Helicopters

Quick answer: Helicopters are new to Transport Fever 3 — the first time the series adds rotorcraft as a vehicle class. The Deluxe Edition includes the Sikorsky S-76 Spirit. Helicopter infrastructure (heliport and helipad) is listed as available "from 1950" in the official game manual, but the unlock year of each individual helicopter model is not published by Urban Games. A heliport has an integrated helicopter-only depot and is required to purchase helicopters; a helipad only handles landing and take-off.

What's confirmed

Helicopters are a new vehicle class for the series (Paradox press release).
The Deluxe Edition adds the Sikorsky S-76 Spirit — a real-world helicopter used for executive and utility transport (Steam store page).

When do helicopters unlock?

Two different questions live under this heading, and they have different answers:

Question	Answer	Level
When can I build helicopter infrastructure?	From 1950 — the official manual lists Heliport and Helipad as "from 1950"	B (official Wiki)
When does each individual helicopter model unlock?	Not published. The official manual's vehicles page has no helicopter table, and no per-helicopter availability list exists	B (official negative fact)

The 1950 date belongs to the building, not the aircraft. A heliport becoming available in 1950 does not mean a specific helicopter becomes purchasable in 1950 — do not read the two as the same date. The official building tiers are: harbor from 1900, airfield from 1920, and airport, heliport and helipad from 1950 (official Wiki — Stations & Depots). This is official data, not a community estimate — older community guides that gave the same 1950 date were right, but they were not the source.

If you need a specific model's availability, the only reliable method is the depot UI in-game (A-level). The full background on why no official per-vehicle table exists — and how to unlock the whole catalogue at once — is on Vehicle Unlock Years & Eras.

Heliport vs helipad — the distinction that matters

These are two different pieces of infrastructure, and the difference is where helicopters are bought and stored:

	Heliport	Helipad
Function	Full helicopter base — has an integrated helicopter-only depot	Landing and take-off only
Can you buy helicopters there?	Yes — the heliport's integrated depot is required to purchase helicopters	No
Footprint / cost	Larger, more expensive	Small, cheap, flexible
Typical use	Cargo and sustained helicopter lines	Standalone shuttle stops, or an addition to a modular airport

Sources: the function and purchase rules come from the official Wiki — Stations & Depots (level B). The standalone vs modular helipad distinction comes from gamesstarter — helicopters, helipads and cargo logistics and howtovideogame — airports & harbors (both level D). The cost comparison is still community-sourced — verify in-game before planning a build around it.

Two practical consequences:

A helipad alone cannot start a helicopter line. With no integrated depot there is nowhere to purchase the aircraft. If you only place a helipad and see no helicopter option, that is expected behaviour, not a bug.
Standalone helipads and modular airport helipads are not the same object. GamesStarter describes standalone helipads as "the small, cheap, flexible option", while modular helipads are attached to an airport build. Check which one the placement menu is offering.

The helicopter roster (12)

Urban Games publishes no per-helicopter table. The 12 named rotorcraft below are community-compiled and recur across multiple fan lists — source level C. Treat it as the best available list, not an official document.

Bell 47 · Piasecki H-21 Workhorse · Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane · Bell 206 Long Ranger · Sikorsky S-76 Spirit (Deluxe Edition) · Boeing Vertol 234 Chinook · AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin · Mil Mi-26TC · Eurocopter 120B Colibri · Kaman K-MAX · Airbus H225 Super Puma · NextGen VTOL

No per-helicopter stats — capacity, range, cost, speed, unlock year — are published. Names only; stats stay unverified until confirmed in-game. Note the official manual's Vehicles page has no helicopter section, and community rosters disagree on dates.

Problem: no helicopters appear in the depot

Check the year. Heliport and helipad are available from 1950 (official Wiki). A 1920s or 1930s start has no heliport to buy from.
Check you built a heliport, not a helipad. Only a heliport's integrated depot sells helicopters — a helipad is landing and take-off only.
Check the placement menu variant. Standalone helipad vs modular airport helipad are separate objects with different footprints.
Check whether you are looking for the Deluxe model. The Sikorsky S-76 Spirit ships with the Deluxe Edition only.

Next step

Want the whole air side: Aircraft — planes, airports and the 1920 vs 1950 tier split.
Want names and categories: Vehicle List — the official count timeline and the six Deluxe vehicles.
Want to see every vehicle now: Vehicle Unlock Years & Eras — Sandbox Mode, date jumping and the no-end-year mod.

Sources & Verification

Data point	Status	Source	Last verified
Helicopters new to series	Official	Paradox press release	2026-09-23
Deluxe Sikorsky S-76 Spirit	Official	Steam store page	2026-09-23
No per-helicopter unlock years, roster or stats published — the official manual's vehicles page has no helicopter table	Official (negative fact)	Official Wiki — Vehicles	2026-10-27
Heliport, helipad and airport available from 1950; airfield from 1920; harbor from 1900	Official	Official Wiki — Stations & Depots	2026-10-27
Heliport has an integrated helicopter-only depot, required to purchase helicopters; helipad landing/take-off only	Official	Official Wiki — Stations & Depots	2026-10-27
Standalone helipad = small cheap flexible option vs modular airport helipad	Community	gamesstarter — helicopters guide	2026-10-27
Helicopter roster (12 named)	Community (level C)	Tpose Gaming · Destructoid via NewsBreak	2026-11-06
Per-helicopter stats	Being verified in-game	—	—