Editing AC-220 Vulture

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}

{{Vehicle Infobox

|manufacturer=[[Ushuaia Armory]]<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 202''</ref>

|model=AC-220

|class=Heavy gunship

|length={{Convert|35.1|m|ft}}<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_scalecomparison/1280h.html?display=unsca '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Determining the Real Sizes of Objects in Halo - Update'']</ref>

|width=

|height=

|mass=

|max accel=

|max speed space=

|max speed air=

|hull=Titanium armor plating

|sensor=

|target=

|avionics=

|countermeasures=

|armament=*[[A-74 Sylver Vertical Missile Launcher]] (4-6)

*[[GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon]]s (4)

*[[Argent V missile]]s (18)

*[[Phoenix missile]]s

|firstuse=[[2498]]

{{Quote|The Vulture is one of the UNSC's most powerful units. Basically a highly armed flying assault [[tank]] packed to the brim with weapons, the Vulture is the largest aircraft fielded by the UNSC. It is designed to deliver massive damage to enemy ground troops after air superiority has been achieved. It is slow moving but carries an impressive armament of two twin-autocannons and rocket silos that can be used to deliver a devastating barrage to enemies in a wide area.<br>Crewed by highly trained UNSC pilot and gunners, the Vulture is an expensive unit and is usually reserved for difficult or lengthy battles. Being slow, it is vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and enemy aircraft, but it is surprisingly resilient.|Official Halo Wars website<ref>Halo Wars official website</ref>}}

The '''AC-220 Vulture''' is a heavy gunship used by the [[United Nations Space Command]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. It is the preferred aerial combat vehicle during prolonged air-and-ground engagements, particularly against heavily fortified enemy strongholds.<ref name="waypoint">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us#/intel/theuniverse/tech/gallery/vulture/d7c47141-fe31-43ff-8698-3ec01a19b356?filter=all '''Halo Waypoint''': ''AC-220 Vulture gunship''] (defunct, backup on [https://web.archive.org/web/20110325090514/http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/related/gallery/vulture/d7c47141-fe31-43ff-8698-3ec01a19b356 Archive.org])</ref>

The Vulture is a successor of the older [[wikipedia:Douglas AC-47 Spooky|AC-47]], [[wikipedia:Fairchild AC-119|AC-119]], [[wikipedia:Lockheed AC-130|AC-130]], and [[AC-163 Gunship|AC-163]] gunships. It was designed in [[2498]] to combat the [[Insurrection]] in the [[Outer Colonies]].<ref name="waypoint"/>

==Description==

Unlike most smaller UNSC craft, the Vulture is suspended in the air by a series of ducted fans visible near the rear of the aircraft, housing jet engines like the [[D77-TC Pelican]]. Due it its much larger mass and cross-section, it is slower than other UNSC aircraft, such as the [[AV-14 Hornet]] and the [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]], but is armed with a number of missile pods for use against air and ground units, as well as a pair of hull-mounted autocannons.<ref>''[[wikipedia:GamePro|Gamepro]]'', July 2009 edition</ref>

The Vulture requires a large number highly trained UNSC pilots and gunners to operate, making them expensive to deploy in terms of personnel (as opposed to the Sparrowhawk and Hornet, which require a single pilot and possibly a copilot). It lacks radiation shielding, preventing it from traveling in space. These factors, coupled with the amount of time it takes to build one, means that the Vulture is usually only reserved for difficult and lengthy battle situations and eliminating dug-in enemy forces.<ref name="waypoint" /><ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 250''</ref>

==Operational history==

The AC-220 Vulture was used during both the [[Insurrection]] and [[Human-Covenant War]]. In [[2531]] the crew of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} used several Vultures during the [[Battle of the Etran Harborage]] against the [[Covenant]], [[Flood]] and [[Sentinel]]s. Following the [[Human-Covenant War]], few Vulture gunships remained in service with the [[UNSC Armed Forces]] due to irreplaceable combat losses by [[2545]]. However, by [[2557]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s [[Materials Group]] began considering the possibility of restarting production of the Vulture with the benefit of incorporating new technologies and applying improved materials.<ref name="Bulletin">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/bulletins/the-halo-bulletin-knowledge-drop '''Halo Waypoint''': The Halo Bulletin: 9.24.14'']</ref> By [[2553#April|April 2553]], the [[Insurrectionist]]s on [[Venezia]] had acquired several Vultures and hid them in the old sandstone quarry next to [[Mount Longdon Road]] for use by the [[Venezian Militia]].<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''page 103''</ref> On [[2558#March|March 11, 2558]] several AC-220 Vultures belonging to the ''Spirit of Fire'', alongside multiple [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]]s, attacked the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} when the ''[[Pilgrims' Pride]]'' was pulled into the ''Infinity's'' docking bay.<ref name="HE4">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''Issue #4''</ref>

A slow unit which can take massive amounts of damage before destruction, the Vulture is the largest ground-based aircraft fielded by the UNSC.<ref>[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/airpad.aspx#vulture  ''Halo Wars'' Official Site: Information on the Vulture]</ref> It is able to fight against both air and ground units due to its weapon configuration: [[Argent V missile]] pods are used against enemy aircraft, while [[GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon|GAU-23 autocannons]] are designed for engaging ground targets. It can use its [[A-74 Sylver Vertical Missile Launcher|A-74 missile launcher]] to deliver massive damage to slow and/or static units. The Vulture's main drawbacks are its cost and the large amount of time it takes to build one; it is also vulnerable to fast counter-attacks and takes a great deal of time to repair. The Vulture should be reserved for buildings and ground units for the greatest effect. Although Vultures possess adequate anti-aircraft ordnance, they should be escorted by [[M9 Wolverine]]s to lessen the threat of aerial attacks.

In-game, the Vulture is considered an "über unit", and is constructed at the [[UNSC Airpad|airpad]], and requires six population, 900 resources, and a tech level of four. It can be upgraded with the ''Mega Barrage'' upgrade, potentially doubling its barrages' power; this upgrade is purchased at the air pad and costs 800 resource points and requires a minimum tech level of 4. For balance, the Vulture is one of only two vehicle units in ''Halo Wars'' that cannot be [[Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|commandeered]] by [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartans]], the other being the Covenant [[Type-47B Scarab|Scarab]]. The Vulture is the only air unit that is not immobilized by a single [[Type-29 Vampire|Vampire's]] stasis drain, though it is still damaged and can be immobilized by multiple synchronous drains.

*'''Cost:''' Population 9, Supplies 750, Power 75

The Vulture can be built at the [[Airpad]] by all UNSC leaders. Unlike its ''Halo Wars'' counterpart, the Vultures in ''Halo Wars 2'' can be hijacked by Spartans, as the [[G81 Condor]] is now the UNSC's only Super Unit. It is effective against vehicles, aircraft, and structures, while only being okay against infantry. In [[Blitz]], Vultures costs 140 energy.

In the campaign, the Vulture only appears in the mission [[Last Stand]], as part of the fifth batch of reinforcements.

==Behind the scenes==

*The Vulture is the only UNSC unit in ''Halo Wars'' that does not come out of the [[firebase]] upon deployment. Instead, it seems to descend from the {{UNSCship|Spirit of Fire}}, decelerating just before touching the ground.  

<gallery widths="160">

File:Vulture Barrage.jpg|Vulture firing a missile barrage at a [[Type-47B Scarab]].

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{{UNSC Aircraft}}