Rockstar released Smuggler's Run for GTA Online on August 29, 2017. The update introduced purchasable Hangars, the Air-Freight Cargo business, an Aircraft Workshop, seven launch aircraft and the Motor Wars Adversary Mode.1

Hangars and Air-Freight Cargo

Owning a Hangar opens the Free Trade Shipping Co. Air-Freight Cargo operation, with Nervous Ron helping players establish the business. Cargo is sourced through missions, stored in the Hangar and sold for profit. Our GTA Online Hangar guide covers the current sourcing, sale and solo-play systems in full.

Five Hangars are available: two at Los Santos International Airport and three at Fort Zancudo. A Fort Zancudo Hangar grants access to the military base without an automatic wanted level while the owner and their organization are active.1

Aircraft storage and customization

Hangars store personal aircraft and can be fitted with an Aircraft Workshop for engine, handling, armor, weapon, livery and countermeasure upgrades on compatible aircraft. Pegasus aircraft can also be brought into the Hangar and converted into personal aircraft, although the available customization depends on the model.2

The Hangar business has received later improvements that were not part of the 2017 launch. These include land-based source and sale missions and staff sourcing through Rooster McCraw. Players returning to the business should use the current Hangar guide rather than treating the original launch rules as the present-day system.3

Seven launch aircraft

Smuggler's Run launched with seven purchasable aircraft spanning racing, combat, cargo and light recreational flying:1

  • Buckingham Alpha-Z1: a compact single-seat racing plane.
  • Nagasaki Ultralight: a lightweight recreational aircraft whose optional carbon propeller can conceal its radar blip while gliding.
  • Mammoth Tula: an amphibious VTOL utility aircraft with passenger-operated weapon positions.
  • LF-22 Starling: a small rocket-powered fighter with optional weapons.
  • V-65 Molotok: a jet fighter built around high-speed combat and short-field landings.
  • Nagasaki Havok: a compact helicopter that can be fitted with a machine gun.
  • Western Rogue: a two-seat propeller aircraft with combat upgrades.

Completing Air-Freight Cargo source missions unlocks the aircraft trade prices in stages. The exact purchase prices and unlock thresholds are listed in the in-game stores and may change through discounts or later balancing, so this page does not present the 2017 launch prices as permanent current values.

What the update changed

Smuggler's Run made player-owned aircraft a deeper part of GTA Online. Hangars combined storage, customization and a cargo business in one property, while the launch aircraft covered markedly different roles rather than acting as cosmetic alternatives.

The update also added the Grotti Visione and Vapid Retinue as ground vehicles, along with flight suits, helmets, tattoos and other aviation-themed clothing.1

The launch's two ground vehicles were the Grotti Visione and Vapid Retinue. They accompanied the aircraft-focused release without changing the Hangar business itself.

Motor Wars

Motor Wars is a team-based Adversary Mode in which players parachute into a shrinking combat area and search for weapons and armed vehicles. The last surviving team wins. Rockstar launched the mode with four maps and support for up to four teams.1

Unlike the Air-Freight business, Motor Wars does not require Hangar ownership. It is a separate competitive mode included in the same update.

References

  1. GTA Online: Smuggler's Run Now Available, Rockstar Games.

  2. GTA Online Properties Guide: Hangars, Rockstar Games.

  3. Take Your Smuggling and Aerial Operations to New Heights in GTA Online, Rockstar Games.