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Gatac Tyilui: Star Citizen's First Dedicated Snub Carrier
The Gatac Tyilui brings a zero-gravity hangar, four snub fighter pads, and striking Xi'an design to Star Citizen. Flight Ready at Alien Week 2956.
Ship Spotlight · Alien Week 2956
Gatac Tyilui
If the Railen marked the moment Xi'an engineering turned toward commerce, the Tyilui is the moment it turned toward something far more strategic. Gatac's first carrier craft is not a gunship — it is a force multiplier: a mobile operations base that deploys snub fighters into contested space, sustains them in the field, and returns them to the fight without a station in sight. Star Citizen has had carrier-class ships on pledge pages for years. The Tyilui is the first to make that its entire purpose, and it arrives with a zero-gravity hangar unlike anything ever conceived by human shipbuilders.
The First Dedicated Snub Carrier
The Tyilui's position in the Persistent Universe is precisely defined: it is the first dedicated snub-fighter carrier in Star Citizen. While other ships carry snubs as a secondary or incidental function, the Tyilui is designed around that role from the hull up. Four snub pads line the surfaces of the multi-directional zero-gravity hangar at the ship's rear, each capable of stationing craft from the Fury series, the Pitbull, or the Merlin. That gives a Tyilui crew four combat-capable ships deployable into any engagement, on demand, without a runway or station involved.
The Tyilui is not a variant of the Railen, despite their simultaneous debut. Both ships share the habitation level, and the front profile carries a clear family resemblance, but the sides, rear, and upper sections of the Tyilui are rebuilt entirely to accommodate the snub hangar and the operational identity that comes with it. It carries 96 SCU of cargo dedicated to sustaining those fighters — ammunition, parts, and fuel for repair, rearm, and refuel operations conducted directly from the ship between sorties. A crew operating from a Tyilui does not need to return to a station to keep their snubs in the fight. For a small group, that self-sufficiency fundamentally changes the scope of what they can accomplish in contested space.
Walking on Walls — The Zero-Gravity Hangar
The Tyilui's defining feature is also its most technically novel: a multi-directional zero-gravity hangar at the rear of the ship where crew can walk on any of the four interior surfaces — walls included. This is not a visual flourish. The multi-directional gravity system is the engineering reason all four snub pads can occupy different surfaces of the hangar without making any of them impractical to work on. The result is a large, open, accessible working space that would be structurally impossible with any conventional gravity orientation — and it is something no player has experienced inside a Star Citizen ship before.
Each pad's hangar door can be controlled independently, allowing crew to prepare and launch snubs directly from their own position without routing through a central station. A 360-degree wraparound walkway connects the entire space. The development team describe spending considerable time on making the zero-gravity traversal feel natural and seamless — the kind of experience that is harder to get right than it appears from the outside. Players stepping into the Tyilui's hangar for the first time will be walking somewhere genuinely new.
Combat Capability
The Tyilui carries a weapons package appropriate for a ship expected to operate in contested space without escort. Four size-4 pilot weapons sit under direct pilot control. Two size-4 manned turrets and two size-3 remote turrets provide crew-operated coverage across the hull, while the missile loadout consists of 16 size-1 and 4 size-2 racks. A remote tractor beam utility mount completes the hardpoint configuration.
The layered armament enables two distinct modes of engagement. The Tyilui and its crew can operate as a single coordinated unit — a well-armed carrier holding its position while snubs push forward. Alternatively, the formation can spread into something closer to a mini-fleet, with deployed fighters taking point and the Tyilui providing fire support from behind. In the event that snubs are otherwise engaged or unavailable, the ship is fully capable of defending itself independently. None of this armament is incidental; it is the difference between a carrier that needs escorting and one that does not.
Flight Profile
The Tyilui is classified as a medium industrial ship, but its mass and forward acceleration sit considerably closer to the heavy end of the archetype — a consequence of its dual role as cargo hauler and snub carrier. Players should expect some oversteer in directional changes. This is a deliberate trade: the Tyilui gives up a fraction of agility for the structural resilience appropriate to a ship operating in contested environments.
Where it distinguishes itself is in lateral and vertical thrust responsiveness, which remains more typical of a medium industrial than the raw mass would suggest. The development team describe the result as a ship with a distinctive personality: the forward drive and weight of a heavy industrial, the side-to-side agility of a medium one, and the structural strength of something built for front-line operations. It is not a nimble ship, but in the right hands it is a more capable one than its classification alone implies.
Design That Lives
The Tyilui's interior was designed to evoke the feeling of entering a large cave or a quiet place of worship — a sense of weight, age, and latent power that the space communicates before a single system is activated. Organic materials, rare natural stone, and living plants are integrated throughout. Water flows through communal areas following the tapered shape of the walls rather than the pull of gravity — a quiet, deliberate signal that you are aboard something built to entirely different rules. Large, flowing forms connect the ship's separate areas into a single coherent experience; there are no manufacturing seams, few fasteners, and no exposed construction detail. Everything is clean, bold, and shaped with intent.
Xi'an language runs through the ship's signage and systems throughout, with human translations provided only for the most critical information. The habitation level accommodates both species: Xi'an fermentation pods dominate the food preparation area while individual human bed pods sit alongside the more communal Xi'an sleeping arrangements. A dedicated sleeping area, separate mess hall, and bathroom facilities are all included. The Railen and Tyilui arriving together mark Gatac Manufacture as the first alien manufacturer in Star Citizen to establish a complete, coherent design language across multiple ship classes. From mid-range cargo hauling to snub carrier operations, the philosophy is the same: the calm, deliberate weight of something grown rather than built.
Technical Specifications
Length
69 m
Beam
52 m
Height
37.5 m
Crew
1 – 4
Cargo
96 SCU
Snub Capacity
4 Fighters
SCM Speed
165 m/s
Pilot Weapons
4× S4
Turrets
2× S4 Manned · 2× S3 Remote
Missiles
16× S1 · 4× S2
Mass
1,393,982 kg
Size Class
Large
Q&A — Straight from the Devs
Gatac's development team answered a series of questions ahead of the Tyilui's Flight Ready launch. The full Q&A is below.
The Tyilui arrives alongside the Railen. Is it a variant, and what sets them apart?
The Tyilui and Railen share some of the interior, mostly the habitation level, but the other levels have significant differences to benefit the differing roles of the two ships. Externally, while the front profile is similar, the sides and rear of the Tyilui have changes to support the snub hangar, and as such, it is not a variant of the Railen.
What experience were you aiming to deliver, and what moments are you most excited for players to have?
We want the Tyilui to feel even more alien than the Railen, with the addition of the multi-directional gravity hangar at the rear giving a very different traversal experience to other ships. The hangar space allows players to walk on any of the four pads and control the rear hangar door independently and launch out.
Where does the Tyilui sit in the current ship ecosystem, and what sets it apart?
The Tyilui is the first dedicated snub-fighter carrier. While other ships do this indirectly, it's not their sole focus. The Tyilui packs the ability to carry four snub fighters, 96 SCU of cargo, and hangar services in a compact package.
What can a solo pilot expect, and how does the experience change with a full crew?
As a solo-crewed ship, the Tyilui allows you to carry a selection of ships for use. Obviously, more players aboard allow for more opportunities to launch and utilize more ships in parallel.
Four snub pads give serious flexibility. What can be stored there, and what does that mean in action?
The Tyilui's primary role is carrying snub fighters, such as the Fury series, Pitbull, and Merlin. This allows those ships to partake in battles well beyond their home location and to add firepower to any encounter.
With pilot weapons, manned turrets, remote turrets, missiles, and deployable snubs — how do these layers work together in combat?
The wide variety of offensive and defensive weaponry allows the Tyilui and its crew to both attack targets as a single unit or as a mini fleet. It also allows the ship to defend itself in the event the snub fighters are otherwise engaged or unavailable.
The Tyilui supports its snubs with repair, rearm, and refuel. What does that look like in practice?
The 96 SCU cargo capacity supports both cargo operations and the resources needed for the Tyilui's repair, rearm, and refuel functionality. This means crews can turn their snubs around directly from the Tyilui without needing to return to a station between sorties. For a small group, that self-sufficiency changes the scope of what they can accomplish together, keeping them in the fight far longer than they could manage without a dedicated support vessel.
How does the Tyilui handle, and what should players expect from its flight profile?
The Tyilui is a medium industrial ship, but also embodies certain characteristics of a heavy vehicle. It's designed to operate as both a cargo hauler and a carrier of smaller vessels, though its military-oriented role sets it apart from the Railen — so it trades a fraction of agility for greater resilience. Where the Tyilui stands out is its lateral and vertical thrust profile. While its forward acceleration is closer to the heavy end of the archetype, its mobility is better for its weight, offering responsiveness more typical of medium industrial ships. Players should expect some oversteer. The result is a ship with an interesting personality: the mass and forward drive of a heavy industrial, the maneuverability of a medium one, and the structural strength of something built for contested environments.
What spaces and amenities can players expect on board?
The Tyilui has a comprehensive set of amenities aboard with a dedicated sleeping area, separate mess hall, and bathroom facilities.
Walking on walls inside a spaceship is new to Star Citizen. What drove that decision?
The hangar section is something we spent a lot of time on, ensuring it would feel good and as natural as possible while players walk around the room. The main benefit of this is that it allows us to have lots of surface area while also keeping the space open to allow easier access for any snub ships stationed within.
How did Gatac's design philosophy and Xi'an culture shape the Tyilui, and what does it say about the manufacturer going forward?
You can see the influence of Xi'an technology and culture throughout the ship. Gatac has never shied away from showing its skills with advanced manufacturing techniques, as highlighted by the way it plays with gravity — the multi-directional landing pads and 360 wraparound walkway, or how in the communal areas the waterfalls flow with the tapered shape of the walls and not the direction of gravity. Gatac has also used rare, natural materials and shaped them to its will. There are no manufacturing details, few fasteners and fixings; it's all clean, bold, and intentional. All Gatac ships give a sense of calm — they pull from the feeling you get when in awe of nature: the heavy, oppressive sense of weight from walking into a large cave, or the quiet power you feel entering a place of worship. The Railen and Tyilui both accommodate Human and Xi'an crews, with Xi'an fermentation pods in the food preparation area and a communal cave-like habitation space alongside individual human bed pods. The Xi'an maintain their language throughout the ship, with very few human translations except for the most critical systems.
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