The Cargo Plane is a fixed-wing aircraft featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. It is the second largest controllable vehicle, by overall length, in the entire series, behind the RUNE Kosatka.[1]
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Cargo Plane is a Soviet Antonov An-124 Ruslan Import modified to have the engines of a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the main landing gear was also modified like those from the Antonov An-225 Mriya, with an extra pair of wheels.
As expected from its name and appearance, the vehicle is depicted with a large fuselage and long wings. On the front, there is a large and rounded nose that doubles as an openable cargo door, which pivots from beside the cockpit area, while two smaller doors are seen on either side. The cockpit is relatively small in comparison to the entire vehicle and features four windows on each half, while the underside houses a single nose landing gear assembly with dual wheels and two openable hatches.
On the main section, the aircraft's fuselage has a rounded shape around the lower portions and has bulkier sections with dual hatches for the main undercarriage, each one composed of eight landing gear assemblies with double wheels. Above the fuselage, large wings are mounted in a high-wing setup, each one having small winglets on the edges, the corresponding ailerons and dual engine pods with fully-animated fans/turbines.
On the rear section, a large ramp can be seen, which is functional like the rear ramp of the Cargobob and the Titan, while the tail/empennage has large stabilisers and rudders with their corresponding elevators and rudder.
The interior of the aircraft is very detailed and is split between the cargo hold and the cockpit area. The cargo hold runs through the entirety of the aircraft's fuselage, where the floor features numerous rollers and green platforms, likely intended to prevent cargo from sliding. There are numerous utility items located near the ramp, being lockers, crates and netting, while four rows of 28 seats can be seen on the side walls (intended for the cargo personnel, although they serve only as decoration and cannot be used). A smaller cargo hold is seen at the nose, having numerous boxes with nets and an unusable ladder. On the roof, there are numerous lights and spinning beacons that work when the aircraft's engines are on, as well as an orange on-board overhead crane supported by two rails (which is standard equipment for carrying heavy loads onto the cargo hold). Near the nose cargo hold, there is a large orange ladder intended for access to the cockpit, which is always extended and appears to have slight damage in the enhanced version.
The cockpit area sits above the cargo hold and features a wide flight deck with blue screens and small indicators derived from many aircraft (albeit non-functional in the enhanced version due to the dials not being mapped onto the vehicle), as well as numerous instruments and the main seats. On either side of the aircraft are two navigation stations with multiple screens, including satellite views of the map and footage of a military operation, together with crates, an unusable seat, various lockers (with one labeled "First Aid") and two unusable fire extinguishers. Behind the cockpit, there is an extra section with three extra seats for the other two passengers and the open access hatch to the cargo hold, along with extra lockers for the electronics and a similar "First Aid" locker. In the enhanced version, the vehicle appears with a more detailed interior.
According to Ron in Minor Turbulence, its wingspan measures 200 feet long; however, the wingspan of the model itself measures 320 feet, and the overall length measures 295 feet. This gives the plane an overall perimeter of over 1200 feet (365 meters).
The aircraft is seen with the registration code on the cockpit and the vertical stabiliser reading RF-LS9130 (RF referring to the Russian Federation and LS to Los Santos), as well as the flag of Russia on the rudder. The primary color is applied to the entire fuselage (always set to white), while the secondary color is applied to stripes going down the middle of the aircraft, and accents around the nose, winglets, engines, empennage and top of the fuselage (always set to blue, but red in Last Dose 5 - BDKD). The aircraft uses industrial wheels derived from trucks such as the Benson, the Mule and the Phantom.
Current Design Gallery[]
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Despite its heavy weight and enormous size, the Cargo Plane is considerably fast, but its handling is poor. Its large wingspan makes it rather difficult to execute sharp turns, but the very large wings in turn make it one of the most stable planes in the game. Strangely, for how large it is and the large wingspan and weight of the plane, it does not require a very long runway to take off or land but it does require a wide and flat one, as it is very fragile. It only takes about 1 to 1 1/2 seconds to take off. Its high-output jet engines provide the aircraft with decent acceleration and a very high top speed, on par with that of the Jet. The plane is also very good at gliding in the event of engine failure, and depending on the altitude, can glide for long distances before hitting the ground, giving the player time to reach one of the airports or find a suitable open area to perform an emergency landing.
Due to its large mass, the Cargo Plane can effortlessly ram other aircraft out of its way without sustaining damage. It can also survive being hit by several aircraft. However, like any aircraft, it will be destroyed instantly upon colliding with a wall while flying.
The plane is powered by four dual turbofan engine pods mounted on the wings, and has a unique, quieter sound compared to other jet-powered aircraft.
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 | 87 / 140 / 76 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 38000 / 83776 | 65 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Four jets (Minor Turbulence) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Four dual turbofan engine pods | Wing-mounted (2 per wing) | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Notable Owners[]
Gallery[]
Special Variants[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- A second variant of the vehicle is featured as part of the Los Santos Drug Wars update, used during the mission Last Dose 5 - BDKD. This variant is largely identical to the original model, but the registration numbers and flag were removed, and the spinning beacons do not emit a yellow light. It also has an extra seat intended to accommodate Luchadora and the four players.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- In the mission "Minor Turbulence", Trevor hijacks one from a group of Merryweather Security mercenaries to steal the weapons shipment they were delivering. It is, however, shot down by two US Air Force P-996 LAZERs when Trevor refuses to land at Fort Zancudo. The plane then crashes into the Alamo Sea, but Trevor manages to parachute out of the cargo bay door beforehand. The rear of the plane is heavily damaged from Trevor's dramatic entry, and debris can be seen flying off the plane in this area. More debris, as well as smoke and flames, are seen after the two LAZER fighter planes deploy their missiles.
- The Cargo Plane is also seen in the Strangers and Freaks mission Liquidity Risk. During the mission, Franklin uses an ATV to ride into the plane's rear cargo doors with Dom Beasley. The pair then jump out once the plane is airborne.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- As part of the Gunrunning business, a fully black Cargo Plane appears in the mission Data Breach as drop-off point for the stolen Oppressors.
- The same plane also appears in the follow-up mission Work Dispute, the players ride the Oppressor motorcycles out of the plane to take down a rogue Mobile Operations Center.
- It appears in a bunker supplies steal mission requiring the player to steal the Ballistic Equipment from the plane's cargo hold, at LSIA.
- Three black and brown Cargo Planes appears in the Air Freight Cargo steal mission "Cargo planes", where they must be shot down with a V-65 Molotok in order to secure the cargo.
- A Cargo Plane appears as the final target in the setup mission Signal Intercepts.
- In the mission Repo - Simeonomics, the players are required to steal supercars from the plane's cargo hold in LSIA.
- Can spawn during the Diamond Casino Heist preparation "Getaway Vehicle", carrying the getaway vehicles selected on the planning board.
- A white and red appears in the Last Dose mission "BDKD", which the player must chase it and take down Friedlander's goons, before eventually taking control of it after Friedlander himself bails out and carrying all of the shipment of his corporation to Sandy Shores Airfield. It is the only time the player can control the vehicle.
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- Because the vehicle is not meant to be obtained in normal gameplay, the Cargo Plane does not feature proper entering/leaving animations; when entering the vehicle, the player character will indefinitely run into the plane before the game teleports them to the cockpit, and when leaving, the player character will typically clip through the aircraft. When leaving the plane, the player can either glitch out or inside the plane. If the player pushes the control stick leftward, they will walk through the fuselage and land next to the plane. If they push the stick forward or backward, they will be inside the cockpit.
- The Cargo Plane, unlike most controllable aircraft, has rotating turbines.
- During the gunfight sequence in Minor Turbulence, the vehicle remains static while mid-air. If the game is paused, the plane interior can be seen on the map as a building. This is to prevent the player, other NPCs and props/vehicles from moving around while airborne.
- After the Cargo Plane in Minor Turbulence crashes into the Alamo Sea, various weapons can be retrieved from the underwater wreckage.
- After Trevor steals the Cargo Plane in Minor Turbulence, he tells Ron Jakowski he will be landing it at McKenzie Field Hangar. However, the runway there is too short, and the hangar itself is too small.
- The Cargo Plane, along with the Jet and the Freight Train, is not listed in the BradyGames guide.
- The wreckage of a Cargo Plane can be found lying at the bottom of the ocean, just off the western coast near Fort Zancudo, with a variety of weapons scattered among the debris. The plane wreck lies in shallow water, mainly situated on the very edge of a steep, rocky underwater cliff covered by coral reefs. The front section of the plane, including the nose and cockpit seems to have broken off and is resting further down in deeper waters at the very bottom off the deep end where the plane is situated. It is assumed that this is the result of a failed takeoff from Fort Zancudo. The placement of such aircraft is odd since the runway at Fort Zancudo is too tight to allow Cargo Planes to land or take-off there.
Oversights[]
- Both the netting and the cargo in the nose compartment are visible on the front and upper side, but transparent on the other side. This can be seen by clipping the Rockstar Editor camera on the plane's nose, where the player can still see most of the main cargo hold.
- In first person view, the character's hands appear to be floating slightly above the control sticks. Moreover, unlike other controllable aircraft, the player does not move the sticks when using the aircraft's controls. Additionally, indicators are visible on the cockpit but are not functioning.
- If the player lands the plane during "Minor Turbulence", debris is still seen coming out of the plane.
See Also[]
- Jet - Another large jet plane debuting in the same game.
- Andromada - Another cargo airplane featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
References[]
- ↑
Cargo Plane: Dimensions
- Width = 97m
- Height = 20m
- Length = 90m
- Square Perimeter = 374m
- Cuboidal Volume (Overall Boundary) = 174600m³
Kosatka: Dimensions
- Width = 20m
- Height = 20m
- Length = 137m
- Square Perimeter = 314m
- Cuboidal Volume (Overall Boundary) = 54800m³