Vulture

"Vulture Hover Bikes...they were fast, light and highly maneuverable and gave their riders about as much protection as a paper hat."

^(src)

Vulture
Unit
Race	Terran
Role	Light Recon Vehicle
Armament	AGP-2 "Thumper" grenade launcher
Properties
Size	Medium
Sight	8
Production
Minerals	75
Supply	2
Build time	30
Produced from	Factory
Hotkey	V
Protection
Hit points	80
Armor	0
Combat
Ground attack	20
Cooldown	30
Attack range	5

The vulture-class hover bike (aka vulture hover cycle) is a terran hoverbike used mainly for scouting.

Overview

The vulture (post-Brood War design)

A vulture on sale

In use by 2478, the vulture is a lightly-armored one-man hoverbike primarily used for scouting and patrol, designed with speed and reliability in mind. Its limited gravity hover technology allows the bike to travel over rough terrain with little loss of traction or speed, and reach speeds up to 230 miles per hour. Three men could overload a bike. An onboard computer and sensors mounted in the "nose" of the craft keeps it at a steady pace for most of the time. These features make the vulture suitable for patrolling the vast wildernesses typically found around terran colonies. They produce a humming whine as they move.

Vultures are ill suited for heavy combat, given their light frame. However, they make excellent skirmishers, especially against lightly armored targets. Vultures are also tasked with scavenging ("scavenger hover bike" is a term occasionally used). In some occasions, vultures may be formed into small squadrons, usually attached to mechanized infantry. Given the speed at which the bikes move however, it is difficult to maintain cohesion. The vulture's driver seat can be enclosed depending on model, customization, or operating environment and can be configured for someone to ride shotgun.

In the Confederate Armored Vehicle Corps, aspiring vulture pilots had to pass a minimal physical fitness exam before becoming a pilot. Originally, the standard Vulture armament was an anti-personnel APG-2 "Thumper" Grenade Launcher. Since the Brood War however, may instead be equipped with a mounted laser cannon. Other optional equipment includes spider mines and ion thrusters.

The vulture remained in use by the Terran Dominion into 2505, where it was subsequently removed from its armed forces. Up to this point, Dominion Ghost Program trainees began training in the use of vultures in their second year. However, vultures can still be found in use by the mercenary group Raynor's Raiders.

Technology similar to that found in the vulture is available in civilian hoverbikes, such as the 428 hoverbike.

Game Unit

StarCraft

StarCraft I sprite

StarCraft I profile

Vultures are ideal for scouting and dealing with small-sized ground units such as zerglings, zealots and marines. Given that vultures are not very durable, they are most effective when using hit-and-run attacks to harass the enemy and are not recommended for large scale attacks. Vultures are also effective hunters against units such as high templar, defilers and other ground-based spellcaster units and can get rid an expansion base's workers in little time.

In terran vs protoss matches, vultures are vital with their mines which can severely injure high-hit point protoss units and for delaying an attack. Spider mines also fill a harassment role very well against both zerg and protoss.

Abilities

Spider Mine

Gives each vulture three spider mines. Vultures cannot replenish their supply of mines once expended. New mines may only be created with new vultures.

Mines burrow where deployed and are not player-controllable. Each mine causes 125 damage and has 20 hit points. Mines do not benefit from any upgrades. Air and hovering ground units do not activate mines. Mines can sense and attack nearby cloaked ground units such as ghosts or dark templar even without the aid of a detector. They will not, however, reveal cloaked enemy units. It is possible for ranged units to pick out the mines before being hit.

Usage
Hotkey I Range 3

Acquisition
Purchased from Machine shop Hotkey M Cost 100 100 80

v • e

Upgrades

Vehicle Weapons +1 bonus to goliath ground attack per level +4 to goliath air attack per level (+2 per missile) +2 to vulture attack per level +3 to siege tank tank mode attack per level +5 for siege tank siege mode attack per level Acquisition Purchased from Armory Hotkey W Level 1Level 1 Cost 100 100 267 Level 2 Cost 175 175 300 Required Science facility Level 3 Cost 250 250 333 Required Science facility

Vehicle Plating +1 bonus to armor for goliaths, siege tanks, and vultures. Acquisition Purchased from Armory Hotkey P Level 1 Cost 100 100 267 Level 2 Cost 175 175 300 Required Science facility Level 3 Cost 250 250 333 Required Science facility

Ion Thrusters Increase vulture movement speed. Acquisition Purchased from Machine shop Hotkey I Cost 100 100 80

Quotations

See: Vulture Quotations

StarCraft: Ghost

Nova riding a vulture

	This article or section contains information about StarCraft: Ghost, which has been declared non-canon. Elements may be taken as 'flavor lore' however. The content may be significantly out of date. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.

The vulture unit in StarCraft: Ghost is still a lightly-armored fast-moving vehicle. It is armed with either an AGP-2 "Thumper" Grenade Launcher or a laser cannon. Capable of being used by ghosts and light infantry, it is nonetheless vulnerable to enemy attacks, including having the vehicle stolen from underneath the driver.

StarCraft II

File:Vulture SC2 DevGame1.jpg

The Vulture in StarCraft II

The vulture, while not available in multiplayer, is available in the terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, able to be built by Raynor's Raiders.

Known Vulture Pilots

• Captain Plunder
• Marshal/Captain Jim Raynor
• "Sergeant"
• Aios Karnage (mercenary leader)
• Corporal Smith-punn
• Private Bowers
• Private Fu
• Private William Peaches
• Private Amy Windom
• Hogan
• Aios Karnage (mercenary leader)

References

Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft/Brood War v • e

Infantry SCV Marine Firebat Medic (BW) Ghost Ground vehicles Vulture Goliath Siege tank Air units Wraith Dropship Valkyrie (BW) Science vessel Battlecruiser Basic buildings Command center ComSat station Nuclear silo Supply depot Engineering bay Barracks Refinery Missile turret Academy Bunker Advanced buildings Factory Machine shop Armory Starport Control tower Science facility Physics lab Covert ops Other Nuclear missile Spider mine Scrapped units Cargo ship Merc biker Mercenary gunship Raider Spysat Scrapped buildings Cantina Dry docks Power station Repair bay Star base

Terran Units and Weapons of StarCraft: Ghost v • e

Units and Buildings Infantry PC Light infantry Marine Firebat Ghost Other Engineer/Scientist SCV Land Vehicles PC Stinger Vulture Siege tank Other Goliath Air Units PC Grizzly Other Assault dropship Battlecruiser Mini science vessel Science vessel Security camera Seeker droid Valkyrie Experimental Spectre Buildings Bunker Missile turret Mobile factory Weapons and Equipment Guns AGR-14 rifle BOSUN FN92 rifle C-14 rifle Flak pistol Gauss rifle Submachine gun Torrent SR-8 shotgun Grenades BE3 grenade EMP grenade Flash grenade Hellfire grenade Irradiate grenade Lockdown grenades Mines Spider mines Firefly mines Mantis mines Other E-11 lockdown device Napalm rocket Perdition flamethrower Psyblade Tactical nuke launcher Constructable Automated chain gun Decloaking device Gun turret

Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e

Versus Units and Structures Infantry SCV Marine Reaper Marauder Ghost Terrestrial Vehicles MULE Hellion Hellbat (HotS) Siege tank Cyclone (LotV) Thor Widow mine (HotS) Aerospace Vessels Viking Medivac dropship Banshee Raven Battlecruiser Liberator (LotV) Spawned Units MULE Drop pod Nuclear missile Basic Buildings Command center Refinery Supply depot Barracks Engineering bay Automated Defenses Auto-turret Missile turret Point defense drone Repair drone Support Buildings Orbital command Planetary fortress Sensor tower Bunker Add-ons Tech lab Reactor Advanced Buildings Ghost academy Factory Armory Starport Fusion core Campaign and Co-op Missions Units and Structures Mercenaries Devil Dogs Hammer Securities Siege Breakers Spartan Company War Pigs Hel's Angels Dusk Wings Jackson's Revenge Dominion Elite Guard Sons of Korhal Prometheus Company Death Head Aegis Guard Field Response Theta Outback Hunter Bulwark Company Shock Division Blackhammer Sky Fury Squadron Night Wolves Winged Nightmare Pride of Augustgrad Valor of Vardona Infantry Firebat HERC Medic Rebel Spectre Trooper Terrestrial Vehicles Armored personnel carrier Diamondback Goliath Militarized transport Predator Sensor drone Vulture Warhound Aerospace Vessels Asteria wraith Assault galleon Hercules dropship Science vessel Harvester Special ops dropship Sonar drone Sovereign battlecruiser Strike fighter Tac fighter Theia raven Valkyrie Wraith Spawned units A.R.E.S. Bio-mechanical repair drone Advanced Buildings Dominion starport HERC compound Merc compound Shadow ops Add-ons Tech reactor Support Buildings Laser drill Hive mind emulator Psi disrupter Nuclear silo Strike fighter platform Automated defenses Devastation turret Gun turret Flame turret Perdition turret Sentry gun Shrike turret Spider mine Cerberus mine Canceled Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e Scrapped Removed Units Anti-air walker Block B Bulwark D-8 charges Guardian Gundam HERC Hercules tank Incinerator Laser drill tank Mine drone Missile launcher Nomad Pillager Predator Prison infantry guard Quantradyne APOD-33 dropship Red Adder Scout Shredder Super crane Targeting drone Valkyrie Zeus battle tank Zeus lander Removed Buildings Drop pod facility Listening post Munitions depot Radar tower Star base