StarCitizen:Vulture

The Vulture is a small StarCitizen:salvage StarCitizen:ship manufactured by StarCitizen:Drake Interplanetary. Focusing on long range and self-reliance, the Vulture allows single-operators to engage salvage with Drake's signature emphasis on practicality.<ref></ref><ref></ref>

Model

Ship profile

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In-space=

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear	Below
File:Vulture in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture in space - Above.jpg	File:Vulture in space - Port.jpg	File:Vulture in space - Front.jpg	File:Vulture in space - Rear.jpg	File:Vulture in space - Below.jpg

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Landed=

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear
File:Vulture landed in hangar - Isometric - Cut.png	File:Placeholderv2.png	File:Placeholderv2.png	File:Placeholderv2.png	File:Placeholderv2.png

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Schematic=

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear	Rear Isometric
File:Vulture - Schematic - Isometric.png	File:Vulture - Schematic - Above.png	File:Vulture - Schematic - Port.png	File:Vulture - Schematic - Front.png	File:Vulture - Schematic - Rear.png	File:Vulture - Schematic - Rear Isometric.png

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Special editions

"Teach's Special"
File:Teachs Ship Shop logo.png

Paints

"Assembly"	"Best in Show 2953"	"Carbonide"	"Carnival"	"Deck The Hull"	"Dying Star"	"Foundation Festival"	"Ghoulish Green"	"Heartthrob"	"IceBreak"	"Longhorn"	"Outcast"	"Pyrite"	"Skullcrusher"
File:Vulture Assembly in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture BIS2953 in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Carbonide in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Carnival in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Deck The Hull in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Dying Star in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture FF in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Ghoulish Green in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Heartthrob landed in hangar - cropped.png	File:Vulture IceBreak in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Longhorn in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Outcast landed in hangar - cropped.jpg	File:Vulture Pyrite in space - Isometric.jpg	File:Vulture Skullcrusher in space - Isometric.jpg

Lore

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The "Empire Slipper"=

On the 9th of August, 2895, the freighter "Empire Slipper", registered under the StarCitizen:Terra flag, experienced critical system malfunctions that led to erroneous navigation displays. This caused the navigation officer to plot a course through a dense asteroid field near a red giant star, resulting in a collision that disabled the ship's shields and exposed the crew to lethal radiation. The ship's location became unknown while it carried valuable metals and rare artworks, drawing significant media attention and prompting an extensive search. After eight months, the wreckage was found by a UEE Navy picket ship in a highly irradiated debris field, dispelling conspiracy theories about hijacking. Unfortunately, the area was nearly inaccessible for conventional salvage vessels.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Vertical Landing Test 3=

In response to the challenge, Drake Interplanetary, a new spacecraft manufacturer, offered support. Motivated by potential salvage rights and a ten million credit bounty from StarCitizen:MISC, the ship's original builder, a specialized team gathered on StarCitizen:Borea to devise a solution. They modified an AS-1 Cutlass prototype, the StarCitizen:Vertical Landing Test 3 (VLT-3), by removing its testing equipment and converting it for debris recovery of the "Slipper." The VLT-3 featured enhanced shield generators that reduced cargo capacity but improved shielding and agility for its two-person crew. Its external manipulator arms allowed for salvage operations without extravehicular activity, minimizing risks from hazardous radiation.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

The salvage=

Fourteen months after the "Empire Slipper" disappeared, Drake's test crew began salvage operations from a modular space station outside the hazardous zone. Over thirty-six missions, the VLT-3 navigated the debris field, retrieving flight recorders and cargo containers. Drake secured salvage rights and transferred the flight recorders to MISC, but the company faced legal issues after duplicating the flight data before submission. Despite the controversy, the mission improved Drake's reputation amid piracy allegations.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Piracy attack=

After a successful salvage operation, Drake launched a public relations tour for the VLT-3 at aerospace exhibitions. However, controversy arose over allegations of his support for piracy following a coordinated attack with unmarked Cutlasses and a MISC StarCitizen:Hull-D. In response, the company shifted focus to developing the StarCitizen:Caterpillar command ship, putting the VLT-3 in storage.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Early development=

In 2932, the StarCitizen:Aegis Dynamics StarCitizen:Reclaimer "General Dogsbody" had a highly profitable salvage mission, increasing interest in the field. Recognizing this demand, Drake's team evolved the VLT-3 into the Vulture, an independent salvage vessel featuring Rippers, salvage booms, and a Tomium scraper rig, while retaining key aspects of the VLT-3.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Launch=

Officially launched in 2938, the Vulture capitalized on public interest in salvage operations, leading to high demand that exceeded production capabilities and the establishment of remote manufacturing facilities. The Vultures successfully recovered high-profile hulls, boosting Drake's reputation and sustaining interest in the spacecraft.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Present day=

In 2941, Drake launched a revised Vulture with improved weapon mounts for hazardous environments. In 2949, the civilian variant received an upgrade with a larger cab for increased cargo capacity, and Drake offers upgrade options for earlier models to enhance capacity and add new weapon mounts.<ref name="whitley"/> |-|

Military variant=

By 2943, the UEE Navy had requisitioned 300 units for battlefield support, primarily to clear wrecked spacecraft after StarCitizen:Vanduul conflicts. Drake is developing a government-specific version in anticipation of increased naval confrontations.<ref name="whitley">"Whitley's Guide: The Drake Interplanetary Vulture". Jump Point. Vol. 7 no. 8. pp.29–32.Template:NbspRetrieved 2023-06-20.</ref> </tabber>

Gallery

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Official=

Template:Gallery |-|

In-game=

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Development

<tabber>Timeline=

2017-12-01	Introduced as an option for the next Drake ship to be developed in the vote "YOU Pick the Next Drake Ship" in 2017 Anniversary Special.<ref name="YOU-Pick-The-Next-Drake-Ship"></ref>
2017-12-11	Voted to be the next Drake ship by backers with 44% of 37,696 voters.<ref name="YOU-Pick-The-Next-Drake-Ship" />
2018-06-14	Concept sale.<ref name="presentation"></ref>
2020-05-30	During the 2950 StarCitizen:Drake Defensecon, the ship was on display at the StarCitizen:Riker Memorial Spaceport in StarCitizen:Area18. It was represented by a downscaled holographic display of the model.<ref>Alpha 3.9.1 in-game survey during StarCitizen:Drake Defensecon</ref>
2021-05-05	Revealed that the Vulture was in production and to be implemented in game with an allocated work schedule of 18 weeks.<ref name="rr05052021"></ref>
2023-03-10	Flight ready in Alpha 3.18.0, along with the first implementation of the salvage gameplay.<ref name="patch3180"></ref>

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Credits=

Role	Contributors
Original concept	StarCitizen:Toby Lewin (first round), StarCitizen:Alex Akstinas (second round)<ref name="wip">"Work in Progress: Drake Vulture". Jump Point. Vol. 6 no. 7. pp.15–34.Template:NbspRetrieved 2020-04-03.</ref><ref name="shipshape">Ship Shape: Drake Vulture on YouTube</ref>
Art	StarCitizen:Paul Jones<ref name="wip"/><ref name="shipshape"/>
Technical design	StarCitizen:John Crewe<ref name="wip"/><ref name="shipshape"/>

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Design brief=

Aims & Aesthetic

Aims

Starter Salvage Ship – The one-man entry into the salvage career. Designed for small scale personal salvage via EVA and external processing rather than using the ship to salvage. Single utility mount on the front of the ship that houses the “scraper” laser which strips the surface of ships into a resource. Uses MultiTool and Salvage charges to break up wrecks and take individual components and loot rather than processing chunks of ship. Player can live long term on board with the basic accommodation, when finding wreckage they take their hand held Salvage tools from their internal storage to go recover valuable assets, these can be stored in the rear cargo hold, like a space pickup truck.

Aesthetic

Similar shape/styling to the other Drake ships, rough and ready Soviet-era style.

Specifications

Length	33 m
Width	16 m
Height	9 m
Mass	114,591 kg
Speed	165 m/s
Crew	1
Powerplants	1x Small
Shield	2x Small
Armor	Large
Weapons	2x
Thrusters	2x Small, 2x VTOL
Utility items	Scraper Beam, Tractor Beam
Cargo capacity	12 SCU

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Trivia

• The vessel derives its name from the Vulture, a sizable avian species belonging to the Accipitridae and Cathartidae families. This bird is closely related to hawks, eagles, and falcons, however, it possesses less robust talons and typically features a bare head. Vultures primarily or exclusively feed on carcases, otherwise known as carrion.<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulture</ref>
• CIG said that the ship was inspired by both the HXBL-20 made by StarCitizen:Sheng Lam and the StarCitizen:Dragonfly with its two arms.<ref>HXBL-20, 8bitwizard (Sheng Lam), Instagram, 5 September 2019</ref><ref>Star Citizen: Reverse the Verse LIVE - A Wild Vulture Appears!, Star Citizen, Youtube, 15 June 2018</ref><ref>Star Citizen: Around the Verse - Vulture Views and Weapons 2 on YouTube</ref> It is not inspired by the Veldor from Privateer II.<ref>Veldor, Wing Commander Combat Information Center</ref> It has some resemblance to the Venture ship in EVE Online. On 2018-06-14, shortly after the design of the Vulture was revealed, players and fans of EVE Online on reddit pointed out the similarity between the two ships and accused CIG of copying the design.<ref>Behold, the totally not a copy, Drake Vulture on EVE subreddit</ref> The rivalry escalated with redditors brigading both the EVE Online and Star Citizen subreddits, to the point that even EVE developer CCP tweeted about it.<ref>EVE Online tweet on Vulture</ref><ref>Eve Online and Star Citzen fans at war over £112 "copycat" spaceship</ref>

External links

• Inside Star Citizen: Vulture Venture Summer 2022
• Ship Shape: Drake VultureTemplate:Trx

References

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