Vertibird The VB - 02 Vertical Take Off and Landing ( VTOL ) craft , alternatively called the XVB02 , codenamed " Vertibird , " is a U . S . military multipurpose aircraft designed for the United States Armed Forces in the years leading up to the Great War of 2077 . Despite never entering full - service , numerous models were disseminated into various federal and private applications , and saw use in armed conflicts across the globe . Background . The Vertibird was still in the prototype phase when the Great War struck in 2077 , preventing it from entering full military service which was scheduled for 2085 . As evidenced by the crashed Vertibird on the roof of the Museum of Freedom an early prototype or version of the Vertibird seems to have been in use by the United States Armed Forces just prior to the Great War , though how widespread this use was is unknown . It appears the Commonwealth Coast Guard was also in possession of one before the war , as a destroyed Vertibird with Coast Guard insignia can be found at the Coast Guard Pier . Additionally , one flies over Sanctuary Hills just as the sirens sound in Boston , ordering the evacuation to Vault 111 by megaphone . That Vertibirds were in use is further supported by the appearance of a prototype Vertibird with winterized camouflage during the dropping U . S . 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 to the simulation . Following the war , the trial aircraft that were already produced and in the field were seized by Enclave members and loyalists and either transferred to their bases or secured in shelters . The Enclave began mass - producing the design in secret , and now the Vertibird is the general - purpose delivery vehicle of the Enclave ' s military forces . Capable of surgical insertions , extractions and close air support alike , the Vertibird is synonymous with the Enclave in general , and a good representative of their power as a whole . Design . 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 laser s , missile racks , and a mini nuke bay . It is unknown how a Vertibird is powered , however , dialogue with the Enclave remnants suggest that it runs on some kind of fuel . 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 : There is one known model used by the pre - war United States Armed Forces and Arthur Maxson ' s Brotherhood of Steel : Based on evidence from the Museum of Freedom , the Vertibird ( at least in its early / pre - War versions ) lacks shielding and is susceptible to an EMP . Its armarments consist of two frontfacing cannons and dual miniguns . The Vertibird ' s crew consists of two pilots , but can be piloted just as smoothly with only one . West Coast Operations . 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 . Accessible were 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 . After the defeat of the Enclave on the west coast and sacking of Navarro , the NCR captured several " Vertibirds " and started to operate them in a cargo transport role . One is known to have been converted to a presidential transport , labeled Bear Force One . The West Coast Brotherhood of Steel also recovered Vertibirds from Navarro . East Coast Operations . Vertibirds are known to have appeared on the East Coast in 2277 , when the Enclave came out of hiding to secure Project Purity . It is unknown if the Vertibirds were brought over by the Autumn Senior , when he led the Enclave forces east , or had been sequestered there by the Enclave before the war . The East Coast Brotherhood of Steel acquired a fleet of Vertibirds , and their related technologies , after defeating the Enclave at the end of the " Broken Steel " questline . As of 2287 , The Brotherhood has a vast arsenal of Vertibirds at their disposal . They also possess the ability to manufacture more Vertibirds . The Vertibirds are also modified so that they can be docked on the Brotherhood airship , The Prydwen . Flight . Advantages . The Vertibird ' s VTOL flight mechanics allow it to approach landing zones with the speed of a fixed - wing aircraft and transition into a hovering mode of flight , by tilting its rotors vertically upwards 90 degrees . Given this extreme amount of maneuverability , the VB - 02 is regarded as a formidable force in the " Fallout " universe . Disadvantages . While the design of a Vertibird is convenient , its dual rotor - blades serve as a flight hazard , for if the aircraft were to suffer a single rotary malfunction at a substantial altitude , the VB - 02 ' s airframe and distribution of down - wash would cause the aircraft to fall on its side in a dramatic and likely fatal crash . In addition , the " Fallout 4 " version , due to its narrow landing gear footprint and high center of gravity , would easily topple to the side during landing . Combat . Vertibirds are mostly support craft , but they will attack in a few circumstances . They are a significant threat for a wide array of reasons , but the biggest is that they pack an enormous amount of firepower on an extremely well - armored chassis . Their weapons include a nose - mounted Gatling laser , a minigun on the left side of the Vertibird for passengers , a pair of missile launcher s , and a bomb rack for mini nuke s . All of these weapons are threatening ; the missile launcher deals heavy damage and can knock an opponent back , the Gatling laser can deal a lot of damage from afar , the minigun is used to mow down large amounts of infantry , and the mini nukes , used in airstrikes against heavy targets and emplaced defenses , can instantly kill a hostile . Fortunately , the Vertibirds the player character faces are usually set for a specific assignment - either dropping Enclave troops off , or flying racetrack circles and providing fire support . Vertibirds on insertion / extraction duty are not capable of attacking , but their dropping off troops can be problematic , as Enclave soldiers are one of the toughest hostile factions in the Capital Wasteland . Vertibirds tasked with fire support are the biggest threat , as they eliminate engaging hostile forces to back up Enclave troops on the ground . These Vertibirds often perform bombing runs , and make several passes to eliminate any resistance in the area . Vertibirds on these support flights may open fire with their missile launchers or Gatling lasers , though they do not use them as much as their mini nukes . Vertibirds can sometimes be encountered on the ground . One noteworthy instance is on the steps of the Capitol Building in the Capital Wasteland . In these cases , upon finding one of the parked Vertibirds , there should be a cage containing a deathclaw inside . When engaged in combat , the Enclave officer nearest to the cage will often let the deathclaw loose . In " Fallout 4 " , Vertibirds lack the large armament package seen in " Fallout 3 " and are armed only with two fixed forward - firing 5mm cannons and a crew - operated minigun mounted on the left - hand side . When dropping the Sole Survivor off in an area inhabited with hostiles , the Vertibird will sometimes provide support by firing on the hostiles with its machine guns . Destruction . In " Fallout 3 " , Vertibirds can be destroyed with heavy ordnance , however they cannot be targeted in V . A . T . S . The resulting explosion will scatter a great deal of debris , which will be visible to the player character . A Vertibird explosion is significantly more powerful than that of a car or truck and will kill or seriously injure anyone nearby . The explosion can also kill disembarking Enclave troops , however this can be unreliable due to bugs . In " Fallout 4 " , Vertibirds are easily destroyed by all ranged weapons , and can be targeted in V . A . T . S . When a Vertibird is airborne and takes enough damage , it starts spinning on its Y axis , similar to how helicopters spin when they lose their tail rotor , before crashing into the ground and exploding , similar to a mini nuke explosion . The Vertibird usually breaks up into four large pieces upon crashing , releasing small amounts of radiation for a short while . However , if the Vertibird takes an immense amount of damage - such as a direct hit with a two - shot fat man mirv or an upgraded explosive minigun - the Vertibird will slowly fall to ground and pass through it . Marking with a recon scope can show its progress under the terrain . Appearances . " Fallout 3 " . Vertibirds appear in the Capital Wasteland , along with the Enclave , after The Waters of Life quest . They are used by the Enclave for transport and fire support . Vertibirds will appear through out the Capital Wasteland , deploying Enclave troops . A large number of Vertibirds are seen fleeing the destruction of Raven Rock , with some crashing in the confusion . Vertibirds are encountered on the ground and in the air during the quest Take it Back ! , with Liberty Prime and the Lone Wanderer ( if equipped with heavy weapons ) destroying them along the way to Project Purity . Vertibirds appear in the last stage of the despite them not meant to be deployed for another eight years . This may be due to General Constantine Chase hijacking the programming of the simulation . In the " Broken Steel " add on , Vertibirds appear at Adams Air Force Base as well as a captured one called Pride One . This Vertibird was captured , studied and modified by the Brotherhood of Steel between the recapture of Project Purity and the final " Broken Steel " quest Who Dares Wins . Pride One was studied and then modified by Scribe Vallincourt , with the only visible modification is the Brotherhood logo on both sides . " " . The NCR uses Vertibirds that were captured from Navarro during the NCR - Enclave conflict . One modified Vertibird , named Bear Force One , is seen transporting President Kimball to Hoover Dam . Destroyed NCR Vertibirds are found at Long 15 if the NCR are nuked at the end of " Lonesome Road " . These are likely used for cargo transport and not combat as they aren ' t seen fighting the Legion . An ex - Enclave Vertibird is located in the Remnants bunker and can be seen in the battle for the dam , if the Courier convinces them to support their cause . A Crashed Vertibird also appears in the Mojave Wasteland , surrounded by leveled and . " Fallout 4 " . In " Fallout 4 " the Vertibird has under gone a redesign / face - lift from its previous appearances . It is larger in appearance and has a transparent cockpit , sliding doors on the cabin , a pintle mounted minigun on the left hand side and folding wings and rotors . The Vertibird also has a docking hook along the top near the tail , that links with the docking hook / arm on the flight deck of the Prydwen . Different from previous models are the model ' s retractable landing gear , in a different configuration with one along the center line at the front of the aircraft and the other three in a tricycle layout at the rear of the fuselage . The Vertibird appears in the opening sequence of the game , flying over Sanctuary Hills and landing next to the entrance of Vault 111 . Later , several crashed and wrecked Vertibirds can be found throughout the Commonwealth . Nearby the wrecked Vertibirds , power armor can commonly appear . Operational Vertibirds are seen after the quest Reunions when a Brotherhood of Steel force shows up with the Prydwen . Afterwards Brotherhood of Steel Vertibirds are seen flying , sometimes in pairs , throughout the Commonwealth deploying squads or firing on hostiles . After the quest Show No Mercy , the player gains the ability to call in a Brotherhood of Steel transport Vertibird by using a Vertibird signal grenade . The player also gains the ability to call a Vertibird after The Nuclear Option , when siding with the Railroad or alternatively after completing With Our Powers Combined for the Commonwealth Minutemen .