{"data":{"id":19899,"title":"Whitley's Guide - Vulture","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/19899-Whitleys-Guide-Vulture","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/19899","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/19899","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 7.8.\nDrake Interplanetary Vulture\nTHE HUNT\nMost spacecraft have a common point of origin \u2013 they\u2019re developed to military specification or they\u2019re designed to fill a market need for civilians or corporate groups. The Drake Interplanetary Vulture has a different story \u2013 its development originates from a rush to complete a treasure hunt. On the 9th of August 2895, the Terra-flagged freighter Empire Slipper suffered what was later determined to be an unlikely cascade of system failures which resulted in the bridge terminals receiving a completely incorrect set of navigation overlays. The error caused Slipper\u2019s navigation officer to chart a course into a dense asteroid belt within close proximity to the danger zone of a red giant\u2019s corona. A debris strike subsequently disabled the aging freighter\u2019s shield generators and unfortunately delivered a dose of fatal radiation to the crew. Empire Slipper was left adrift, its specific location unknown. As the freighter was known to be carrying a wealth of precious metals and a consignment of rare artwork, intense media interest and a massive search and recovery operation followed. After eight months of searches, a UEEN picket ship identified the wreckage of the Slipper adrift in the irradiated debris belt, putting an end to conspiracy theories that the freighter had been hijacked. However, it quickly became clear that the region was practically inaccessible to any dedicated salvage ship with enough protection to survive the operation. MISC, the transport\u2019s builder, offered a ten million credit bounty to anyone capable of recovering the black box data recorder in an effort to explain what had happened.\n\nUnexpectedly, upstart spacecraft manufacturer Drake Interplanetary came to the rescue. Seeking both the bounty and the salvage rights to the Slipper\u2019s cargo, an elite team convened on Borea to create a makeshift spacecraft capable of solving this peculiar problem. The basis for this oneoff construction was an existing AS-1 Cutlass prototype, Vertical Landing Test 3 (VLT-3). With all testing equipment removed, VLT-3 quickly became a specialized platform intended to reach the Empire Slipper and recover its cargo. Heavy shield generators replaced much of the prototype ship\u2019s standard cargo capacity and a pair of versatile remote manipulator arms were bolted to the prow. The result was something unlike any other spacecraft currently flying: an over-shielded, underpowered amalgamation that was small enough to navigate the debris field while keeping its crew of two safe. What\u2019s more, VLT-3 could engage in the necessary salvage operations using its external arms without requiring EVA, which was made impossible by the amount of radiation involved.\n\nFourteen months after the Empire Slipper disappeared, Drake\u2019s test crew began salvage operations from a hastily established modular space station positioned just outside the danger zone. Over the course of thirty-six perilous expeditions, VLT-3 repeatedly entered the debris field and carefully removed the Slipper\u2019s flight recorders and then, one by one, the valuable cargo containers. Drake claimed and received salvage rights for the valuable cargo and promptly delivered the recovered flight recorders to MISC. However, the promised ten million credits did not materialize as Drake executives were ultimately taken to court over the bounty when it was discovered that they had covertly opened and copied the flight data aboard a runner ship before passing it along.\n\nPRODUCTION MODELS\nThe success of VLT-3\u2019s mission wasn\u2019t only beneficial to Drake\u2019s bottom line. Public fascination with the lost freighter gave the company\u2019s recovery mission significant airplay and was seen as a positive reprieve for the corporation, which was battling accusations of profiting from piracy. For a time, Drake was seen as a positive if rough force just as the small personal spacecraft market was beginning to heat up. To play off this success, the company sent VLT-3, its paint seared off and hull covered with micrometeoroid impacts, on a nine system PR tour to be displayed at aerospace shows and museum exhibits.\n\nExcitement over the feat faded and Drake soon found itself again mired in controversy. VLT-3 was put back into storage just as the corporation was again accused of supporting piracy following the coordinated destruction of a MISC Hull-D by four unmarked Cutlasses. The company seemed to have little interest in the formal development of a salvage ship and instead moved its focus to the Caterpillar command ship concept.\n\nIn 2932, an Aegis Dynamics Reclaimer, the General Dogsbody, made history with the single most profitable salvage mission in human history when it discovered and recovered a failed 22nd-century colony ship adrift in deep space. The ship\u2019s crew became millionaires and minor celebrities overnight and the event prompted much greater interest in the previously uncelebrated task of space salvage. As interest in salvage boomed and crews began pooling money to purchase their own Reclaimer platforms, Drake executives realized they already had a more appealing option in their back pocket.\n\nA team of aerospace engineers led by Drake\u2019s in-house designer Sod Perkins began work on developing the VLT-3 concept into a standalone salvage spacecraft. While the new design would be built from the ground up and wouldn\u2019t need the heavy shielding of the original, the overall layout and functionality would remain surprisingly similar to the prototype. The early manipulator arms were replaced with what Drake would ultimately call Rippers \u2013 stand-alone salvage booms supported by a Lariot tractor beam and Tomium scraper rig. These booms would allow the craft (soon named the Vulture) to identify, move, and cut space salvage and then store it in the ship\u2019s rear bay. Like VLT-3, the production Vulture was oriented around shipboard controls rather than EVA support. The crew capacity was reduced from two to one, reinforcing the idea that a single pilot could operate a Vulture and potentially make their fortune the same way the Dogsbody\u2019s crew had. A small rear living section would allow the solo operator to endure long voyages as salvage sites were rarely close to well-traveled spacelanes. Finally, the Vulture would feature maneuvering thrusters and an oversized shield generator to enable it to make careful movements not possible with larger ships like the Reclaimer.\n\nDrake premiered the Vulture in 2938 with marketing that called back to the success of VLT-3, including stylizing the spacecraft\u2019s name as VuLTur3 in some advertising. Public interest in salvage and personal fortune-seeking continued and orders quickly outpaced the production capacity at Borea. Within eight months, Drake was forced to open two remote factories to meet demand. While the company was roundly accused of over-promising inexperienced captains the chance to turn incredible profits by competing manufacturers, Vultures immediately found success with the discovery and parting of several high-profile hulls. These included a Genesis Starliner long thought destroyed and two Hull-As that had collided and spun away from their planned routes in an unexpected manner. These stories were major news and prompted continued interest in the Vulture.\n\nIn 2941, Drake launched the first updated model of the Vulture. While the first civilian release had been completely unarmed, the 2941 model added a pair of size one weapons mounts, which appealed to pilots who would be flying the ships in unsafe and unexplored areas of the galaxy. In 2943, the United Empire of Earth Navy requisitioned 300 Vultures for battlefield support operations. The military versions weren\u2019t hardened and didn\u2019t feature additional weapons as they were never intended for use in combat. Delivery of these ships began the following year where they immediately saw service with the fleet support arm, clearing destroyed spacecraft in the wake of ever-increasing battles with the Vanduul. Drake has continued to develop the government version of the Vulture, as the expectation is large-scale naval battles will only increase in frequency and furor in the years to come. The most recent civilian update was made for the 2949 model year, with the launch of the now-standard extended cab, which ups internal cargo capacity from 8 to 12 SCU. Drake currently offers a low-cost dealer upgrade for earlier Vultures to convert them to roughly the same capacity \u2013 a similar process has been made available for adding weapons mounts to the initial 2938 version.","de_DE":"Dieser Artikel erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 7.8.\nDrake Interplanetarer Geier\nDIE JAGD\nDie meisten Raumschiffe haben einen gemeinsamen Ausgangspunkt - sie werden nach milit\u00e4rischen Vorgaben entwickelt oder sie werden entworfen, um einen Marktbedarf f\u00fcr Zivilisten oder Konzerne zu decken. Der Drake Interplanetary Vulture hat eine andere Geschichte - seine Entwicklung geht auf eine \u00fcberst\u00fcrzte Schatzsuche zur\u00fcck. Am 9. August 2895 kam es auf dem unter der Flagge von Terra fahrenden Frachter Empire Slipper zu einer unwahrscheinlichen Kaskade von Systemfehlern, die dazu f\u00fchrten, dass die Br\u00fcckenterminals einen v\u00f6llig falschen Satz von Navigations-Overlays empfingen. Der Fehler f\u00fchrte dazu, dass der Navigationsoffizier der Slipper einen Kurs in einen dichten Asteroideng\u00fcrtel in unmittelbarer N\u00e4he der Gefahrenzone der Korona eines Roten Riesen setzte. Ein Tr\u00fcmmerst\u00fcck setzte daraufhin die Schildgeneratoren des alternden Frachters au\u00dfer Betrieb und versetzte die Besatzung ungl\u00fccklicherweise in eine t\u00f6dliche Strahlendosis. Empire Slipper wurde treibend zur\u00fcckgelassen, sein genauer Standort war unbekannt. Da bekannt war, dass der Frachter eine gro\u00dfe Menge an Edelmetallen und seltenen Kunstwerken an Bord hatte, war das Medieninteresse gro\u00df und es wurde eine umfangreiche Such- und Bergungsaktion durchgef\u00fchrt. Nach achtmonatiger Suche entdeckte ein Mahnwachschiff der UEEN das Wrack der Slipper im verstrahlten Tr\u00fcmmerg\u00fcrtel und beendete damit die Verschw\u00f6rungstheorien, dass der Frachter gekapert worden war. Es wurde jedoch schnell klar, dass die Region f\u00fcr ein spezielles Bergungsschiff, das ausreichend gesch\u00fctzt war, um die Operation zu \u00fcberleben, praktisch unzug\u00e4nglich war. MISC, der Erbauer des Frachters, setzte ein Kopfgeld von zehn Millionen Credits auf denjenigen aus, der den Blackbox-Datenrekorder bergen kann, um zu erkl\u00e4ren, was passiert war.\n\nUnerwartet kam der aufstrebende Raumschiffhersteller Drake Interplanetary zur Rettung. Auf der Suche nach dem Kopfgeld und den Rechten an der Ladung der Slipper kam ein Eliteteam auf Borea zusammen, um ein behelfsm\u00e4\u00dfiges Raumschiff zu bauen, das dieses merkw\u00fcrdige Problem l\u00f6sen konnte. Die Grundlage f\u00fcr diese einmalige Konstruktion war ein bestehender AS-1 Cutlass-Prototyp, Vertical Landing Test 3 (VLT-3). Ohne die gesamte Testausr\u00fcstung wurde VLT-3 schnell zu einer spezialisierten Plattform, die das Empire Slipper erreichen und dessen Ladung bergen sollte. Schwere Schildgeneratoren ersetzten einen Gro\u00dfteil der Standard-Ladekapazit\u00e4t des Prototyps und ein Paar vielseitiger ferngesteuerter Manipulatorarme wurde an den Bug des Schiffes geschraubt. Das Ergebnis war etwas, das mit keinem anderen Raumschiff vergleichbar ist, das derzeit in der Luft ist: ein \u00fcberm\u00e4\u00dfig abgeschirmtes, untermotorisiertes Raumschiff, das klein genug ist, um das Tr\u00fcmmerfeld zu durchqueren und gleichzeitig seine zweik\u00f6pfige Besatzung in Sicherheit zu bringen. Au\u00dferdem konnte VLT-3 die notwendigen Bergungsarbeiten mit seinen Au\u00dfenarmen durchf\u00fchren, ohne dass EVA erforderlich war, was aufgrund der hohen Strahlung unm\u00f6glich war.\n\nVierzehn Monate nach dem Verschwinden der Empire Slipper begann die Testcrew von Drake mit den Bergungsarbeiten von einer eilig errichteten modularen Raumstation aus, die direkt au\u00dferhalb der Gefahrenzone lag. Im Laufe von sechsunddrei\u00dfig gefahrvollen Expeditionen drang VLT-3 immer wieder in das Tr\u00fcmmerfeld ein und entfernte vorsichtig die Flugschreiber des Slippers und dann einen nach dem anderen die wertvollen Frachtcontainer. Drake beanspruchte und erhielt die Bergungsrechte f\u00fcr die wertvolle Fracht und lieferte die geborgenen Flugschreiber umgehend an MISC. Die versprochenen zehn Millionen Credits kamen jedoch nicht zustande, da die Drake-F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4fte schlie\u00dflich wegen des Kopfgeldes verklagt wurden, als herauskam, dass sie die Flugdaten an Bord eines Runner-Schiffes heimlich ge\u00f6ffnet und kopiert hatten, bevor sie sie weitergaben.\n\nPRODUKTIONSMODELLE\nDer Erfolg der VLT-3-Mission kam nicht nur dem Unternehmen Drake zugute. Die Faszination der \u00d6ffentlichkeit f\u00fcr den verschollenen Frachter verschaffte der Bergungsmission des Unternehmens gro\u00dfe Aufmerksamkeit und wurde als positive Erholung f\u00fcr das Unternehmen gesehen, das mit dem Vorwurf k\u00e4mpfte, von der Piraterie zu profitieren. Eine Zeit lang galt Drake als eine positive, wenn auch raue Kraft, gerade als der Markt f\u00fcr kleine Raumschiffe zu wachsen begann. Um mit diesem Erfolg zu spielen, schickte das Unternehmen VLT-3, dessen Lack abgeplatzt und dessen Rumpf von Mikrometeoriteneinschl\u00e4gen \u00fcbers\u00e4t war, auf eine PR-Tour durch neun Systeme, um es auf Raumfahrtmessen und in Museen auszustellen.\n\nDie Begeisterung \u00fcber das Kunstst\u00fcck verflog und Drake fand sich bald in einer Kontroverse wieder. VLT-3 wurde wieder eingelagert, als das Unternehmen nach der koordinierten Zerst\u00f6rung einer MISC Hull-D durch vier unmarkierte Cutlasses erneut der Unterst\u00fctzung von Piraterie beschuldigt wurde. Das Unternehmen schien wenig Interesse an der formalen Entwicklung eines Bergungsschiffs zu haben und konzentrierte sich stattdessen auf das Konzept des Caterpillar-Kommandoschiffs.\n\nIm Jahr 2932 ging ein Aegis Dynamics-Reclaimer, die General Dogsbody, mit der profitabelsten Bergungsmission in der Geschichte der Menschheit in die Geschichte ein, als er ein gescheitertes Kolonieschiff aus dem 22. Jahrhundert, das in den Tiefen des Weltraums trieb, entdeckte und rettete. Die Besatzung des Schiffes wurde \u00fcber Nacht zu Million\u00e4ren und kleinen Ber\u00fchmtheiten, und das Ereignis weckte ein viel gr\u00f6\u00dferes Interesse an der bis dahin wenig beachteten Aufgabe der Weltraumbergung. Als das Interesse an der Bergung boomte und die Besatzungen begannen, Geld zusammenzulegen, um ihre eigenen Reclaimer-Plattformen zu kaufen, erkannten die Verantwortlichen von Drake, dass sie bereits eine attraktivere Option in der Tasche hatten.\n\nEin Team von Raumfahrtingenieuren unter der Leitung des Drake-Ingenieurs Sod Perkins begann mit der Entwicklung des VLT-3-Konzepts zu einem eigenst\u00e4ndigen Bergungsraumschiff. Obwohl das neue Design von Grund auf neu konstruiert werden sollte und nicht die schwere Abschirmung des Originals ben\u00f6tigte, blieben der Gesamtaufbau und die Funktionalit\u00e4t dem Prototyp erstaunlich \u00e4hnlich. Die fr\u00fchen Manipulatorarme wurden durch das ersetzt, was Drake sp\u00e4ter Ripper nennen w\u00fcrde - eigenst\u00e4ndige Bergungsausleger, die von einem Lariot-Traktorstrahl und einer Tomium-Kratzvorrichtung unterst\u00fctzt werden. Mit diesen Auslegern konnte das Raumschiff (das bald den Namen Vulture erhielt) Weltraumschrott identifizieren, bewegen und zerschneiden, um ihn dann im hinteren Bereich des Schiffes zu lagern. Wie VLT-3 war auch der Serien-Vulture eher auf die Steuerung an Bord als auf EVA-Unterst\u00fctzung ausgerichtet. Die Zahl der Besatzungsmitglieder wurde von zwei auf eins reduziert, um die Idee zu untermauern, dass ein einzelner Pilot einen Vulture steuern und sein Gl\u00fcck genauso machen kann wie die Besatzung des Dogsbody. Eine kleine Wohnsektion im Heck w\u00fcrde es dem Alleinfahrer erm\u00f6glichen, lange Reisen zu \u00fcberstehen, da die Bergungsorte selten in der N\u00e4he von gut befahrenen Raumspuren liegen. Schlie\u00dflich verf\u00fcgt der Vulture \u00fcber Man\u00f6vriertriebwerke und einen \u00fcbergro\u00dfen Schildgenerator, um vorsichtige Bewegungen zu erm\u00f6glichen, die mit gr\u00f6\u00dferen Schiffen wie dem Reclaimer nicht m\u00f6glich sind.\n\nDrake stellte den Vulture im Jahr 2938 mit einer Werbung vor, die an den Erfolg von VLT-3 ankn\u00fcpfte und den Namen des Raumschiffs in einigen Anzeigen als VuLTur3 bezeichnete. Das \u00f6ffentliche Interesse an der Bergung und der pers\u00f6nlichen Gl\u00fcckssuche hielt an und die Bestellungen \u00fcberstiegen schnell die Produktionskapazit\u00e4ten auf Borea. Innerhalb von acht Monaten war Drake gezwungen, zwei weitere Fabriken zu er\u00f6ffnen, um die Nachfrage zu decken. W\u00e4hrend das Unternehmen von konkurrierenden Herstellern beschuldigt wurde, unerfahrenen Kapit\u00e4nen zu viel zu versprechen, um unglaubliche Gewinne zu erzielen, hatte Vultures sofort Erfolg mit der Entdeckung und dem Verkauf mehrerer hochkar\u00e4tiger Schiffsr\u00fcmpfe. Dazu geh\u00f6rten ein Genesis Starliner, der schon lange als zerst\u00f6rt galt, und zwei Hull-As, die zusammengesto\u00dfen waren und auf unerwartete Weise von ihrer geplanten Route abkamen. Diese Geschichten sorgten f\u00fcr Schlagzeilen und weckten das Interesse am Geier.\n\nIm Jahr 2941 brachte Drake das erste aktualisierte Modell des Vulture auf den Markt. W\u00e4hrend die erste zivile Version noch v\u00f6llig unbewaffnet war, verf\u00fcgte das Modell von 2941 \u00fcber ein Paar Waffenhalterungen der Gr\u00f6\u00dfe 1, was f\u00fcr Piloten interessant war, die die Schiffe in unsicheren und unerforschten Gebieten der Galaxie fliegen w\u00fcrden. Im Jahr 2943 beschaffte die Marine des Vereinigten Imperiums der Erde 300 Vultures f\u00fcr Unterst\u00fctzungseins\u00e4tze auf dem Schlachtfeld. Die Milit\u00e4rversionen waren nicht geh\u00e4rtet und verf\u00fcgten \u00fcber keine zus\u00e4tzlichen Waffen, da sie nie f\u00fcr den Einsatz im Kampf vorgesehen waren. Die Auslieferung dieser Schiffe begann im darauffolgenden Jahr, wo sie sofort in der Flottenunterst\u00fctzung eingesetzt wurden, um zerst\u00f6rte Raumschiffe im Zuge der zunehmenden K\u00e4mpfe mit den Vanduul zu s\u00e4ubern. Drake hat die Regierungsversion des Vulture weiterentwickelt, da man davon ausgeht, dass gro\u00df angelegte Seeschlachten in den kommenden Jahren immer h\u00e4ufiger und w\u00fctender werden. Das j\u00fcngste zivile Update erfolgte f\u00fcr das Modelljahr 2949 mit der Einf\u00fchrung der inzwischen standardm\u00e4\u00dfigen erweiterten Kabine, die die interne Ladekapazit\u00e4t von 8 auf 12 SCU erh\u00f6ht. Drake bietet derzeit ein kosteng\u00fcnstiges H\u00e4ndler-Upgrade f\u00fcr fr\u00fchere Vultures an, um sie auf ungef\u00e4hr die gleiche Kapazit\u00e4t umzur\u00fcsten - ein \u00e4hnliches Verfahren wurde f\u00fcr das Hinzuf\u00fcgen von Waffenhalterungen f\u00fcr die urspr\u00fcngliche Version 2938 zur Verf\u00fcgung gestellt.","zh_CN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 7.8.\nDrake Interplanetary Vulture\nTHE HUNT\nMost spacecraft have a common point of origin \u2013 they\u2019re developed to military specification or they\u2019re designed to fill a market need for civilians or corporate groups. The Drake Interplanetary Vulture has a different story \u2013 its development originates from a rush to complete a treasure hunt. On the 9th of August 2895, the Terra-flagged freighter Empire Slipper suffered what was later determined to be an unlikely cascade of system failures which resulted in the bridge terminals receiving a completely incorrect set of navigation overlays. The error caused Slipper\u2019s navigation officer to chart a course into a dense asteroid belt within close proximity to the danger zone of a red giant\u2019s corona. A debris strike subsequently disabled the aging freighter\u2019s shield generators and unfortunately delivered a dose of fatal radiation to the crew. Empire Slipper was left adrift, its specific location unknown. As the freighter was known to be carrying a wealth of precious metals and a consignment of rare artwork, intense media interest and a massive search and recovery operation followed. After eight months of searches, a UEEN picket ship identified the wreckage of the Slipper adrift in the irradiated debris belt, putting an end to conspiracy theories that the freighter had been hijacked. However, it quickly became clear that the region was practically inaccessible to any dedicated salvage ship with enough protection to survive the operation. MISC, the transport\u2019s builder, offered a ten million credit bounty to anyone capable of recovering the black box data recorder in an effort to explain what had happened.\n\nUnexpectedly, upstart spacecraft manufacturer Drake Interplanetary came to the rescue. Seeking both the bounty and the salvage rights to the Slipper\u2019s cargo, an elite team convened on Borea to create a makeshift spacecraft capable of solving this peculiar problem. The basis for this oneoff construction was an existing AS-1 Cutlass prototype, Vertical Landing Test 3 (VLT-3). With all testing equipment removed, VLT-3 quickly became a specialized platform intended to reach the Empire Slipper and recover its cargo. Heavy shield generators replaced much of the prototype ship\u2019s standard cargo capacity and a pair of versatile remote manipulator arms were bolted to the prow. The result was something unlike any other spacecraft currently flying: an over-shielded, underpowered amalgamation that was small enough to navigate the debris field while keeping its crew of two safe. What\u2019s more, VLT-3 could engage in the necessary salvage operations using its external arms without requiring EVA, which was made impossible by the amount of radiation involved.\n\nFourteen months after the Empire Slipper disappeared, Drake\u2019s test crew began salvage operations from a hastily established modular space station positioned just outside the danger zone. Over the course of thirty-six perilous expeditions, VLT-3 repeatedly entered the debris field and carefully removed the Slipper\u2019s flight recorders and then, one by one, the valuable cargo containers. Drake claimed and received salvage rights for the valuable cargo and promptly delivered the recovered flight recorders to MISC. However, the promised ten million credits did not materialize as Drake executives were ultimately taken to court over the bounty when it was discovered that they had covertly opened and copied the flight data aboard a runner ship before passing it along.\n\nPRODUCTION MODELS\nThe success of VLT-3\u2019s mission wasn\u2019t only beneficial to Drake\u2019s bottom line. Public fascination with the lost freighter gave the company\u2019s recovery mission significant airplay and was seen as a positive reprieve for the corporation, which was battling accusations of profiting from piracy. For a time, Drake was seen as a positive if rough force just as the small personal spacecraft market was beginning to heat up. To play off this success, the company sent VLT-3, its paint seared off and hull covered with micrometeoroid impacts, on a nine system PR tour to be displayed at aerospace shows and museum exhibits.\n\nExcitement over the feat faded and Drake soon found itself again mired in controversy. VLT-3 was put back into storage just as the corporation was again accused of supporting piracy following the coordinated destruction of a MISC Hull-D by four unmarked Cutlasses. The company seemed to have little interest in the formal development of a salvage ship and instead moved its focus to the Caterpillar command ship concept.\n\nIn 2932, an Aegis Dynamics Reclaimer, the General Dogsbody, made history with the single most profitable salvage mission in human history when it discovered and recovered a failed 22nd-century colony ship adrift in deep space. The ship\u2019s crew became millionaires and minor celebrities overnight and the event prompted much greater interest in the previously uncelebrated task of space salvage. As interest in salvage boomed and crews began pooling money to purchase their own Reclaimer platforms, Drake executives realized they already had a more appealing option in their back pocket.\n\nA team of aerospace engineers led by Drake\u2019s in-house designer Sod Perkins began work on developing the VLT-3 concept into a standalone salvage spacecraft. While the new design would be built from the ground up and wouldn\u2019t need the heavy shielding of the original, the overall layout and functionality would remain surprisingly similar to the prototype. The early manipulator arms were replaced with what Drake would ultimately call Rippers \u2013 stand-alone salvage booms supported by a Lariot tractor beam and Tomium scraper rig. These booms would allow the craft (soon named the Vulture) to identify, move, and cut space salvage and then store it in the ship\u2019s rear bay. Like VLT-3, the production Vulture was oriented around shipboard controls rather than EVA support. The crew capacity was reduced from two to one, reinforcing the idea that a single pilot could operate a Vulture and potentially make their fortune the same way the Dogsbody\u2019s crew had. A small rear living section would allow the solo operator to endure long voyages as salvage sites were rarely close to well-traveled spacelanes. Finally, the Vulture would feature maneuvering thrusters and an oversized shield generator to enable it to make careful movements not possible with larger ships like the Reclaimer.\n\nDrake premiered the Vulture in 2938 with marketing that called back to the success of VLT-3, including stylizing the spacecraft\u2019s name as VuLTur3 in some advertising. Public interest in salvage and personal fortune-seeking continued and orders quickly outpaced the production capacity at Borea. Within eight months, Drake was forced to open two remote factories to meet demand. While the company was roundly accused of over-promising inexperienced captains the chance to turn incredible profits by competing manufacturers, Vultures immediately found success with the discovery and parting of several high-profile hulls. These included a Genesis Starliner long thought destroyed and two Hull-As that had collided and spun away from their planned routes in an unexpected manner. These stories were major news and prompted continued interest in the Vulture.\n\nIn 2941, Drake launched the first updated model of the Vulture. While the first civilian release had been completely unarmed, the 2941 model added a pair of size one weapons mounts, which appealed to pilots who would be flying the ships in unsafe and unexplored areas of the galaxy. In 2943, the United Empire of Earth Navy requisitioned 300 Vultures for battlefield support operations. The military versions weren\u2019t hardened and didn\u2019t feature additional weapons as they were never intended for use in combat. Delivery of these ships began the following year where they immediately saw service with the fleet support arm, clearing destroyed spacecraft in the wake of ever-increasing battles with the Vanduul. Drake has continued to develop the government version of the Vulture, as the expectation is large-scale naval battles will only increase in frequency and furor in the years to come. The most recent civilian update was made for the 2949 model year, with the launch of the now-standard extended cab, which ups internal cargo capacity from 8 to 12 SCU. Drake currently offers a low-cost dealer upgrade for earlier Vultures to convert them to roughly the same capacity \u2013 a similar process has been made available for adding weapons mounts to the initial 2938 version."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":21,"created_at":"2024-04-09T21:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"2 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-13 19:43:10","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":19898,"next_id":19900}}