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Pelican-1 is the call sign used by a Super Earth Armed Forces space shuttle from Helldivers and Helldivers 2. It arrives at the end of every mission to extract the Helldivers back to the Super Destroyer.

Lore[]

The Pelican shuttles are tiltwing single-stage-to-orbit transport shuttles, with a 30mm autocannon mounted underneath the cockpit on the front of the vessel. Pelicans are restricted to vertical take off and landing due to the design of their landing gear.

There are currently three known variants of Pelican shuttles: The first one is the standard troop transport variant that can seat up to 4 fully-armed Helldivers at once, with atleast two additional seats in the cockpit for the pilot and the gunner (occasionally heard cheering during autocannon fire). There is a second subtype of this transport that is used to transport civilians during an evacuation mission, which likely has an expanded passenger hold capable of seating upto 30 people at once.

The second type is the cargo transport variant where the cargo hold of the Pelican has been replaced with a large magnetic clamp used to bring exosuits, vehicles, and other stratagems typically too large to be dropped from a Hellpod such as the nuclear seismic drill charges used to blow up Terminid underground hives. This variant still retains the chin-mounted autocannon.

E710Shuttle

The E-710 transport variant of the shuttle.

The third one is a fuel transport variant where the cargo hold of the Pelican has been replaced with a large-capacity refueling tank, used to extract Element-710 from automated refineries. Unlike the other two, this variant is unarmed.

Although the Pelican shuttles' engines seem to be just jet engines, they are apparently capable of both atmospheric and vacuum operation, suggesting they are actually some type of advanced rocket engine, combined-cycle engine (featuring both airbreathing and closed-cycle operation modes), or are nuclear thermal jets. Whatever engine type it may be, it must be incredibly efficient; the design of the shuttles suggests very little fuel volume (at least, very little fuel volume compared to what one would expect from a single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft).

Gameplay[]

The shuttle arrives after 2-4 minutes from calling in an extraction at the end of a mission. Extraction time depends on mission difficulty and mission modifiers. At least one Helldiver must remain near the extraction beacon during the process, or Pelican-1 will call off the extraction attempt, forcing Helldivers to re-request extraction. Upon arrival, the shuttle starts firing its powerful frontal gun at nearby enemies.

A Pelican-1 performing extraction will remain on the pad until surviving Helldivers enter the shuttle, or mission time expires. At this point, a 20-second countdown begins before Pelican-1 is forced to return to the Super Destroyer.

Though functionally indestructible, the shuttle has a health pool and can catch on fire and become unusable after enduring a certain amount of damage, and may depart immediately. This typically happens only when traitorous Helldivers directly attack the shuttle.

Trivia[]

  • The Pelican-1 is voiced by Ray Chase.
  • At the beginning of missions such as Emergency Evacuation, a Pelican can often be heard or seen landing in the Shuttle Bay at the main objective. After loading personnel, it will transfer them to whatever coordinates were specified at the shuttle control terminal.
  • Should Helldivers abandon the extraction zone just as Pelican-1 arrives, it will remain airborne and provide fire support as long as mission time remains. Done correctly, there will be no HUD warning when leaving the radius. However, its autocannon carries limited ammunition (and is vulnerable to attack).
  • Reinforcement is no longer possible once a Helldiver boards the Pelican-1; all remaining tickets are cleared, even if mission time remains.
  • Players can delay extraction for about five more seconds before Pelican-1 departs by waiting near the shuttle ramp.
  • Infrequently, Pelican-1 may lift off the pad to avoid heavy strikes such as Orbital Napalm Barrages. This appears to reset the 20-second countdown to allow unloaded Helldivers another chance to board.
    • Rarer still, game engine quirks may cause Pelican-1 to land or be knocked out of position. This may cause extraction to become impossible if Helldivers cannot reach the shuttle ramp.
  • The Pelican pilots generally fly carefully calculated paths (even through terrain), but will still exercise caution near other air vehicles and maneuver as needed.
  • After boarding the shuttle, Helldivers may still observe through first-person view by aiming down sights, but they are forbidden from firing weapons once aboard.
  • According to an achievement from Helldivers 1, the shuttle pilot's name is Frank ("Make Frank kill a Tank!"), at least during the First Galactic War.
  • The Pelican also shares its name with a vessel of striking similarity and utility in the Halo series.
  • Early concept art of the Pelican dropship bears some striking similarities to the Mi-24 Hind gunship, as well as the Valkyrie from Warhammer 40k.
  • The Pelican's Autocannon can be shot and destroyed, preventing it from firing.

Final Pelican concept art[]

Early Pelican concept art[]