Valkyrie

Astra Militarum Portal

A Valkyrie deploying Storm Troopers.

The Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier is a heavily armed Imperial Aircraft with VTOL capabilities, used to ferry special forces such as Storm Trooper Squads and Drop Troop Regiments such as the Elysian Drop Troops to and from combat zones.

Overview

Barring a few exceptions the Valkyrie, like most of the Imperium's aircraft, is piloted and operated by the Imperial Navy, with a pilot, co-pilot and two door gunners.² Valkyries are provided in joint operations for use to the Imperial Guard on an as needed basis, with pilots reporting directly to the regiment's senior officer.³ However, in cases where a Valkyrie squadron can expect to be attached to Imperial Guard units for a long duration, modifications are made to the Valkyrie to enhance its role of close air support. The most common modifications are extra armor and a Searchlight. This extra weight reduces the Valkyries max flight altitude and speed, but allows the crew to use it's VTOL capabilities to the maximum potential with improved survivability.^1,3

With advanced flight control and sensor gear, the Valkyrie contains technology comparable to those found in Space Marine Vehicles, limiting their construction to sufficiently-advanced planets such as Forge Worlds.² In flight, the aircraft utilizes twin vectored engines in order to not only vertically take of and land, but also hover in mid-air, allowing for greater accuracy in deploying its twelve passengers.² These engines can be sealed, and an onboard oxygen supply employed, for when operating in hostile environments. Common methods for deploying from a Valkyrie range from simply jumping off (if the height from the ground is low enough) to fast-roping and rappelling.² When unable to operate that low to the ground, deploying via high-altitude jumps using grav-chutes are possible, though highly dangerous.³ In addition, when mounting extra fuel tanks the Valkyrie is capable of carrying a modified Drop Sentinel, Cyclops Demolition Vehicle or Sentry Gun.

Primary armament is a Multi-laser, which can be replaced with a Lascannon, and two door-mounted Heavy Bolters. This combination of weapons allows Valkyrie pilots to stay on station once their cargo has been dropped and provide limited air-support to the troops on the ground. In place of the craft's two external fuel tanks the Valkyrie can instead take either two Hellstrike missiles or two Rocket pods, and can receive additional upgrades.

Valkyrie

The Interior of a Valkyrie

Technical Specifications

Type	Airborne Assault Carrier	Operational Ceiling	13,000m
Vehicle Name	Valkyrie	Max Speed	1100kph
Forge World of Origin	Mars, Voss, Artemia, Estaban VII, Agripinaa, Phaeton, Lucius	Range	2,000km in atmosphere
Known Patterns	I-X	Main Armament	Hull mounted Multi-laser, 2x door-mounted Heavy bolters
Crew	Pilot, navigator, 2x door gunner	Secondary Armament	2x Hellstrike Missiles
Powerplant	2x F75-MV Afterburning Vector-Turbojets	Main Ammunition	150 shots from powerpack
Weight	13 tonnes empty	Secondary Ammunition	1000 rounds
Length	18.5m	Armour
Wingspan	16.9m	Superstructure	75mm
Height	4.8m	Hull	75mm

Variants

Vulture

Main Article: Vulture Gunship
The Vulture Gunship is a common variant of the Valkyrie which has been converted into an attack aircraft, sacrificing its troop-carrying capacity for increased firepower.

Vendetta

Vendetta Heavy Gunship⁶

The Vendetta Heavy Gunship are Valkyries attached to Imperial Guard units which, in addition to the increased armor, are equipped with 3 Twin-linked Lascannons, and used as a tank hunter after dropping off any unit being transported by it. Furthermore, it still retains the ability to mount 2 Heavy Bolter door guns. It may also replace the 2 hardpoint mounted Twin-linked lascannons on its wings for 2 Hellfury Missiles.³ Despite their impressive firepower, Vendetta Gunships lack the flexibility of Vulture Gunships, which are chosen more often for deep-range attack, strafing and urban assault missions.⁵

Sky Talon

Valkyrie Sky Talon⁴

The Valkyrie Sky Talon is a newer variant of the standard Valkyrie airborne assault carrier. A support aircraft used for heavy lifting in combat theatres, the Sky Talon is armed for self-defense and to assist the other assault carriers as they clear drop zones of the enemy. Standard armament is a nose mounted Heavy Bolter turret and two Hellstrike Missiles under the wings, which can be replaced with two Rocket pods. Despite its armament, it is unusual for Sky Talons to be used in a battlefield role. Rather, they deliver their heavy cargo, typically a Tauros or two Drop Sentinels, then quickly exit.⁴

Famous Valkyries

Steel Eagle - 22nd Catachan Jungle Fighters.¹

Sources

• ¹: White Dwarf 354 (AU/NZ).
• ²: Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, p.241
• ³: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), p.56
• ⁴: Imperial Armour - Apocalypse Second Edition p.39
• ⁵: Imperial Armour - Apocalypse II, p. 20
• ⁶: Vendetta Heavy Gunship

See also

• Storm Trooper
• List of Imperial Aircraft