Imperial Armoury - Weapons, Armour, Gear and Vehicles

[Darkcommander]

Hello ladies and gents, this is the start of a collation of all Imperial-based arms and armour available to the bastion of humanity over the various stages of it's development. To catalogue the various creations made by the minds of men and Primarchs over the millennia is along and ardous task that an army of administratum scholars could spend a lifetime defining, we shall do our best to fill those in. Otherwise this is a place to discuss the various elements of Imperial weaponry as they exist in GW canon as compared to our own, as well as develop new kinds as the millennia will pass and technologies thought lost are rediscovered.

 

When posting I'd ask that the Imperial sub-faction -such as Adeptus Astartes, Imperial Army etc.- is noted  along with a rough estimation of it's date of introduction, whether this be the first time it was seen on the battlefield or the first noted point of construction. While there is no strict profile for the amount of information needed for every type of armour and tank, be sure to look up examples in this thread and elsewhere to define what you want in your own project.

 

Other than that, make sure to have fun!

[Darkcommander]

I'll take the honour of first posting a few profiles I've currently been working on over the past few weeks then. Firstly, the Astartes Sky-Tyrant Gunship. Spceifically designed for battlefield support it is armed with an array of weapnry that make it effective against most ground-targets, be they heavy infantry or tank platoons, and even pack a defence system allowing them to limited anti-air fire. 

 

 

Legiones Astartes – Sky-Tyrant Gunship

 

Introduction

In the long fight with newly traitorous forces as well as the myriad of xenos empires ready to try and lay humanity low, the roaring sound of the Sky-Tyrant is ready to shred any enemies before it in withering hails of autocannon fire and missile barrage. A work of Kotossan design, the Sky-Tyrant answered the call when the older style of Space Marine gunships, the Fire Raptors, proved too hard to manufacture and maintain with the loss of their designs over the millennia. To replace such a formidable beast the new gunship had to prove both versatile in it's killing capability as well as sturdy enough to weather the harsh combat environments it was expected to operate in. And the Sky-Tyrant proved itself more than capable to live up to those requirements.

 

 

History

With the violent and repetitive wars that swept over much of the Imperium during the 30^th -31^st millennium, there was an expected loss to be calculated in terms of knowledge as entire worlds and their databanks were taken by either side and wiped, or simply burned wholesale. While the design was shared with many Forge Worlds during the Great Crusade many, such as Akira seceded along with the rest of the traitors, by the end of the Second Solar War the remaining loyalist Forge Worlds that could produce the Fire Raptor dwindled rapidly. This loss of production eventually led to shortages amongst Legion and Order forces and necessitated a replacement.

To this end the armour-smiths and tech-claves of the Kotossa Forge World, alongside the Totem Masters of the Iron Bears, with the combination of methodical design and Astartes ingenuity bringing the Sky-Tyrant into being. Once equipped and distributed amongst the Iron Bear forces it quickly proved itself as a capable hunter, able to cut down swathes of infantry and squadrons of tanks with it's array of weaponry. Though it was slower than it's predecessor the Fire Raptor it proved tougher, and more manoeuvrable with it's VTOL engines and emergency thrusters, and while the more varied array of firepower allows for greater tactical flexibility. Soon manufacturing was ramped up, and eventually the Sky-Tyrant found it's way into various loyalist Astartes armouries and thrown into countless battlefields where it would prove it's mettle. The craft would eventually prove itself to be an invaluable asset as the Imperium marched forward through the millennia facing both traitor and xenos alike.

 

Design

Like many designs of Astartes creation, the Sky-Tyrant is a blocky aircraft, with a large fuselage to house both the ammunition and equipment necessary to keep it in the sky, along with two large slabs of engines mounted into the base of each wing on rotating joints. These VTOL engines allow it to hover as well as move forward at a decent pace when engaged fully. With weapons pylons mounted on the smaller forward set of wings on either side of the cockpit a multitude of munitions can be mounted, alongside the various other weapons systems such as the autocannon turret and wing-tip heavy weapons mounts. While quite narrow for such a heavy aircraft the wingspan is small, coupled with the tail being able to rotate on a joint upwards and back over on itself onto the top of the craft it can reduce it's size significantly, making it extremely easy for logistical transport. Internally there is space for the 2 pilots in the cockpit and one loader/secondary gunner in the main body of the craft to maintain the weapons stations from within should anything go wrong. Overall this bullfrog of an aircraft may look rather squat and hunched but it packs more than enough punch to send the enemies of man running scared.

 

Armament

Built as a gunship the Sky-Tyrant was designed to pack as much firepower as possible into one aerial package to create a versatile and effective hunter that could scour the battlefield for any ground-based targets and eliminate them with ease. To this end the craft has been outfitted with a number of weapon systems to allow it to devastate whole companies of infantry or tank squadrons with ease.

 

Projectile and Laser Weaponry

• 
  

  Twin turret-mounted Sytris Pattern Autocannons

  
  
  
• 
  

  Turret-mounted Heavy Lascannon

  
  
  
• 
  

  2 Twin-linked Heavy Bolter Turrets on each wing

  
  
  

Missiles and Rockets

• 
  

  2 Mounting Pylons that can house a variety of munitions

  
  
  • 
    

    4x Hellstrike Missiles per pylon

    
    
    
  • 
    

    5x Hyperios Missiles per pylon

    
    
    
  • 
    

    1x Multiple Rocket Pod per pylon

    
    
    
  
  

 

While a lot of the aircraft's firepower is concentrated in it's nose, it's on the rear of the craft that you will find it's main armament, and also on it's belly. The turret used to mount the pair of Sytris Autocannons is on a rail system, and supported internally by an architecture of struts and feeding chutes that allow it to change it's position on the craft to engage almost any targets. While in the lowered position the turret is on the belly of the craft and has a full 360° arc of fire around it, as well as the ability to raise it's barrels a full 90° upwards, meaning it can shoot at enemies directly below the craft if need be.

In this lowered position the autocannons can be brought to bear on ground targets at a significant distance away, coupled with the velocity and power of it's shells confirmed tank kills have been recorded as far out as 10km.

When needed, however, the turret can be raised to the rear of the fuselage, allowing for a full 270° arc for fire thanks to the raised tail of the craft. This allows the gunner to shoot directly behind the Sky-Tyrant at pursuing aircraft, as well as track ground targets with longer bursts of fire as they fly overhead. The versatility allowed by this range of motion means that while the Sky-Tyrant is a well-armed gunship, it has the capability to defend against various enemy craft specifically meant to hunt them, such as fighters, and has proven a valuable asset during the years following the Second Solar War.

As with all solid-projectile weaponry it is able to use a variety of ammunition as well, in conjunction with the internal feed system of the turret specific rounds can be loaded and unloaded as necessary with the help of the munitions servitor housed in the fuselage. This provides great benefit to the Tyrant's Gunner as he is able to assess, unload and reload appropriate ammunition for any situation necessary. From explosive rounds to the standard armour-piercing rounds and rarer examples, the pair of autocannons are a monster weapons system that you do not want to be on the receiving end of.

As a secondary weapons system the heavy lascannon mounted on the chin of the craft acts as a reliable tank-hunting system that is integrated into the controls of the pilot rather than the gunner. While the pilot is obviously busy keeping the craft in the air, thanks to Astartes physiology it is an effective weapons system for taking snap-shots at enemies as the craft is in motion over the battlefield. While the system is mainly controlled by the pilot, it can be handed over to the gunner in the case where a more potent anti-tank weapons system is needed.

The other secondary weapons system is the set of pylons on the front wings of the craft. From these pylons many different types of munitions can be mounted that augment the Tyrant's weaponry, mainly in the form of anti-tank missiles such as the Hellstrike. Short-range anti-air missiles like the Hyperios can also be added, in case there is a need for defence against other low-flying aerial targets. The variety of munitions available is so diverse that a keen observer can easily tell what kind of sortie is going on by looking at what a Sky-Tyrant pilot has mounted on his pylons.

The final weapons system mounted on the aircraft are a pair of turrets on the underside of each wing, sporting twin-linked heavy bolters for a more close-range burst of firepower. The twin-linked bolters are controlled from the gunner's position like most other weapons systems are, but in the case the gunner needs to focus his attention elsewhere, they can be set into a 'Guard Bear' mode that sees them switch control to their own aggressive cogitator-protocols, attacking almost any target within firing range. While the specifics of what targets count as friend or foes are designated by each individual pilot, and heavily standardised, there have been incidents of friendly fire when allies have not been able to properly identify themselves in time.

 

Control Systems

Through the various MIU links and connections between the aircraft and it's pilots the Sky-Tyrant's lumbering form can be made to dance through hails of anti-air fire while cutting down swathes of enemies with precise volleys of fire. This is partially managed through the aircraft's internal systems and auspex readings being monitored and fed to the pilot and gunner's autosenses.

Linked to each astarte's autosenses, both weapon systems and the on-board auspex can be slaved to follow their point of view as they turn their heads inside the cockpit. Through the various sensors and main auspex array the pilots are able to acquire a full picture of the battlefield around the craft, and share targeting information with other elements of the strike force.

With this shared network of information both the on-board auspex and other auspexes deployed throughout the battlefield can be used as the eyes of the craft when designating targets for on-board missiles. As the main thoroughfare for communication traffic on-board a complex array of vox spines litter the craft, giving it the ability to communicate with ships in low-orbit or to act as mobile nodes passing information from one unit to another.

 

Defensive Systems

As with most other astartes aircraft the Sky-Tyrant is a heavily armoured thing, burgeoning with plates of plasteel over a solid adamantium frame, it uses this mixture of armour as it's main method of defence beyond it's manoeuvrability.

The hardened plasteel armour of the sky-tyrant has been specifically designed by the Totem Masters of the Iron bears with a specific ratio of metals to hardened plastics and a ceramite outer layer to afford the most protection possible while maintaining a frame light enough for basic aerial manoeuvres. Specifically built around the fuselage and underside of the wings the armour, this configuration gives the most protection to the extensive ammunition stores on board as well as to protect from ground-based anti-air weaponry. While this design does leave the top armour of the craft more vulnerable by comparison, Sky-Tyrant pilots have developed 'roll and twist' manoeuvres to avoid high-angle attacks from other aircraft by quickly flipping itself over and banking away while returning fire with it's belly autocannons.

As a secondary layer for defence, the Sky-Tyrant makes use of it's strong communications systems and emitters placed around the craft to detect incoming guided munitions. Sending out pulsing waves of Electro-Magnetic noise to disorientate and blind the incoming missiles. While this sudden burst of EM noise blind sections of the auspex array for very short periods of time, the array swiftly recovers between it's high-refresh time and how well the pilots are trained in re-calibrating the technology on the fly.

 

Engines

With a pair of blocky but undeniably powerful Pegasus Mk106 engines, the propulsion and manoeuvring of the Sky-Tyrant is made relatively simple for both vertical take-off, hovering and flight as well as transitioning between those three states.

Inset into the base of the wings themselves, and mounted to the fuselage of the craft on large gimbal joints, the engines have a large range of sideways movement as well as the obvious pivot point allowing it to switch between hovering and full flight. This extra arc of movement allows the craft to make sudden and nimble turns and pull off manoeuvres such as a full barrel roll from a hovering position with enough practice. As these are the main source of propulsion the outer layer of the engine is made up of two layers, an inner layer to absorb excess heat-bleed from the Plasma-Phased cores for redistribution throughout the wing. On the outer layer is a thin but tough later of pure ceramite over most of the engine's important components, integrated to allow it to pivot and move in it's housing without impeding it's movement on the wing and gimbal joint that surround it.

Less a secondary system of movement and more a series of nozzles across the body of the aircraft, were large vector thrusting nozzles at several key positions that would allow the pilot a last-ditch method of avoiding attack. These large nozzles, while normally used to automatically balance the aircraft can instead be re-routed to one area as a one-time boost of speed in a certain direction. This boost can push the craft anywhere from 5-20ft depending on the circumstances, and was initially never intended to be used in this way, but thank to combat-experience gained by Iron Bear pilots it was swiftly adopted as a staple manoeuvre in their repertoire. Though the process requires a small charge-up time as the plasma propulsion needs to be re-routed and acquire a sufficient store to resume normal function with. It is even said that the best Sky-Tyrant pilots could outwit air superiority pilots and ground defences alike, dancing between them all before striking a devastating blow to an exposed weakness.

Though the Sky-Tyrant does not lack for effective control and power thanks to it's powerful main engines, it suffers rather heavily in void operations. Thanks to a focus on in-atmosphere operations, the craft lacks a fully functioning set of thrusters over it's body that would allow it to survive the extended engagements of void battles. It's own thruster system is potent for isolated heavy bursts in a single direction rather than the multiple and simultaneous ones needed for precise control within the void. As such the gunship can make it's way from planet-side to orbiting vessels with relative ease, but are seldom used as strike craft in the void itself. Though recently with several re-fittings of Sky-Tyrants by some Legions they have been made more capable void-craft, but still mainly rely on their twin phased-plasma engines. With this newer style, the engines are turned full-throttle to cross the distance and swiftly attack enemy vessels while covering their comrades in slower craft as they prepare to board on Thunderhawks or Boarding Torpedoes.

 

Technical Specifications

Type: Gunship

Vehicle Name: Sky-Tyrant

Forge World of Origin: Kotossa

Variants:

Crew: Pilot, Gunner, Munitions Servitor

Powerplant: 2x Pegasus Mk106 Plasma-Phased Engine Blocks

Length: 19.5m

Wingspan: 10.6m

Height: 4.87m

Operational Ceiling: N/A

Cruise Speed: 1073kmh (667mph/ Mach 0.86)

Max Speed: 1261kmh (784mph/ Mach 1)

Range: Unlimited

Main Armament: 2x Sytris Pattern Autocannon

Secondary Armament: 8x Hellstrike Missile, 1x Heavy Lascannon

Tertiary Armament: 2x Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters

Main Ammunition: 1500 Rounds

Secondary Ammunition: 8 Missiles, Unlimited

Tertiary Ammunition: 1200 Rounds per turret

Armour

-Superstructure: 76mm

-Hull: 117mm

[Darkcommander]

And secondly the Talaria Air Superiority Fighter. Created using the remnants of technology found during the Great Crusade on Mars after Kelbor-Hal's treachery, it is finished and deployed amongst Astartes pilots after the Insurrection, using it's extreme manoeuvring system to cut traitorous forces out of the sky. 

 

Legiones Astartes – Talaria Superiority Fighter

 

Introduction

With the post-Insurrection era of the Imperium as unstable a landscape as the galaxy as could be, some of the miracles of the Old Night that were rediscovered were lost, but not all of them. One of those designs lucky enough to survive the war of the Red Sands was the Talaria, found in one of the forge-cities as the Loyalists regained control of the Mars. The resulting prototype was turned into the Talaria, a successor to the Xiphon fighter, using the hard-won knowledge of the Great Crusade to strike a decisive blow against those traitors who had dared turn their back on the Imperium.

 

History

Thanks to the great Schism of Mars the origin of the Talaria STC has been lost along with so much other knowledge, what remained however, was a decent fragment of the design, and a prototype that was housed within on of the Southern Forge-Cities of Mars. During the reclamation of the world it was rediscovered and brought to the attention of the Forge-City's new master, who immediately understood the potential of the craft. After several decades of adjustments and patching the original design's missing components over, it was brought before the ruling Magii of Mars as well as Legionary representatives.

Due to the highly powerful and extreme manoeuvrability afforded by the craft it was decided that it was unfit for mortal use and put into production a full year before the outbreak of the Second Solar War. Though the fighter itself would be on front-lines before the close of the Insurrection, it couldn't be deployed to the Imperium at large before the Siege of Terra began. To make up for this the aircraft performed exceptionally well in the hands of trained Astartes pilots, with wings of Talaris shredding through traitor air formations with a seemingly unending barrage of air-to-air missiles while their craft danced around any sort of return fire.

After the regrettable end to the Siege the craft was shipped to dozens of Orders throughout the galaxy, their high-speed manoeuvres dogging the traitor's steps all the way to the Eye of Terror during the Scouring. Such was the fervour of the pursuing forces that many would make alterations and patch-jobs of their craft to keep them flying as long as possible, for as long as there was a Talaris in the air, the traitorous forces of mankind tremble before it's challenge.

 

Design

Designed using the recovered secrets of humanity, the Talaris proves it's worth as a extremely capable air superiority fighter and another sword to be used against those that would betray His vision and turn their backs on humanity. Overall the craft is extremely manoeuvrable, thanks in part to the design, which proved to formidable during testing on Mars that a special requisition for Astartes pilots had to be made after those Mechanicum pilots who attempted to control the beast met with failure. Thanks to the specially enhanced physiology of the Astartes as well as their ability to integrate into the craft through the black carapace and MIU link it has flown untold thousands of missions to cut the enemies of mankind from both the skies and the void.

A brute of a machine, the Talaria has a raised pilot pod, with extra armour surrounding the pilots position, this sweeps downward into the main body of the plane, which is significantly wider than most aircraft, and is used to house both the laser destructor array turret as well as the missile bays on the underside. It's forward-sweeping wings are paralleled by a secondary set of variable wings mounted to the lower hull, complementing the two blocky engines whose intakes run from the front of the body to the twin nozzles at the rear of the craft, punctuated by a single razor-sharp vertical fin place between the two engines.

Between it's arsenal of air-to-air missiles and the block of lascannons mounted on the underside, wing of Talaria have been able to cut down foes many times their size, and prove that they are well-suited to keeping the skies under Imperial control.

 

Armament

Designed as a pure anti-air platform, the Talaria can still use it's on-board weaponry such as the lascannons in strafing runs, and even be fitted with the usually type of Hunter Killer missiles used profusely amongst Imperial forces. Make no mistake though, the sky is where this dagger of vengeance excels, stripping enemy craft down to size no matter how quick or strong they may appear.

 

Laser Weaponry:

-1x Laser Destroyer Array on turret mounts

Missiles Weaponry

  -3 Internal Bays

  -4 External Pylons

  -Air-to-Air:

       -Flakk Missile

       -Mk XII Hunter Killer Missile (air-to-air variant)

       -Dominae Missile

  -Air-to-ground:

       -MkIX 'Voss' Hunter Killer Missile (air-to-ground variant)

  -Anti-Augur:

       -Justinian Anti-Augur Missile

 

 

The most prominent weapon of the Talaria's arsenal is the quad-lascannon turret, more commonly referred to as the Laser Destroyer Array. Mounted on the front end of the aircraft's underside, it takes advantage of it's turret base to be able to move independent of the chassis, giving it an edge over other aircraft who's hull-mounted guns are fixed, and therefore harder to target at an enemy perfectly. Linked to the Astartes pilot through MIU and the black carapace, it increases it's killing potential significantly during dogfights, coupled with almost instantaneous travel-time of the beam, it is the perfect weapon for cutting down traitor fighters.

While the lascannon can be used against ground forces in strafing runs the Talaria is at a disadvantage while doing so, as it's main benefit of being fast and manoeuvrable, is lost as they have to line up to a ground target. The weapon has proven extremely effective against both heavy ground and air targets, but the true potential of the aircraft is brought out when it is allowed to roam the sky or the void freely.

The main weapon of the Talaria, are it's missiles. With 3 separate internal bays mounted on the underside of the hull it can pack a significant amount of firepower while not losing any of it's manoeuvrability thanks to excessive weapons mounted on wing pylons, slowing it down.

Each of the internal bays opens up and extends a pair of launching struts with which the missile slot into. Fed to these struts by a rotary internal bay system the pilot can pick and choose which specific missiles they want to fire at any given moment, being able to retrieve and slot in new missiles as the situation calls for. While this system does limit the amount of missile able to be housed internally most pilots prefer it, proclaiming the adaptability to be a feature they could not do without.

Specifically designed for the aircraft however is a variant of the much-used hunter killer missile found amongst the Imperial Army. An already solid missile system, the change-over to making it purely an air-to-air missile was simple by comparison to the Talaria's production. The on-board cogitator was altered to be able to hunt down aircraft exclusively, making use of both it's own internal augur and auspex, as well as that of the aircraft's to be able to take down foes. While the mainstay of the hunter killer missiles loaded aboard do belong to this new air-to-air mark, older patterns can be mounted that are adept at hunting ground targets, and are especially adept at doing so with the Talaria's help.

Overall this system allows for 8 missiles -Whether they are small flak missiles or the much larger Dominae air-to-air missile- to be housed inside and switched around at the pilot's leisure.

While initially mentioned as a detriment to the Talaria's considerable manoeuvrability, it is also fitted with wing-pylons capable of carrying more missiles or other pieces of equipment to allow it to fulfil it's mission. With each pylon able to hold a pair of the larger Dominae missiles or up to 4 hunter killer missiles of various marks, it can easily add additional firepower if the mission calls for it.

 

Control Systems

A trait usually reserved for Mechanicum some Astartes vehicles, the Talaria features a dense integration system between aircraft and pilot, taking advantage of the marine's black carapace as well as a Mind Impulse Unit, it allows for an unparalleled amount of control over the air superiority fighter.

Through a combination of the pilot's connections and several cameras receded into the aircraft's hull, an almost full 360° view around itself, partially to combat the lack of view the pilot has due to the armoured cockpit. This level of situational awareness allows for increased reaction time to threats as well as providing assistance when firing missiles, as targeting data can be fed directly to the missile's cogitator from the pilot themselves.

This integration also allows for higher efficiency rates in dogfights when combined with the turret-based laser destroyer array, as it is able to be directly controlled by the pilot, aiming in the same direction they are looking. Though the cone of fire of the array is limited , partially due to the cockpit above and to stop wind resistance tearing it from it's housing during extreme manoeuvres, it has proven deadly, especially when facing against the older patterns of traitor forces.

Mounted in the blunt nose of the aircraft is a strong set of augur and auspex arrays, while mainly forward-facing they can be set to sweep in a wider arc for an all-around look. It is in conjunction with these systems that the pilot and on-board munitions interface when scanning for targets at long range or attempting to defeat enemy defences such as Eldar holo-fields. The combination of the augur array scanning long range, auspex scanning short range, the Astartes pilot giving manual guidance and the missile's own cogitator and auspex means that once someone is in a Talaria's sights, it's next to impossible to escape.

It is thanks to the direct interface though, alongside the superhuman gifts of the Astartes, that the Talaria has proven itself as one of if not the most manoeuvrable fighters in Imperial history. Thanks to the design of the aircraft's forward-swooping wings, multiple control surfaces, and vector thrusting engines it can pull off extreme feats of aerodymanic agility, this proving to be the main reason the aircraft was distributed to Astartes only, as they are the only beings able to push the machine to it's limits. Through extensive training and experience, a pilot can prove to be a significant threat, whether it be diving down upon targets, performing sideslip manoeuvres or deliberately stalling to shake off an enemy pursuer.

 

Defensive Systems

While the Talaria's main defence is to use it's speed and manoeuvrability to get itself out of danger there is not aircraft alive that is indestructible, and therefore it was fitted with several systems as a measure to limit pilot death, even at the cost of the aircraft itself.

The entire pilot pod and nose section is raised above the body of the craft for several reasons, one of which being the placement of the laser destroyer array turret for maximum efficiency, but chiefly among them is the fact that in case of an emergency, the pod can fully detach from the body of the plane. While other aircraft would usually include an ejection system for the pilot, the Talaria instead uses the whole pilot pod to ensure survivability. This is partially thanks to the extra armour around the pilot's position, meaning it can survive direct heavy weapons fire for a time, and partially due to the already-existing manoeuvring thrusters that dot the plane's body. Using these small thrusters as well as several parachutes and small grav-plates built into the underside, mean pilot can survive the pod falling and landing, and hold supplies that will allow the Astartes to survive to fly another day.

This focus on pilot protection has proven to be a solid idea, as thanks to this Astartes have successfully escaped and gone on to avenge the death of their previous machine. Although some legions have chosen to have this feature removed completely, citing a lack of honour in escaping while the aircraft's machine-spirit dies for your lack of skill.

Like most other aircraft though, the Talaria mounts an extensive decoy system on board, allowing it to throw out many different kinds of munitions to fool incoming ordnance. With two of these pods mounted on the machine, one on the spine, right behind the cockpit and one on the underside between the engines, it gives ample coverage and redundancy should one pod malfunction.

 

Engines

Both the best offensive and defensive element of the Talaria lies within it's pair of powerful engines. With twin plasma reactors feeding into vector-thrusting engines and ramjet intakes for in-atmosphere work a formidable amount of speed is available to the pilot as they fly through the sky. With the combination of the engines vector-thrusting capability, the abundance of control surfaces spread out amongst both sets of wings as well as the extra forward planes on either side of the cockpit, the extreme control is what necessitated the use of Astartes pilots. The extreme tolerances that the pilot is put under both fit the aggressive nature of Astartes as well as their physiology proving to be a perfect match for one another.

As previously mentioned the front of the engine blocks are ramjet intakes with pneumatic covers to keep them safe when not in use. While in-atmosphere they can be used to give a boost of power to the already formidable plasma engines output, and usually activated when a pilot needs a boost of speed to engage or disengage targets.

For work in the void the aircraft has a several banks of manoeuvring thrusters set across it's hull that allow small jets of plasma to change it's course and direction. This is used to great effect in hunting down other void fighters, dodging incoming enemy munitions and ship defensive fire.

 

Technical Specifications

Type: Air/Void Superiority Fighter

Vehicle Name: Talaria

Forge World of Origin: Mars

Variants:

Crew: Pilot

Powerplant: 2x Alta-VII 'Vengeance' Plasma Reactor

Empty Weight: 28.5 tonnes

Loaded Weight: 44.2 tones

Length: 24.2m

Wingspan: 18.3m

Height: 7.8m

Operational Ceiling: N/A

Max Speed: 3087kmh (1918mph/Mach 2.5)

Range: Unlimited

Armour

-Superstructure: 60mm

-Hull: 84mm

[Darkcommander]

The decoy and jamming missile specifically designed for the Dune Serpents variant of the Talaria fighter the 'Mustatir' (Which is itself currently WIP)

 

Djinn – Decoy & Jamming Missile

 

 

Introduction

Though much isn't known about the creation of the missile, the Dune Serpents began arming their aircraft and vehicles with the augur-defeating munition with extreme effect during the Second Solar War.

 

History

First appearing as waves of bombers over the rebel-held fortress of the Black Crag in the Galactic West, the defenders retorted with barrages of anti-air fire and missiles. They were shocked when first, their weapons did nothing, passing through the supposed formation with barely a scratch, and second, their power generation facilities on the other side of the base were knocked out by a small wing of Mustatir fighters unleashing barrages of missile and bolt cannon fire. The attack was swiftly followed by various leaders of the rebel hierarchy being cut down suddenly and brutally from the inside, leaving the fortress in disarray.

 

Description

A short and wide munition, the Djinn uses it's internal space to house the complex and mysterious 'Mamba' cogitator array as well as a powerful transmitter to both spoof enemy augur systems into seeing things that aren't there, and outright jamming them to blind them.

The nature of the weapon as a 'missile' gives some advantages to both of it's main functions, for fooling enemy systems it can mimic the appearance of a wing of fighters or bombers. The slow speed makes it seem as if the incoming wing of aircraft are lazy in their approach, or certain of their victory, and can bait less experienced commanders into over-committing his resources to deal with the non-existent threat. While in use as a jammer however, the slow speed and moving platform allow for certain parts of the battlefield to be targeted for certain periods of time, as well as prove hard to kill for ground-forces within the augur-jammed radius as it is flying so high.

The outer casing of the missile itself is relatively smooth, rounding off to a flat-nosed edge on the front and a pair of fold-out wings near the rear once it has been launched from it's mother craft. The combination of missile engine, wings and cogitator system allows it to patrol areas for extended periods of time, whether under it's own power or by gliding once it has run out of fuel. At the end of most Djinn missions the missiles are set to guide themselves down to safe places so they can be recovered, but if necessary can be used as a kinetic strike weapon as a last-resort. Using the momentum from their flight they can guide themselves onto various pre-determined targets or identified augur array's to inflict lasting damage. Though the destructive ending is effective, the missile systems are particularly hard to produce, so most Dune Serpent pilots leave them set to the default 'safe landing' mode for later recovery and use.

Configured normally on an aircraft, a single pylon and mount can hold up to 4 Djinn missiles each, and with a single missile able to mimic multiple aircraft, an entire decoy air attack can be managed and operated by a single fighter if need be.

 

Technical Specifications

Length: 1.8m

Width: 50cm

Weight: 1.4 tonne

Engine: Multi-Fuel Engine

Cogitator: 'Mamba' Class Cogitator Array

Maximum Speed: Mach 1 (1261kmh/ 784mph)

Maximum Range: Unknown

Payload: N/A

[bluntblade]

Dominus Knight Lachesis

Designed in the dark days of the Rangdan Xenocides, the Lachesis was conceived on Nox as an obliterator of hordes. The pattern was rapidly exported, and credited with helping such embattled Forge Worlds as Vamast to fend off the threat. Few Knight Houses ever adopted the Lachesis in any significant numbers, often citing misgivings about its savage machine spirit. Indeed, Lachesis armours figure in several late-Crusade accounts of the worst enormities committed by Knight Houses.

 

Among the most uncompromising Houses, however, its size and devastating armament made it a valued asset. Providing a scion could muster such a bellicose machine, they would be a fearsome presence on the battlefield, killing hundreds of enemies in mere minutes. As the Insurrection gathered pace, these enormous armours were pressed into service in increasing numbers and their frightful tally of slaughter lengthened greatly.

 

Weapon Options

Volkite Ribaudkin

Rad-Excoriator

Medusa Cannon

[Darkcommander]

I've still got the HW version of the Talaria superiority fighter underway at this point. still getting stuck on some elements of describing 'wierd techno-crystals that boost psychic ability' though