA V/Respray Colors |
| Remove | Remove Aircraft |
Gallery
A Swift in The Ballad of Gay Tony with slide doors open.
Luis in the Swift's bay.
Santo Capro livery, used on the Swift.
A Flying Bravo Swift in Grand Theft Auto V and Online. (Rear quarter view)
The Swift on Elitas Travel, prior to the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update.
Flying Bravo Swift on Elitas Travel.
Locations
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- The Swift is available at the west Algonquin helipad near the West River during the beginning of the game to the end of the game. After the completion of the game, the Gold Buzzard will replace the Swift instead.
Obtaining after game's completion
- Swift with side doors closed
From the "Missions" menu on Luis' phone, choose the mission Caught With Your Pants Down and meet Yusuf Amir at Star Junction. Get in his helicopter and fly to any GTA IV/TLAD/TBoGT safehouse and land the helicopter in the parking space. Immediately kill Amir and the player. The mission will fail, spawning Luis at the hospital. The Swift will now be at that current safehouse for you to obtain.
The player can also obtain the Swift with side doors closed by doing the club management mission featuring Bruce Spade. One can either complete the mission and keep the helicopter, or kill Bruce and fly away. The player have to take it to any parking space to save. The player cannot, however, redo club missions after they are completed, so it is only available at one point.
- Swift with side doors open
From the "missions" menu on Luis' phone, select the mission ...Blog This! and meet Tony Prince at the helipad. Immediately, the player has to kill Tony and then The Celebinator (killing The Celebinator first will fail the mission and Tony will fly away). The mission will fail and the player will now have a Swift at their disposal. One have to save it at any parking space if they want to keep it.
Grand Theft Auto V
- Original version
- Available on the protagonists' helipads after downloading the DLC. It will spawn either in a classic black scheme or in a Flying Bravo red/green livery. However, the last one spawns frequently when selected in the helipad.
- Enhanced version
- A black Swift can be seen taking off at the NOOSE Headquarters on Sustancia Road, in Palomino Highlands.
- The Flying Bravo and black variants can be seen landing at the helipads of Los Santos International Airport.
- Can be bought for $1,500,000 (Classic) or $1,600,000 (Flying Bravo) on Elitás Travel. Note that the player cannot purchase two vehicles of the same model, meaning one has to purchase each version with two different protagonists (the first one owning the Classic version and the second one the Flying Bravo version).
- A Flying Bravo variant can often be seen flying along the coasts of Blaine County, usually near the RON Alternates Wind Farm.
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Can be bought for $1,500,000 (Classic) or $1,600,000 (Flying Bravo) on Elitás Travel, and will be available through Pegasus Lifestyle Management. Unlike in GTA V, the player can own both versions, provided the player's money can afford both.
- In the enhanced version, it is classed as a Medium aircraft when stored in a Hangar.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- ...Blog This! – Used by Luis and Tony to bring the Celebinator for a "ride". Tony will comment it was borrowed from Yusuf Amir.
- Caught With Your Pants Down – Used by Yusuf Amir to intercept a Skylift and steal the APC.
- Club Management – Used to bring Bruce Spade to Maisonette 9 without flying too high.
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Transform - Vinewood Thrills (as a transform vehicle)
Rockstar Games Social Club
Grand Theft Auto V and Online
.jpg){kind=link}
Specifications
Traffic Default Colors
| TBOGT | PrimaryPrimaryPrimary color (1) | SecondarySecondarySecondary color (2) | PearlescentPearlescentPearlescent color (3) | TertiaryTertiaryTertiary color (4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Police White | 0 Black | 76 Nassau Blue Poly | 0 Black |
| GTA V and Online | PrimaryPrimaryPrimary color (1) | SecondarySecondarySecondary color (2) | PearlescentPearlescentPearlescent color (3) | WheelsWheelsWheel/tertiary color (4) | TrimTrimTrim/quaternary color (5) | AccentAccentAccent/quinary color (6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) | 10 Metallic Gun Metal (Metallic) | 4 Metallic Silver (Metallic) | 156 Default Alloy Color (Classic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) |
Flying Bravo
| GTA V and Online | PrimaryPrimaryPrimary color (1) | SecondarySecondarySecondary color (2) | PearlescentPearlescentPearlescent color (3) | WheelsWheelsWheel/tertiary color (4) | TrimTrimTrim/quaternary color (5) | AccentAccentAccent/quinary color (6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 Metallic White (Metallic) | 111 Metallic White (Metallic) | 4 Metallic Silver (Metallic) | 156 Default Alloy Color (Classic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) |
Trivia
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- Yusuf Amir's Swift bears a "Santo Capro" livery ("Santo" meaning "Holy" in Italian and Spanish and "Capro" being Italian for "Billygoat") with an emblem resembling a Sea Goat (Capricorn) and the year 1898. The same emblem can be seen on Yusuf's tracksuit jacket that he wears. Combined with the fact that he owns the helicopter, and wears the jacket, Santo Capro might be a company that the Amir estate runs.
- There is a similarly named clothing store company in Grand Theft Auto V called Santo Capra. Both shares the same logo and year.
- When the blades of the Swift rip apart, they will turn black instead of white and before they rip apart, one blade will be of darker colour and will be twisted. This explains that the "white blades" are actually blades with white colour, as part of the entire color scheme.
- This version of the Swift can only hold two people. However, in ...Blog This!, Luis, Tony, and The Celebinator all ride in one.
Grand Theft Auto V
- When an NPC lands a Swift, they won't always lower the helicopter's landing gear, and as a result land on the Swift's undercarriage, sometimes tipping over and exploding as a result.
- The yellow tips on the Swift's main rotors cannot be seen when the blades are spinning, unlike other helicopters.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online
- The pre-2019 Rockstar Games Social Club image of the Swift showed a blue and gray version of the Classic livery, despite this version only spawning with the black and gray color.
- However, it is possible to paint a Classic Swift to resemble this particular version via the Hangar customization, in the Smuggler's Run update on Grand Theft Auto Online.
- Since 2019, only the Flying Bravo version can be seen on the Rockstar Games Social Club.
See Also
- Maverick – another civilian helicopter appearing in various Grand Theft Auto titles.
- Frogger – another civilian helicopter appearing in Grand Theft Auto V.
- SuperVolito and SuperVolito Carbon – two luxury-type helicopter appearing in Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the GTA Online: Executives and Other Criminals update.
- Swift Deluxe – "Deluxe" version of the vehicle added in the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update.