The '''Vulture Gunship''' is an attack gunship based upon the [[Valkyrie]] troop carrier, with similar hover and VTOL ('''V'''ertical '''T'''akeoff ake-'''Oo'''r ff and '''L'''anding) capabilities.

[[File:Vulture Gunship Zaebes City.jpg|Vulture Gunship during the [[Battle of Balhaut]].{{Fn|5}}|right|thumb]]Like the Valkyrie, the Vulture is operated by the [[Imperial Navy]] and attached to [[Imperial Guard]] units, particularly [[Drop Regiment]]s lacking heavy armour and artillery support.{{Fn|1}} The Vulture is operated by a crew of two, a pilot to fly the craft and a weapons operator to aim and fire its armament.{{Fn|1}} A single Vulture will typically fly in support of a flight of Valkyries whose variable weapon configurations allow a variety of missions to be fulfilled: anti-tank, infantry suppression or bombing enemy strong pointsstrongpoints.{{Fn|1}} They often remain after the Valkyries' passengers have disembarked and the transports have retreated acting in a direct air support role, aiding the drop troops in tougher fire fightsfirefights. Although they can mount extra fuel tanks to accompany Valkyries on long-range operations, this does reduce their weapons payload.{{Fn|11a}} Vultures also operate as protection for air-to-surface landing operations and find usage in deep-range attacks, ground strafing runs against massed infantry and urban combat, supplanting the less-flexible armed [[Vendetta]] in these roles. Vultures are build in large numbers on the [[forge world]] of [[Voss (Forge World)|Voss]] and other strategic location.{{Fn|4}}

The standard armament on the Vulture is its nose-mounted [[Heavy Bolter]], with four wing hardpoints, along with [[Extra Armour]] and a [[Searchlight]]. The two inner wing hardpoints, besides extra fuel tanks, typically mount [[twin-linked]] [[Multi-laser]]s, although these can be replaced with [[Lascannon]]s, [[Missile Launcher]]s, [[Autocannon]]s, or [[Rocket pods]]. The two outer wing hardpoints, besides extra fuel tanks, typically mount two [[Hellstrike Missile]]s, but can also be replaced with two [[Hellfury Missile]]s,{{Fn|2}} two Rocket Pods, two bomb racks for a total of six [[Heavy Bomb]]s or Heavy [[Smart Bomb]]s, or two missile racks for a total of six [[Hunter-killer Missile]]s.{{Fn|11b}} For extreme firepower, the Vulture can replace all of its wing-mounted munitions for a twin-linked [[Punisher Gatling Cannon]], while all gunships can be modified with [[Imperial Aircraft Upgrades|additional upgrades]].{{Fn|2}} The Vulture also incorporates [[Suspensor|suspensor vanes]] to help keep it afloat.{{Fn|4}}

|Type=Attack Gunship{{Fn|1c}}|Vehicle Name=Vulture{{Fn|1c}}|Forge World of Origin=[[Mars]], [[Voss]], [[Artemia]], [[Estaban VII]], [[Agripinaa]], [[Phaeton]], [[Lucius (Forgeworld)|Lucius]]{{Fn|1c}}|Known Patterns=I-X{{Fn|1c}}|Crew=Pilot, weapons operatorWeapons Operator{{Fn|1c}}|Powerplant=1x F200-KW4 Afterburning Vector-Turbojet{{Fn|1c}}|Weight=9 tonnes empty{{Fn|1c}}|Length=19.2m{{Fn|1c}}|Wingspan=14.2m{{Fn|1c}}|Height=4.9m{{Fn|1c}}|Operational Ceiling=11,000m{{Fn|1c}}|Max Speed=1100kph{{Fn|1c}} at 5,000 feet{{Fn|3}}|Range=2,000km 000 km in atmosphere{{Fn|1c}}|Main Armament=Nose mounted [[Heavy bolter]]{{Fn|1c}}|Secondary Armament=4x under wing hardpoints for various weapon systems{{Fn|1c}}|Main Ammunition=200 rounds{{Fn|1c}}|Secondary Ammunition=Varies by weapon type{{Fn|1c}}|Superstructure Armour=75mm{{Fn|1c}}|Hull Armour=75mm{{Fn|1c}}

*{{Endn|1}}: [[Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy]], :**{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 249**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 254**{{Endn|1c}}: pg. 250**{{Endn|1d}}: pgs. 252–253

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