  We study the optical properties of tetravalent vanadium impurities in 4H
silicon carbide (4H SiC). Emission from two crystalline sites is observed at
wavelengths of 1.28 \mum and 1.33 \mum, with optical lifetimes of 163 ns and 43
ns. Group theory and ab initio density functional supercell calculations enable
unequivocal site assignment and shed light on the spectral features of the
defects. We conclude with a brief outlook on applications in quantum photonics.
