Vulture-class starfighter

Characteristics

The vulture droid was equipped with four blaster cannons and a pair of energy torpedo launchers. Its atmospheric speed reached 1200 kilo-meters per hour on a planet's atmosphere. When not flying, the ship had the ability to transform into a bipedal weapons platform, suitable for ground patrols and providing support for troop movements. In this walking configuration, the droid starfighter could also attach itself to surfaces in zero gravity, allowing launches from the outer hull of a capital ship. The class included thrust dampers, and if disabled, forced starfighters to switch to the walker mode to operate. When docked in a hangar, the droids often performed self-maintenance by flexing their components. _Vulture_s were also programmed with a self-destruct mechanism that activated if their connection to the host control ship was lost. A Central Control Computer aboard Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ships managed the ships.

While a droid starfighter could execute maneuvers that would be lethal to an organic pilot, it lacked the adaptability and ingenuity of living pilots, even though its reaction times were superior. Vulture droids utilized a unique fuel system, using solid-fuel concentrate slugs that ignited to generate thrust. However, they could only operate for 35 minutes before needing refueling. The Trade Federation addressed this limitation by deploying vulture droids in timed, rotating waves. Although they could react faster to new situations than organic pilots, they struggled to respond to friendly fire, a weakness that Mace Windu exploited on Haruun Kal and during the Battle of Coruscant.

Vulture-class droids could communicate with other battle droids, a capability demonstrated during the Jedi's visit to the Saak'ak, the flagship of Nute Gunray.

Vulture droid starfighters were typically identified by a six-digit designation, comprising DFS- followed by a three-digit alphanumeric code, as exemplified by the fighters DFS-1VR and DFS-4CT.

Vulture-class fighters were deployed in overwhelming numbers and proved effective in both atmospheric and space combat. The vulture droid's armament consisted of four blaster cannons, with two mounted on each wing. In standard flight configuration, the wings were folded to conceal the blaster cannons. During combat, the wings unfolded, exposing the blaster cannons. Additionally, the droid carried two energy torpedo launchers to weaken enemy targets before the starfighter unleashed a barrage of blaster fire. In walker mode, the Vulture-class could only use its two torpedo launchers because the cannons were positioned on the legs and pointed downward. During the Clone Wars, vulture droids were modified to carry six blaster cannons and four buzz droid discord missiles instead of energy torpedoes, however it's more than likely that they could carry other types of missiles. The Hyena-class bomber, another type of automated droid starfighter utilized by the Separatist Alliance, was derived from the Vulture droid design. By the time of the Battle of Coruscant, the Vulture-class fighters had developed at least some capacity for speech, with several heard making pronouncements in Neimoidian before executing maneuvers.

Operational history

Pre–Clone Wars

Before their deployment during the Trade Federation Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, the droid starfighter underwent extensive testing.

Just months before Darth Sidious ordered the blockade of Naboo, he used his influence with the Trade Federation to commission Trinkatta Starships of Esseles in the Darpa sector to equip 50 Vulture-class droid starfighters with hyperdrives—a feature the Republic had prohibited for such small fighters. The Sith Lord intended to use these starfighters to seize control of Brentaal, enabling the Trade Federation to dominate two major galactic trade routes without interference: the Perlemian and the Hydian Way. This pre–Clone Wars scheme was thwarted when the Jedi High Council, unbeknownst to the Republic Senate (some of whose members may have been involved), dispatched a team led by Qui-Gon Jinn to investigate the party or parties behind the illegal order.

Droid starfighters were used in skirmishes against Degan pirates in the Elrood sector and were instrumental in defeating the forces of the pirate Nym on Lok. The Naboo encountered these drones for the first time when Echo Flight pilots, under the command of Essara Till, engaged them during an assault on Station TFP-9, shortly before the attack on Naboo.

The droid starfighter subsequently participated in the Invasion of Naboo, initially providing general air superiority. Later, during the Battle of Naboo, swarms of them engaged Naboo N-1 starfighters in the battle above the planet. The vultures were ultimately neutralized when Anakin Skywalker disabled the Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship. Later reports indicated that the droid starfighters performed poorly during the battle due to an overloaded Central Control Computer, which was also managing a large number of ground troops.

Following the battle, droid starfighters under the command of Raith Sienar participated in the Trade Federation Defense Fleet alongside Republic forces during the attack on the living world Zonama Sekot. They were also part of the Trade Federation force sent to destroy Outbound Flight, but Commander Thrawn of the Chiss exploited their reliance on the droid-control signal by jamming its entire spectrum, rendering the entire force ineffective. Jorj Car'das, a captured trader, later reflected on the incident and mentioned the reports he had read about the starfighters' performance during the Battle of Naboo. They also saw action during the Trade Federation's occupation of the Karthakk system.

Clone Wars

During the Clone Wars, many Vulture-class droids were painted with the blue and white hexagonal insignia of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, although many were seen in the early and middle stages of the war with Trade Federation brown coloring, and were upgraded with buzz droid missile launchers, which they opened their wings to launch. Other manufacturers, chiefly Baktoid Armor Workshop, began production of the Vulture which had originally been built solely by its Xi Char developers.

The Confederacy deployed Vulture droids against the Republic in numerous battles and conflicts, including the First Battle of Geonosis and the Battle of Coruscant, although the Confederacy also made substantial use of other fighters, such as the Nantex-class territorial defense starfighter. However, they were not a significant threat to Jedi aces like Anakin Skywalker, as demonstrated during the Battle of Terra Sool.

In addition to being launched from capital ships, vulture droids were also deployed from satellite pods to defend areas from potentially hostile approaching vessels.

At some point during the conflict, the Separatists entered into a trade agreement with the House of Vane from the planet Valahari. The inhabitants of this world were famous for being excellent starship engineers. After the formation of this pact, which was formed between Count Dooku and his old friend Harko Vane, who believed in neutrality but that the exchange of Valahari technology would benefit his world's economy. Thus, despite aiding the Separatists, the Valahari claimed to be neutral in the Clone Wars. This alliance led to Valahari fighter components being added to advanced Vulture droid models, increasing their speed and destructive power. These improved droid fighters were dispatched against the Republic, where they destroyed a battle group led by Jedi Master Toluz Cheq in the Rial Kroon system. Before he was killed, he managed to upload a transmission and a scan of the droid fighters to Coruscant, thus informing them of this new threat. This led the Jedi Council to dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to Valahari to negotiate an end to the Confederacy-Valahari alliance.

When Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Iego looking for the antidote to the deadly Blue Shadow Virus, a young Human boy named Jaybo Hood had a reprogrammed army of droids left over from the Separatists, which included several vulture droids.

During the Battle of Coruscant, Mace Windu rode a vulture by tugging on its cranial wires. General Grievous frequently used them for suicide attacks designed to sow chaos, by making them perform kamikaze attacks on civilian targets. An advanced model was deployed prior to and during the Clone Wars. Late in the war, _Vulture_s were augmented by droid tri-fighters, which were sturdier but less common.

Galactic Civil War

Despite the deactivation of the droid armies, Vulture-class units were apparently being used by some parties by 18 BBY. In addition, several Vulture-class starfighters were modified by Separatist holdouts during the Reconquest of the Rim to accompany organic pilots, of which the 77th Air Wing encountered on Kelrodo-Ai in 17 BBY in the Western Reaches Operation.

Between 1 BBY and 0 BBY, several vulture droids were deployed to Naboo from Lucrehulk-class battleships belonging to an unknown party, resulting in a battle over Naboo's atmosphere by a Rebel Alliance cell on Naboo.

A few years after the Clone Wars, Gizor Dellso utilized Vulture-class starfighters to defend his facility on Mustafar. However, the Galactic Empire uncovered his plan, and the stormtroopers of the 501st Legion stormed the planet, destroying the orbiting defense ships and decimating the facility. Even after this, _Vulture_s would continue to be used by various parties, such as smugglers. Additionally, some groups of independent sentient Vulture droids were spotted in remote parts of some star systems, including the Detritus Satellites or the Scintilla Scavengers.

Behind the scenes

The Vulture droid's first appearance was in the novelization of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In the early plans for The Phantom Menace, the Trade Federation was intended to use more conventional starfighters that were merely piloted by B1-Series battle droids, like those in the Battlefront games. An early concept sketch depicted a fighter whose cockpit strongly resembled those of the TIE Series. It was later decided that the fighters should themselves be droids.

In the Clone Wars cartoon, _Vulture_s are depicted with brown coloring during the attack on Coruscant, despite being depicted as blue in the film. This can be considered an artistic inconsistency in the cartoon, though the cartoon itself was released before the movie. In the games Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Battlefront II, Vulture droids (as well as other droid starships, such as the Droid Tri-fighter) are depicted as requiring a pilot. This can be attributed to game mechanics. During the movie The Clone Wars, Vulture droids fire their blaster cannons from their energy-torpedo ports rather than from between their wings. This is possibly due to artistic license; however, it's established that Vulture droids can fire blaster bolts from their torpedo emitters but primarily only when they are in walker mode. This may have also been done to make animating and tracking the shots easier for the animators.

There is a size variation of the Vulture droid (despite being much larger than the average droid). The difference is visible on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series and Revenge of the Sith. Until now, the figures of the vulture droid that have been made by Hasbro and listed in Star Wars: Episode I Incredible Cross-Sections match exactly with the established size of 3.5 meters, as can be seen in Cartoon Network's animated mini-series. In 2009, Hasbro stipulated that the new larger model of the droid starfighter will be released as an action figure.

Five variations of the Vulture Droid Starfighter were released by the LEGO Company, in 1999, 2005, 2007, and, for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 2009 and 2014.