StarCitizen:Drake DefenseCon 2956
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After a one-year hiatus and in the wake of the strange withdrawal of StarCitizen:Invictus Launch Week 2956 to the StarCitizen:Sol system, StarCitizen:Drake DefenseCon – StarCitizen:Drake Interplanetary's recently traditional tag-along event to the StarCitizen:Invictus Launch Week – has made its return in StarCitizen:2956. Unlike in previous events where no companies aside from Drake itself participated and the event was timed to not immediately coincide and compete with Invictus for attendance, DefenseCon 2956 has expanded in duration to encompass the entirety of StarCitizen:Invictus Launch Week 2956 and includes as participants many of the manufacturers who would otherwise have attended the more prestigious event with StarCitizen:Consolidated Outland being the most conspicuous absence.<ref name="DefCon2956Countdown">Template:Cite RSI</ref><ref name="SSN CATV">SSN/CATV Newsflash. X. Retrieved 2026-04-25.</ref><ref name="DefCon2956Q&A">Template:Cite RSI</ref>
About
Traditionally Drake had been holding the event on its own to showcase their contribution and solutions in defense offered to [[StarCitizen::Category:Security organizations|militias and security organizations]]. But in StarCitizen:2955 Drake was, for the first time, invited to participate in the Invictus Launch Week. However in 2956 – and for reasons still not known – StarCitizen:Invictus Launch Week was withdrawn and held only in the StarCitizen:Sol system, enabling Drake's CEO StarCitizen:Anden Arden to reinstate the DefenseCon beyond Sol on a far grander scale and even drawing the attendance of other manufacturers, with Arden boasting to StarCitizen:SSN/CAtv that they were "proud to welcome all manufacturers, no hidden agenda, no glossy bait" and that "DefenseCon will show'em how it is really done".<ref name="SSN CATV" />
Therefore, the Drake Interplanetary DefenseCon 2956 was held independently of its normally overshadowing event at the StarCitizen:Bevic Convention Center in StarCitizen:Area18, from the 14th to the 27th of May, 2956.<ref name="SSN CATV" />
As announced on StarCitizen:Drake DefenseCon 2954, Drake has presented the long-awaited Drake StarCitizen:Ironclad and StarCitizen:Ironclad Assault, an armored heavy freighter suited for the roughest systems with a detachable Command Module like the StarCitizen:Caterpillar, and a military/assault variant respectively.<ref name="ISCIR">Template:Cite RSI on YouTube</ref>
Nonetheless StarCitizen:Drake Interplanetary has not fully escaped being overshadowed on this annual occasion, with StarCitizen:Anvil Aerospace's major announcement of the StarCitizen:Odin [[StarCitizen::Category:Battlecruisers|battlecruiser]] at this event.<ref name="SSN CATV" />
"Come on down to the real party, the party for the people." - StarCitizen:Anden Arden.<ref name="Invictus 53 page">Template:Cite RSI</ref>
Free Fly
Anyone who wants to try Star Citizen can do so for FREE. The Free Fly event will start on May 14, right when the DefenseCon event launches, and will finish on May 27. To join in, just go to the RSI website and create a free account. Once you finish, a selection of vehicles will be temporarily available on your account. After you’ve had a chance to try them out, consider visiting the DefenseCon showhall located in the StarCitizen:Bevic Convention Center next to StarCitizen:Area 18, and then head to the vehicle rental terminals to check out more vehicle options.<ref name="DefCon2956Q&A"/>
The Free-fly was temporary suspended from the 14 to 18 May due to performance issues.}}
Showhall displays
Vehicles
Armor sets
In the Main Hall, this years armor exhibition features four variations of the Tailwind Flight Suit and Helmet set.
| “Anvil” | “Drake” | “Kruger” | “Murray Cup” |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Suit | Helmet | Flight Suit | Helmet | Flight Suit | Helmet | Flight Suit | Helmet |
Vehicle sales
New vehicles
DefenseCon 2956 showcased a number of entirely new vehicle launches that was available for purchase.
| Day | Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Drake Pitbull | Designed for close combat and fierce battles, it's a sleek, effective tool that combines agility with strong firepower for a powerful impact in a compact, single-pilot design. | |
| Day 3 | Origin M80 | A heavy fighter designed by Origin. | |
| Day 5 | MISC Starlite | A small refueling vessel developed by MISC. | |
| Day 7 | Aegis Tiburon | A large heavy gunship developed by Aegis. | |
| Day 11 | Anvil Odin | An anti-capital battlecruiser manufactured by Anvil. |
Stock limited ships
The event also features sales of stock limited ships on the StarCitizen:Pledge Store. These ships are considered 'exclusive' and are therefore only sold in limited quantities over a small period of time. Each stock-limited ship is limited to 1 per account and will be available in several waves.<ref name="DefCon2956Q&A"/>
Click the individual time slots for a conversion to your own time zone.
| Day | Date | Ships | Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 | Wave 5 | Wave 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | May 14 | StarCitizen:Kraken StarCitizen:Kraken Privateer |
1600 UTC | 2000 UTC | 0000 UTC | 0400 UTC | 0800 UTC | 1200 UTC |
| Day 7 | May 20 | StarCitizen:Idris-P StarCitizen:Javelin |
1600 UTC | 2000 UTC | 0000 UTC | 0400 UTC | 0800 UTC | 1200 UTC |
| Day 11 | May 24 | StarCitizen:Odin | 1600 UTC | 2000 UTC | 0000 UTC | 0400 UTC | 0800 UTC | 1200 UTC |
Vehicle renting
In this years event, there will be a series of StarCitizen:Traveler Rentals terminals aligning the walls of the hallway just prior to the main hall area. Here, you have the option to rent specific vehicles, from different manufacturers that are available in the game, for a duration of 48 hours. The rental schedule outlined below alternates between manufacturers at 16:00 UTC each day.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>
Gear
There is clothing available at the event location lobby. Along with the below shirts and hats, an assortment of manufacturer specific shirts and hats are also available. All the below items are also available on the StarCitizen:Pledge Store as part of the "DefenseCon 2956 Gear Pack" for $5.00 (plus tax).
| Shirt | Hat | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Twitch drops
In celebration of the DefenseCon 2956 event, CIG is hosting a StarCitizen:Twitch drops event. From May 14 through May 27, backers must watch any Star Citizen stream that has Drops enabled for a cumulative duration of four hours to receive the StarCitizen:Tailwind Flight Suit Murray Cup and helmet for free.<ref name="DefCon2956Twitch">Template:Cite RSI</ref>
Reception and technical issues
Drake DefenseCon 2956 launched with StarCitizen:Star Citizen Alpha 4.8.0. The event showfloor was scheduled to open up on May 14, 1600 UTC. StarCitizen:CIG had intended to launch the patch the day before, on May 13. On spectrum, CIG developers kept confirming this was the plan. Developers supposedly kept working through the night to get it ready for launch. The patch ended up launching on May 14, at about 1300 UTC, three hours before DefenseCon was going to begin.
A day later, on May 15, during CIG's StarCitizen:Star Citizen Live twitch stream, StarCitizen:Jared Huckaby told the community the StarCitizen:Free Fly aspect of DefenseCon will not be happening. Jared said this was decided to keep the experience of the existing players at a good level, and starting the free-fly would likely cause disruptions for everybody. <ref name=":0">Clip: Jared Huckaby explains why Free-fly was put on hold</ref>
DefenseCon Showcase
CIG held a pair of live shows hosted by StarCitizen:Jared Huckaby where developers talk about the new ships that were launched during the DefenseCon event.
| Day | Date | Episode | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | May 15 | Part 1 | M80, Starlite, and Tiburon. |
| Day (tba) | May (tba) | Part 2 | (to be announced) |
Gallery
| Track | Audio |
|---|---|
| Defensecon Expo Theme - Hard Rock | File:Defensecon Expo Theme - Hard Rock.mp3 |
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See Also
References
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