Vulture (DropShip class)

This article is about the troop carrier class. For other uses, see Vulture (disambiguation).

Vulture
Production information
Manufacturer	Alliance of Galedon
Production Year	2312
Use	Infantry Transport/Light Vehicle carrier
Type	Military Spheroid
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	3,500 tons
Structural Integrity	9
Length	75.5 meters
Width	71 meters
Height	75.5 meters
Drive System	V450
Safe Thrust	2 g
Max Thrust	3 g
Fuel (tons)	300 tons
Fuel (days)	163 days
Armament	7x Class 5 autocannon 6x LRM-15 4x medium laser
Armor	27.5 tons standard
Crew	14 3 Officers 8 Enlisted 3 Gunners Bay Personnel: 228
Escape Pods/Life Boats	7/20
Heat Sinks	78 single
BV (1.0)	3,031
BV (2.0)	2,482

Description

The Vulture was originally built for Warlord Urizen Kurita of the Alliance of Galedon in 2312. It was utilized for the Warlord's campaigns of conquest of the Ozawa Mercantile Association and the Principality of Rasalhague and other neighboring worlds.

A dedicated troop carrier, the ship was noted for its high reliability and low maintenance. The ship's quarters are cramped due to its small size, dubbed "cattle-class" by transported infantry troops. The ship was originally designed to be carried by pre–external docking collar JumpShips.

The ship fell out of favor by the later part of the Age of War Era when higher-capacity transports became available. Operating with the ships's limitations, a third infantry company was often split between two vessels, and under fire, reconstituting their forces cost Combine commanders several defeats. Unable to transport newer heavier vehicles, the class was replaced by the larger capacity Seeker-class DropShips, and many of these ships were sold to various mercenary companies and Periphery powers but continued to see use into the thirty-first and thirty-second centuries. However, parts are rare, and so many vessels in the modern era are fitted with "close enough" approximations.

Armament

The ship has seven Class 5 Autocannon, with the majority of them concentrated in the nose, with a single cannon on each flank. The ship has six 15-tube Long-Range missile Launchers, two in the nose and two mounted in the aft flanks. The ship also has four medium lasers, one mounted in each front flank, and a pair mounted aft. The autocannons were given 14 tons of ammunition, while the LRMs were given 24 tons.

Cargo

The ship is designed to carry 6 Foot Platoons and twelve Light Vehicles.

• Bay 1: Infantry (6 Foot Platoons), 1 door
• Bay 2: Vehicles (12 Light Vehicle Bay), 2 doors
• Bay 3: Cargo (1,100.5 tons), 1 door

Variants

• 2312 

  When introduced the Vulture class featured a primitive engine and armor. Compared to later versions, this Vulture offered two-thirds as much armor protection, carried a third less fuel, and was only able to reach 80% of the later Vulture's top speed. (In 2405 many of these ships were refitted to the standard described above.) BV(2.0)=1,497

• Cargo refit 

  This version of the Vulture was based on the 2405 refit. It kept the same weapons and armor but removed the infantry and vehicle bays to maximize cargo space. The cargo-carrying version can carry 1,730 tons of cargo.BV(2.0)=2,482

Named Vessels

See Category:Individual Vulture-class DropShips

Gallery

• 

  Original Vulture from TRO:3026 Revised

Bibliography

• Far Country
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War
• Technical Readout: 3026 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3075