Vulture Gunships

Like the Valkyrie, the Vulture is operated by the Imperial Navy and attached to Imperial Guard units, particularly Drop Regiments lacking heavy armour and artillery support. 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. 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 points. 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 fights. Although they can mount extra fuel tanks to accompany Valkyries on long-range operations, this does reduce their weapons payload.