Vertibird (Fallout 2)

The XVB02, more commonly known as the Vertibird along with post-war models, is a tilt-rotor VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft design produced for the United Stated Armed Forces in the years leading up to the Great War of 2077.

Background
The Vertibird, a tiltwing aircraft, was in relatively widespread use by multiple branches of the Unites States Armed Forces with the Great War broke out in 2077, making wrecked examples of the aircraft quite prevalent throughout the wasteland. It's evident that the Commonwealth Coast Guard also operated the Vertibird before the war, as a destroyed example can be found on the helipad of Coast Guard Pier. Additionally, one such aircraft, likely belonging to the National Guard, flies over Sanctuary Hills on the day of the Great War ordering the evacuation to Vault 111 by megaphone. At an unspecified point in time after the bombs fell, a more advanced version of the Vertibird known as the XVB02, still in development before the war, was placed in service by the Enclave, making it the first new model to be fielded after the bombs fell.

The existence of pre-war military units is further supported by the appearance of a prototype Vertibird with winterized camouflage during the Operation Anchorage simulation dropping US troops before taking off again. However, whether any Vertibirds were ever used during the Alaskan reclamation is uncertain as General Constantine Chase was known to implement his own fictional content within the simulation. On the other hand, the Vertibird aircraft existed before the war, making it a reasonable assumption that the simulation was in fact largely accurate in terms of its portrayal of the vehicle.

Following the war, the experimental XVB02 project was continued by Enclave members and loyalists, leading to the aircraft being mass-produced in large quantities and placed in full service as the general-purpose delivery vehicle of the Enclave's military forces. Capable of surgical insertions, extractions and close air support, the Vertibird is synonymous with the Enclave in general and representative of their power as a whole.

Vertibirds were used by the Enclave to transport personnel and materials between the mainland and the Enclave Oil Rig. Vertibird range was at least 175 miles distance between the Enclave Oil Rig and California. Their known reach includes locations such as Klamath, New Reno and Vault 13. According to the Shi, Vertibirds flew over San Francisco on the way from Navarro to the Enclave Oil Rig.

Characteristics
The Vertibird has a heavily armored fuselage and can be outfitted with a variety of offensive weapons and defensive countermeasures, the most common being Gatling lasers, missile racks and a mini nuke bay. It's unknown how a Vertibird is powered; however, dialogue with the Enclave remnants indicate a combustible fuel source. It has a winch that can haul several tons of equipment - or a large Deathclaw cage.

There are two known versions of the craft used by the Enclave, however only the transport-oriented version is seen in Fallout 2. It has a glass canopy, six legs, a large cargo bay, and seven blades on each rotor to provide extra lift. This was the variant used before the destruction of Control Station ENCLAVE.

Locations

 * In 2241, Daisy Whitman's Vertibird crashed near the trapper town of Klamath due to a rotor malfunction; it was the first sign of the Enclave encountered by the Chosen One.
 * Vertibirds can be found in the Enclave camp of Navarro, used to return to the main base of the group, the Enclave Oil Rig.

Behind the scenes

 * The name "Vertibird" is the trademark for a toy helicopter playset popular in the 70s.
 * Many design aspects of this aircraft in Fallout 2 appear to be inspired by the Dragonfly. For example, the six legged landing gear and twin bulges in the forward fuselage.
 * Both the design and designation VB-02 are inspired by the tilt-rotor Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, as well as the tilt-wing LTV XC-142.
 * Timothy Donley was the artist who designed the Vertibird model for Fallout 2.